Train strikes and our tumultuous summer weather couldn’t dampen the spirits of Brightonians on their biggest calendar event of the year – Brighton Pride.
This year’s parade, in all its fabulous colour, got a little battered by the wet and windy conditions on the Brighton and Hove seafront. But, where there’s rain there follows a rainbow, and this year’s LGBTQ+ celebration was extra special as it commemorated the 50th anniversary of the first Brighton Pride held in July 1973. Those on the streets with a sharp eye and a knack for celebrity spotting may have seen new Labour candidate for Brighton Pavilion Suzy Eddie Izzard join the parade or Hozier frontman Andrew John Hozier-Byrne perform a secret gig – we weren’t lucky enough to get both!
Whilst the streets were awash with colour and sparkles and the anticipated party spirit, a lower-than-usual turnout was more evident in Preston Park for the main stage events at Fabuloso In The Park. Saturday was hit hardest after the downpours, with the park more akin to Glastonbury than we’re used to. Nevertheless highlights included our very own Eurovision entry Mae Muller, Australian electro-pop band Confidence Man, Zara Larsson and last but not least Black Eyed Peas. Unfortunately, the headliners seem to have had their set cut short after appearing late on stage and breaching curfew.
Nevertheless, we heard some fantastic keynote speeches from human rights campaigner and LGBT activist Peter Tatchell and former athlete Dame Kelly Holmes – reminding us of how far we’ve come since the repeal of Great Britain’s anti-gay laws, as well as standing in solidarity with those less fortunate in Uganda and Iran, and standing for equality and inclusion of trans communities.
Sunday in the park saw the sun shining down on party-goers who were relieved to remove the cagoules and plastic ponchos – finally a familiar sight of rose-tinted sunburn on foreheads and bare glittery and rainbow-adorned skin. The main stage had a line-up throwing us straight back into the 90s and early 00s for a good dose of nostalgia. Irish girl band B*Witched sparked people into action with their infectious Irish dancing during final track ‘C’est La Vie’ that saw a huge crowed mimicking their high steps and taps.
Then Melanie C, aka ‘Sporty Spice’, erupted onto stage with her high energy, bounding across stage and along the runway in her reflective tracksuit to liven the crowd. She performed back-to-back hits from her and the Spice Girls’ back catalogue and was a real crowd pleaser. Steps closed the weekend fabulously with their choreographed singalongs in what was their only UK show of the year. They did this with style and pizzazz – as well as a fantastic cover of Kylie’s ‘Better The Devil You Know’. We heard all their classics including ‘5, 6, 7, 8’, ‘Tragedy’ and ‘Heartbeat’ – the latter performed as a statement in front of the Trans Rights Are Human Rights backdrop, reminding us just what Pride is all about.
Brighton Pride, Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th August 2023
Words and photos by Francesca Moore
