Brighton Pride 2026: Everything You Need to Know
Brighton Pride 2026 returns on 1 and 2 August for its 35th anniversary, with RAYE and Diana Ross headlining the biggest weekend in the city's calendar
Brighton and Hove Pride 2026 takes place on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 August, and this year is unlike any other. It is the 35th anniversary of the modern Pride festival, a milestone that the organisers have described as a moment to honour the courage of the activists who made it possible, celebrate how far the community has come and look clearly at how far there is still to go.
Over 300,000 people are expected to pour into Brighton across the weekend, making it the biggest annual event in the city's calendar and one of the largest Pride celebrations in Europe. The Guardian has described it as the country's most popular LGBT event. The weekend generates around £20 million for Brighton's economy each year.
The theme for 2026 is The Power of Love, chosen to bring people together in solidarity, resistance and community. It is a theme with weight behind it. This year's anniversary marks 35 years since Brighton Pride returned in 1991 as the modern festival we know today, having first been held in 1973 when the Sussex Gay Liberation Front organised the city's earliest marches.
Paul Kemp, Managing Director of Brighton and Hove Pride, said this year feels genuinely special.
"This year feels incredibly special as we celebrate 35 years of Brighton and Hove Pride," he said. "We want to reflect on the journey since the early 90s, celebrate how far we've come as a community but also look ahead to the future and how far we've still to go."
If you are coming to Brighton for Pride 2026, whether for the first time or the fiftieth, this is everything you need to know.
A brief history of Brighton Pride
Brighton Pride began in 1973 when the Sussex Gay Liberation Front organised the city's first march. It was a small, defiant act of visibility at a time when being openly LGBTQ+ carried serious social and legal consequences. The march did not continue annually, and it was not until 1991 that Brighton Pride returned in the form that laid the foundations for what it is today.
Those early years in the 1990s took place against the backdrop of Clause 28, the AIDS crisis and a political climate that was actively hostile to LGBTQ+ people. That context matters. What is now a weekend of joy and international headliners grew directly out of those years of protest and visibility.
Over the past three decades the event has grown from a local march into one of the most significant Pride festivals in the world. Previous headliners at Preston Park have included Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue, Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey, Dua Lipa, Grace Jones, Pet Shop Boys, Fatboy Slim, Years and Years and many more. In 2025 it was Mariah Carey. In 2026 it is RAYE and Diana Ross.
The 35th anniversary is a genuine milestone. The organisers have described it as an invitation to remember the courage it took to be visible, during years when showing up at all was an act of resistance. For Brighton, a city whose identity has been shaped by its LGBTQ+ community more than almost anywhere else in the UK, it is a weekend that means something beyond the music.
The Brighton Pride LGBTQ+ Community Parade makes its way from Hove Lawns through Brighton city centre to Preston Park every August, drawing over 300,000 people onto the streets. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons licence
The Pride Parade
The Brighton Pride LGBTQ+ Community Parade takes place on Saturday 1 August and it is completely free to attend. No ticket required. You simply show up.
The parade sets off from Hove Lawns on the seafront and winds its way through the streets of Brighton, finishing at Preston Park where Pride on the Park festival is taking place. The route passes through the heart of the city and draws enormous crowds along the pavements and from windows above.
This year's parade theme is The Power of Love, reflecting the wider 35th anniversary theme of the full festival weekend. The parade features charities, community groups, small businesses, the emergency services, the NHS and an enormous range of LGBTQ+ organisations from across the city and beyond. It is as much a political act as a celebration, a statement of visibility that the organisers are clear has not lost its significance despite how much has changed since 1991.
If you are planning to watch the parade, get to the route early. The streets fill up very quickly, particularly closer to the city centre. The section along the main route from the seafront towards Preston Park offers the best views. Bring something to stand on if you can.
The parade is the part of Brighton Pride that belongs to everyone. The festival in the park is ticketed and sells out. The parade is open, free and one of the most extraordinary things you can witness in a British city in 2026.
Pride on the Park: the festival at Preston Park
Pride on the Park is the ticketed festival in Preston Park that forms the centrepiece of the weekend. It is the official Brighton and Hove Pride fundraiser for local LGBTQIA+ community groups, meaning every ticket sold contributes directly to organisations working in the city throughout the year.
The festival runs across both Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 August. Over 150 LGBTQ+ artists and collectives perform across multiple stages including the main stage, a dance arena, cabaret tents, Queer Town, a BAME stage and a host of other spaces. There is also queer theatre, spoken word, a political speakers corner and a dog show.
