Regularly hailed as the LGBTQ+ capital of Britain, Brighton and Hove is gearing up for this year’s Pride event on the 3rd and 4th August. Every year, the country’s biggest and arguably best Pride celebration pulls in up to half a million revellers who travel cross-country and cross-border for a jam-packed line-up of thrilling events. Music, joy, unity – it’s all there as the LGBTQ+ community gathers to fly the Rainbow Flag amid concerts, street parties, a parade, a film festival and even a dog show. An unforgettable weekend awaits!
With so many visitors descending on the city, it’s essential that you plan ahead as the countdown has already begun! So read on for our three-day guide to all the festivities, as well as our restaurant and hotel recommendations.
Your Brighton & Hove Pride starts here…
Friday 2nd August
On the Friday evening, check into Hotel du Vin Brighton, just a stone’s throw from the seafront, which offers 49 wonderfully unique rooms scattered among a collection of gothic and mock-Tudor buildings. The eccentric décor is mirrored in the slightly haphazard layout which oozes an authentic charm befitting of the location. Rooms are not short on luxuries either, with handsprung mattresses, fine Egyptian linen, powerful drench showers and coffee machines to keep guests comfy and well-fuelled.Or you might opt instead for Artist Residence Brighton. This One Michelin Key seaside hotel has an unpretentious, bohemian vibe with rooms individually decorated by local artists in exchange for lodging. The result is unusually creative and authentic with guests able to choose from ‘Tiny Sea View’ and ‘Cosy Double’ rooms, right the way through to the ‘Bigger Balcony Sea View’ option for a truly memorable experience. All offer comforts and little luxuries for a real home from home feel. Downstairs, this seaside hangout features a Clubhouse – a hybrid-working and entertaining space that’s open all day.
Once you’ve checked in, it’s time for an early dinner at one of our Michelin-recommended spots. Tucked away in the Lanes, Embers cooks small plates and centrepiece dishes in a medieval-style fire cage in the middle of the room, infusing its concoctions with a rich smoky flavour. Designed for sharing, the menu has an eclectic base, with plenty to satisfy both vegan and carnivorous guests – think beetroot and apple salad, cured sea trout and flamed beef heart. Innovative cocktails complete the offering, making this the perfect starting point for your weekend extravaganza.
After dinner, good-timers won’t want to miss Party Bag, the official pre-Pride party at the Ironworks Studios Brighton which forms part of its season of events celebrating LGBTQ+ culture and diversity. Hosted by Dick Day & Ophelia Payne, this warm-up event starts at 7:30pm with performances by Billie Gold, Karma and Aurora Starr, plus other special guests. Following the show, dance into the early hours at the after-party.
Saturday 3rd August
It’s the big day so make an early start at the Ginger Pig, a comfortable seafront inn which opens at 8am. Here, the menu proposes a host of breakfast favourites from classics like a full English breakfast or a bacon sandwich, to avocado and poached egg or bowls filled with yoghurt, fruit and granola.Kicking off the event is the Brighton & Hove Pride LGBTQ+ Community Parade 2024. This colourful spectacle draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to the streets of Brighton and Hove to witness, in the words of the organisers, an “all-singing, all-dancing carnival of colour”. The theme of this year's Pride is "Joy: Celebrating life, spirit and resilience", and nothing epitomises this like the exhilarating parade which showcases charities, community groups and local LGBTQ+ businesses. Beginning at Hove Lawns, the parade will culminate in Preston Park – the location of the Fabuloso Festival.
Those of you seeking a more laid-back start to the festivities may instead choose to attend the Community Day & Dog Show which runs from 11am through to 5pm at Preston Park. This wonderful celebration of all things canine is your chance to show off your four-legged friend to an adoring audience or simply join dog lovers from far and wide in a fun and friendly atmosphere. Expect awards, a doggy fashion show and community stalls.
Across the field, it’s the main event: Fabuloso in the Park. In pride of place on the schedule, this thumping concert fundraiser is the country’s most popular Pride celebration which starts at midday and finishes at dusk on Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday will see headliners Girls Aloud take to the Main Stage, following other confirmed acts including Billy Porter and Sophie Ellis-Bextor. With a host of other stages, visitors will be spoilt for choice when it comes to riotous entertainment, while Fabuloso’s queer film festival and its selection of short films, documentaries and animations will keep film buffs happy.
