Brighton is set to explode with a celebration of music, dance and colour as Brighton Pride 2014takes over the city this August
Flamboyant, spectacular and with fundraising and the Freedom To Live campaign at its core, Brighton and Hove Pride is the city’s most fabulous of festivals.
On Saturday 2nd August the proudest day in Brighton’s year will kick off at Marine Parade with the Brighton Pride Community Parade. 2014’s theme is The World’s A Disco and with over 160,000 expected participants and spectators celebrating the music, dance and colour of the globe, the city’s streets will be filled with dazzling costumes and spectacular floats. The parade will also highlight the plight of those across the globe whose basic freedom to live is denied, campaigning under the theme Freedom To Live.
The award-winning Brighton Pride festival returns to Preston Park with a line-up of entertainment guaranteed to keep over 40,000 Pride-goers happy till 10pm.
The Main Stage will thrill with its fabulously proud line-up of stars including Katy B and her euphoric dub-fuelled dance tunes, the ever-handsome boy band Blue, X Factor queen Sam Bailey, Pussycat Doll’s stunning Kimberly Wyatt, pop kittens Neon Jungle, our favourite Weather Girl Martha Wash, house hero Peyton, singer-songwriter Heather Peace and many, many more.
Other must-do park attractions include the supersized Wild Fruit Dance big top with its lasers, special PA’s and line-up of DJs and the new Q Live Music Stage, in association with Student Pride, with Republica, Lucy Spraggan, QBoy, Massive Ego, Kenelis and more delivering a day of live rock, indie, folk-electronica and rap.
The Legends Cabaret Tent, the biggest at any UK Pride, returns with its unforgettable electric atmosphere. Hosted by Lola Lasagne, the capacity crowd can expect a unique mix of drag, singers, sequins, powerhouse vocals, show tunes and plenty of pizzazz.
The Calabash Tent is back with its diverse mix of R’n’B, Hip Hop, Bhangra, Dancehall, Reggae, Drum ’n’ Bass, Garage and disco whilst the legendary Women’s Dance Tent will be the only destination on the park if you want to get hot with the girls with DJ’s including Amy B, Sandra D, Missy B, King K, Alpha and Lady Lola. 2014 will also see the return of the bear-tastic Men’s Zone in association with Brighton Bear Weekender.
The Literature Live Tent, hosted by Brighton & Hove Libraries and East Sussex Libraries, is back for its second year providing an inclusive and interesting haven of inspiration and humour as LGBT writers perform their work. And Pride’s much-loved Community Village and marketplace will enable Pride-goers to connect with local and national LGBTQ charities, organisations and businesses.
Of course Pride isn’t just for one proud park day and the festival promises two weeks of amazing events. The Brighton Pride Arts Festival returns for its second year with a unique programme including The Pink Fringe at The Marlborough Theatre, Pride Film Festival at The Duke of York’s, Gay photography exhibition at Kemp Town’s Sidewinder and two new art exhibitions at Brighton’s Jubilee Library; Freedom to Live and Strike A Brighton Pose.
Alongside the culture Pride 2014 will also deliver lots of fabulous fun in the sun. In association with Coastway Veterinary Group and The Dogs Trust, Doggy Pride on the 20th July is the perfect day out for proud pooches and their friends. The day will feature awards for numerous judging categories, retail stalls, a glamorous catwalk doggy fashion show, bar and refreshments. Coastway Veterinary Group, who have organised and supported the event for many years, will be overseeing all entries and judging each category, ensuring every star pooch gets the recognition their proud paws deserve.
New for 2014 is the disco-tastic fundraising 5k Rainbow Fun Run and Community Sports Day at Preston Park on Sunday 27th of July. A fun run that welcomes all ages and abilities, participants can choose whether to run, walk, mince or crawl the 5K. Hosted by Dolly Rocket, it’s a chance to embrace a disco fun run full of frolics and enjoy the most memorable of community sport day. Medals and prizes will be awarded from Vivo Barefoot and Nick Rivett Intersport in Hove.
This year will also see the legendary Village Street Party return safer, better and with a new fundraising purpose. It will take place from 6pm on Saturday 2nd August with entertainment starting from 8pm after the Preston Park Festival, and on Sunday 3rd August between 2pm and 8pm. For the first time ever the seafront road, Marine Parade, will be closed to traffic, creating a unique and vibrant gay village for Pride weekend.
There will be planned entertainment zones dedicated to cabaret, disco & music, allowing the Pride Village Party to become a safe and enjoyable event for the LGBT community and its supporters, while at the same time, becoming a successful fundraising event for local charities and organisations.
Pledge Bands for the two-day event will cost just £5 (£2 a day) with all revenue from the Pledge Bands going towards security, marshalling and production costs to sustain the future of the Village Party, along with a guaranteed £1 charitable donation to the Rainbow Fund.
Let the countdown to the UK’s brightest and best Pride celebrations begin.
Saturday 2nd August 2014
Community Parade The World’s a Disco
Marine Parade 11pm.
Pride Brighton & Hove 2014: Freedom To Live
Pride Festival Preston Park 12noon – 10pm.
The Pride Festival VIP area is hosted by Absolute magazine. For VIP offers and tickets please go to http://www.brighton-pride.org/