Tickets are available via AXS and Skiddle. A low income ticket scheme is also available for those who need it. Brighton residents can apply for discounted tickets through the official Brighton Pride website, with Sunday tickets available at £25 and Saturday or Sunday tickets at £49 for those in the catchment area. VIP and camping options are available but sell out fast, both gone by mid-July last year, so book early if you want either.
Tens of thousands of festival goers pack Preston Park for Pride on the Park, the ticketed music festival at the heart of Brighton Pride weekend. In 2026 the festival celebrates its 35th anniversary with RAYE headlining Saturday and Diana Ross closing Sunday. Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons licence
Saturday 1 August: the lineup
Saturday is headlined by RAYE on the main stage. It is her third appearance at Brighton Pride but her first as a headliner, a detail that feels right given what the past few years have meant for her career. She will be performing material from her upcoming second album, This Music May Contain Hope. If you were at Glastonbury 2025 you already know what to expect. If you were not, prepare yourself.
The rest of the Saturday main stage is stacked. Jessie J returns to Brighton Pride having headlined in 2019, bringing fan favourites Bang Bang and Price Tag. Self Esteem is on the bill, one of the most vital live acts in British music right now. Leigh-Anne, fresh from her Top 5 album My Ego Told Me To, joins the main stage alongside Aussie artist G Flip and South African singer Moonchild Sanelly.
RuPaul will perform an exclusive DJ set on the Saturday. Drag Race legend, global icon and now Brighton Pride performer. It is a debut that has been a long time coming.
Across the weekend stages on Saturday you will find Purple Disco Machine, Bimini, Daniel Avery, Oxylion and Danger and Patrick Mason. The dance arena will be running all day and well into the evening.
Paul Kemp described the Saturday lineup as reflecting a breadth of talent across many generations, and it does. RAYE and Jessie J sit alongside Self Esteem and G Flip in a way that works because Brighton Pride has always pulled in a crowd that actually cares about music rather than just turning up for a name.
Brighton Pride has drawn crowds to the city every August since 1991, growing from a small community march into one of the biggest LGBTQ+ celebrations in Europe. This year the festival marks its 35th anniversary with RAYE and Diana Ross headlining at Preston Park on 1 and 2 August 2026. Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons licence
RAYE at Brighton Pride 2026
RAYE headlines the main stage at Preston Park on Saturday 1 August, marking her third appearance at Brighton Pride but her first as a headliner. It is a moment that feels right. When she first played the festival in 2018 she was a support act. When she returned in 2022 she supported Christina Aguilera. This time she is the name at the top of the bill.
The past few years have been extraordinary for RAYE. Her debut album My 21st Century Blues arrived in 2023 after she left Polydor Records following years of frustration at being held back from releasing her own music. The album went to number one. She won six BRIT Awards in a single night in 2024, a record. Her follow up album This Music May Contain Hope was released in March 2026 and went straight to number one.
At Brighton Pride she will be performing material from that new album, including singles Nightingale Lane, Click Clack Symphony featuring Hans Zimmer and Where Is My Husband. If her Glastonbury 2025 headline set was anything to go by, this will be one of the performances of the summer.
Here is a taste of what to expect from her new album:
RAYE headlines the main stage at Brighton Pride on Saturday 1 August 2026, performing material from her new album This Music May Contain Hope. Video: RAYE via YouTube
Sunday 2 August: the lineup
Sunday is headlined by Diana Ross. It is her Brighton Pride debut and a UK exclusive performance. She is 82 years old, she is a living legend and she is coming to Preston Park to perform Ain't No Mountain High Enough, I'm Coming Out, Endless Love and more to tens of thousands of people on a summer Sunday afternoon in Brighton. There is not much more to say about that except that it is going to be extraordinary.
Holly Johnson of Frankie Goes to Hollywood takes the Legends slot on the Sunday, one of the first openly proud gay artists of the 1980s and someone who genuinely embodies the theme of The Power of Love in a way that is not just marketing. His presence at this 35th anniversary feels genuinely significant.
Paris Hilton performs live on the Sunday, bringing pure Y2K energy to the main stage. Mel C performs a DJ set. Boy band Five, reunited following their 2025 comeback tour, will also take the stage.
Across the weekend stages on Sunday, Armand Van Helden, The Blessed Madonna, Girls Don't Sync, HAAi, Hannah Wants and I. Jordan cover the dance and electronic programme. The Blessed Madonna in particular is one of the best DJ bookings Brighton Pride has made in years.
The Pride Village Party
The Pride Village Party takes place along St James's Street and Marine Parade in Kemptown, the heart of Brighton's LGBTQ+ neighbourhood. It is a separate ticketed event that raises funds for the Brighton Rainbow Fund and the Pride Social Impact Fund.