The Street Food Village is great for a quick bite but foodies may be tempted to check out early and try another of Brighton’s Michelin-recommended restaurants. Encapsulating the Brighton buzz, Tutto serves up flavourful Italian cuisine and warm Italian hospitality in equal measure. Housed in a former bank, it combines a contemporary décor with elegant flourishes and an outdoor terrace perfect for balmy August evenings.
But energetic Pride-goers may forego the city’s culinary gems to continue the revelry at the Pride Village Party in Kemptown, which runs from 5 to 11pm on Saturday and 3 to 9pm on Sunday. Separate to Fabuloso, it unfurls along St James’s Street and Marine Parade, giving visitors a secondary option when planning their Pride itinerary. Here, businesses unite for the occasion, offering a multitude of different areas to party, eat or relax while fundraising for the Brighton Rainbow Fund and Pride Social Impact Fund. With entertainment, live performances, cabaret, DJs and drag shows, it’s a fizzing, bubbling alternative to the main event at the heart of the city’s gay district.
Sunday 4th August
Whether you called it a night at 11pm or danced till late in Legends, Affinity Bar or Revenge, you’ll want to blow the cobwebs off the previous days’ indulgences. After breakfast at your hotel, enjoy a leisurely morning exploring Brighton. Take in the Regency grandeur of the Royal Pavilion with its spectacular domes and spires or meander through The Lanes, a labyrinthine area packed full of charming little shops, narrow alleys and hidden squares. Finish with a bracing walk around the iconic Brighton Palace Pier before heading back to the Lanes for lunch at 64°.This diminutive restaurant is another champion of sharing, with diners seated around an open kitchen where they can chat with the friendly chefs. The menu lists fish, meat and vegetable plates with a focus on local produce and rich flavours. Claim one of the four tables and fortify yourself for the day ahead with dishes like pheasant, pear and squash or fresh pasta with truffle and egg yolk cooked at – you guessed it – 64 degrees.
Burnt Orange is another excellent option. Awarded a Bib Gourmand distinction for its great value cuisine, this stylish spot in the heart of Brighton serves up Middle Eastern plates in an easy atmosphere, where you might just linger all afternoon if you didn’t have places to be.
Refuelled, it’s time for Pride Day 2. Once again you have a choice. You can head to the Pride Village Party or back to Preston Park for Sunday’s Fabuloso whose star-studded line-up includes headline act Mika, along with S Club, Gabrielle and Björn Again. The other stages will see QueerTown return from the day before while the Noughty 90s Festival Stage will play host to Noughties and Nineties artists performing their old-skool bangers. Elsewhere, there’s even a Sober Bright’huns stage run by a sober clubbing and events company based in Brighton.
If you can bear to tear yourself away between acts, don’t miss the Cleveland Arms, a traditional family-run pub just a short walk from Preston Park. A member of the Pride City Angels scheme, this friendly watering hole is a great place to enjoy a refreshing tipple.
And if you’re feeling peckish, steal away to Furna, a stylish city centre restaurant headed up by Dave Mothersill who has graced the Brighton food scene for over two decades. At Furna, his chefs work with British produce in an open kitchen, crafting seasonal dishes that carry the odd creative twist. The décor is equal parts luxurious and relaxed with terrace seating, weather permitting.
As Pride 2024 draws to a close, we have just the recommendation to end on a high. Running from 3pm to 3am, the Sunday Sundae Pride Reunion is Brighton Pride’s most legendary party, hosted at the Patterns nightclub beneath the glittering disco ball. Sure to be a night to remember, this scintillating event brings together a world-class line-up of DJs delivering a soundtrack of classic house and disco in a beautiful venue on Brighton’s famous seafront. As loved-up clubbers descend to close out their weekend, the vibe is joyful and life-affirming. So, grab a drink and dance the night away – you’re among friends here.
Address Book
Affinity Bar: 129 St James's St, Kemptown, Brighton, BN2 1THBrighton Palace Pier: Madeira Dr, Brighton, BN2 1TW
Ironworks Studio: The Ironworks, 30 Cheapside, Brighton, BN1 4GD
Legends: 31-34 Marine Parade, Kemptown, Brighton, BN2 1TR
Patterns Brighton: 10 Marine Parade, Kemptown, Brighton and Hove, Brighton, BN2 1TL
Pride Village Party: St James’ Street and Marine Parade, Brighton
Revenge: 32-34 Old Steine, Kemptown, Brighton, BN1 1EL
Royal Pavilion: The Royal Pavilion, Brighton, BN1 1FN
The Cleveland Arms: Cleveland Road 27A, Brighton, BN1 6FF
Hero Image: marktucan/iStock
