The sun shone on Brighton Pride after days of rainfall leading up to this years event.

Despite storm clouds early on Saturday morning, rain held off the Pride parade, breaking into glorious sunshine on Preston Park in the afternoon.

Thousands gathered on Madeira Drive to cheer the Parade off, led once again this year by officers from The Gay Police Association.


Floats included entries from American Express, The Co-Op and Nandos.

Voluntary sector organisations represented included The Brighton Gay Men's Chorus, THT, The Sussex Beacon, Allsorts, MindOUT and Brighton LGBT Switchboard.

Other entries included walking tableaux from The NHS Hospital Trust, Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, firemen and women from East Sussex, Hampshire and Kent Fire Brigades, the Royal Air Force and the Green Party. There were 55 floats in all on the parade.

There were no floats representing Brighton's LGBT business community but The Jack Horner Pub from Worthing had a presence on the parade.


The theme of this years parade was Pride and No Prejudice. Some entries had a strong political and social message including the student's union entry which featured people, gagged round the mouth, carrying black coffins to protest about the countries where homosexuality still carries the death penalty.

Following months of speculation as to whether this years event would take place at all, Sussex Police estimated 160,000 people on the Park over the course of the day making it the best attended Pride ever.

The Park this year was extensively fenced with a special community section in one half of the park and a large screen in the centre of the park re-running the mornings Pride parade.

Messages were posted on the screen from community groups and leader of the City Council, Cllr Mary Mears to revelers on the park.


Lunch Positive the HIV group that provides lunch for positive people every Friday at the Dorset Gardens Methodist Church, operated the Rainbow Cafe in the community village.

The Dance Tent with international superstar DJs The Freemasons headlining and Cabaret Tent featuring mainly local cabaret performers were as usual the favourite attractions for many on the park. However, the Women's Performance and Calabash Diversity Tents drew huge crowds also.

Bars on the park were branded by the Camelford Arms, The Star Inn, Vavoom, Revenge, R-Bar and Girls on Top.

The owners of Revenge who hold the bars contract for the park have agreed to split the profits from the student bar on the park between Pride and LGBT Student Union groups from the local universities,.

Following the party on the park, celebrations continued in St James Street at the Village Street Party organised by local LGBT businesses and run at a profit.

Organisers of the street party confirmed they had met their budget and hoped to be able to pay of some of last years debts from the surplice of income generated.

The Village Street Party continued from 2pm on Sunday afternoon and local politicians were quick to congratulate City Clean for the quick and effective way they cleaned up St James' Street on Saturday and Sunday nights to return the street to business use within an hour of the street party closing on both nights.

Following a large number of complaints from local residents about the rubbish left on Preston Park, Brighton & Hove City Council intervened on Monday morning and put City Clean and every gardener on its workforce to work helping clean up Preston Park.

The council could not confirm who would be meeting the cost of this exercise.

St John Ambulance said it dealt with about 220 casualties with 11 of these having to be taken to hospital.

The organisers announced they needed to collect £40,000 on the day to balance the budget, but it emerged after the weekend that this total has not been raised.

Sussex Police confirmed there were 39 arrests at the event, most primary drug related. Seven arrests for assault, six for theft and 17 for drug offenses.

Pride campers at the Pride Camp Site at the Waterhall Playing Fields were attacked on Friday night shortly after midnight. A group of youths yielding baseball bats attacked campers in their tents.

One of the suspects is described as white, 19 about 5ft 8" with dark gelled curly/wavy hair. He was wearing a black shiny tracksuit type jacket and dark coloured trousers.

Police are asking anyone who witnessed the attacks or saw anything suspicious to call 0845 60 70 999 quoting serial 2123 of 06/08/10.

You can donate to Pride online at www.justgiving.com/brightonpride/donate
On your mobile phone by texting the word PRIDE to 70007*