St James's Street transforms completely on Pride weekend. Every bar, club and venue is open, decorated and packed. The street itself becomes one continuous party. If you want to understand what makes Brighton's LGBTQ+ scene different from any other city in the UK, Pride weekend on St James's Street is the clearest answer available.
Tickets for the Pride Village Party are available separately or as part of a joint ticket with Pride on the Park. Check the official Brighton Pride website at brighton-pride.org for the latest details and pricing.
St James Street in Kemptown, the heart of Brighton's LGBTQ+ community, decorated ahead of Pride weekend. The Pride Village Party transforms this stretch of the city every August, with tens of thousands of people filling the street for two days of live music, drag performances and celebrations. Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons licence
Diana Ross at Brighton Pride 2026
Diana Ross headlining Brighton Pride on Sunday 2 August is one of those bookings that feels almost too good to be true. She is 82 years old, she is one of the most celebrated performers in the history of popular music and she is coming to Preston Park for what has been billed as a UK exclusive performance and her Brighton Pride debut.
Ross began her career as lead singer of The Supremes in the early 1960s, becoming one of Motown's defining voices. Ain't No Mountain High Enough, I'm Coming Out, Endless Love, Chain Reaction, Stop In The Name Of Love. The list of songs she will draw from on Sunday afternoon in Preston Park is extraordinary. I'm Coming Out in particular has been an anthem for the LGBTQ+ community for decades and hearing it live at Brighton Pride will be a moment.
Paul Kemp, Managing Director of Brighton Pride, described the booking as a dream come true. "As we proudly celebrate 35 years of Brighton and Hove Pride, we look forward to welcoming the legendary Ms Ross to our stage," he said. "Her music has soundtracked so many lives and we know Pride-goers are in for an incredible experience."
Holly Johnson of Frankie Goes to Hollywood takes the Legends slot before Diana Ross, one of the first openly proud gay artists of the 1980s performing at the 35th anniversary of the festival he helped inspire people to attend. The Sunday lineup is the kind that comes along once in a generation. Here is a taste of what Sunday has in store:
Diana Ross headlines the main stage at Brighton Pride on Sunday 2 August 2026, making her Brighton Pride debut in what will be a UK exclusive performance. Video: Diana Ross via YouTube
Getting to Brighton for Pride
The single most important piece of practical advice for Brighton Pride is this: do not drive. The city centre is subject to significant road closures on parade day, parking is extremely limited at the best of times and the train from London takes under an hour. Leave the car at home.
The train is by far the best option. Southern runs from London Victoria, Thameslink runs from London Bridge and St Pancras International. Trains run approximately every 15 to 30 minutes throughout the day. Brighton Station is a 15 to 20 minute walk from Preston Park or a short taxi ride. Book tickets in advance as trains fill up quickly on Pride weekend, particularly on the Saturday morning.
From Brighton Station, Preston Park is a 20 minute walk north through the city or a short taxi ride. The number 5 and 5A buses also run from the city centre towards Preston Park. The parade itself starts at Hove Lawns on the seafront and ends at Preston Park, so if you are watching the parade first, simply follow the crowd.
Accommodation books out months in advance for Pride weekend. If you are planning to stay overnight, book now. Prices rise significantly and availability at any price disappears entirely in the weeks before the event. The closer you are to the city centre or Kemptown the better, as you will be able to walk between venues without relying on taxis.
Practical tips for Brighton Pride 2026
The gates for Pride on the Park open at midday on both Saturday and Sunday. The festival runs until late evening. Bring sun cream, a portable phone charger and something waterproof. Brighton in August is usually warm but it is still England, and the weather can change.
Preston Park has no re-entry once you leave with your festival ticket. Plan accordingly if you need to leave for any reason during the day.
There is a low income ticket scheme for those who need it. Accessibility tickets are also available. Both are bookable through the official Brighton Pride website.
Brighton residents in the catchment area can apply for discounted tickets through brighton-pride.org. Sunday tickets are available at £25 and Saturday or Sunday tickets at £49 for those in the red zone catchment area. Proof of address is required.
The Parade on Saturday morning is free and does not require a ticket. Turn up, find a good spot on the route and enjoy one of the finest things Brighton does.
Brighton Pride 2026 takes place on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 August. For tickets, full lineup details, the parade route and the latest updates, visit the official website at brighton-pride.org. For more on events in Brighton this summer, read our Brighton Events Guide 2026. For everything happening in the city, follow ImJustBrighton.
