Pride postponement’s wide ramifications 

Brighton & Hove Pride and the Brighton Rainbow Fund organisers have spoken out about how the postponement of this year’s event will have ramifications that “will be felt throughout the LGBTQ+ community as well as across the whole of the city”.

Pride managing director Paul Kemp said: ‘For many LGBTQ+ people, Pride is the only time they come together and feel part of a community. It is a time to connect with other marginalised groups to give as well as receive support.‘

It was announced last month that the 30^th anniversary Fabuloso Pride would not be going ahead this year in light of the coronavirus pandemic, with the event joining other major local and UK casualties, including the Brighton and Edinburgh Festivals.

The celebration will now be held over the weekend of  August 7-8, 2021, subject to landlord’s consent.

‘Organising Pride is a year-round endeavour and we have already paid out on things like artist deposits, contractors’ deposits and fees, press and marketing, staff costs and infrastructure,’ said Paul.

‘The pandemic is devastating for the whole leisure and events industry and the jobs of suppliers and contractors where the majority of income comes during the summer months. It’s becoming inevitable that insurance and suppliers’ costs for all major events will increase.

‘Our priority right now is to ensure we are in a fit state going forward to deliver an event next year while continuing to support the Brighton Rainbow Fund and our community organisations. There are real challenges ahead, but with support from our partner agencies, council and the community, we are confident we’ll get through this crisis.

‘We know Pride will be even more important in bringing people back together again to celebrate our communities.’

In the past six years, Brighton & Hove Pride has raised more than £920,000 for community good causes, thanks to the support of businesses, sponsors and the many thousands who buy tickets for the Festival in Preston Park and Pride Village Party. It has supported hundreds of community organisations with grants through the Brighton Rainbow Fund, Pride Social Impact Fund and Pride Cultural Development Fund, which “has made a fundamental difference to the lives of thousands of people in our communities”.

Paul added: ‘Clearly there’s going to be an impact on this year’s Pride fundraising, but we are exploring ideas with our community partners on how we might do something in August to help raise additional much needed community funds.’

Pride is the biggest fundraiser for the Brighton Rainbow Fund, which is a central distribution point for grants to 23 local LGBTQ+ and HIV projects.

Chair Chris Gull said: ‘It is these projects, and the people they support, that will notice the effects of reduced fundraising this year, not just from the cancellation of Pride, but also other fundraisers such as Brighton Bear Weekend, and the closure of venues that have been important to our fundraising, both by organising events and by hosting our collection tins.

‘We also rely on individual donors, who may be affected by the upcoming ‘downturn’.

‘Like everybody else we have no idea how much we will have to distribute in October, but we do know that we’ll have to make some tough decisions.

‘Pride is our biggest fundraiser and looking beyond the short term it’s important that it survives to continue raising funds for our community organisations for many years to come.

‘To that end we’re asking everybody who would have attended Pride this year, and helped to raise funds through their attendance, to consider donating some of the money they’d have spent that weekend directly to The Brighton Rainbow Fund using the donate button on the website.’

Both Pride and the Brighton Rainbow Fund are also calling on those who had already bought tickets to consider the option of ‘donating’ the ticket price by not claiming a refund. Pride will give anyone who does this priority in purchasing pre-release tickets for next year.

‘We are still processing refund applications but are heartened that the majority of existing customers have chosen to retain their tickets for next year thus supporting Pride going forward and our community fundraising,’ said Paul.