This year’s Pride Brighton and Hove is being hailed as one of the most successful ever.
The city centre was transformed into a sea of colour and celebration this weekend with more than 100,000 people flooding onto the streets.
Despite the huge numbers, Sussex Police made just 40 arrests in more than 12 hours during the height of the action on Saturday.
Organisers are hopeful that the success of the event will mean that they have beaten last year’s fundraising total of £71,000 for the Rainbow Fund.
This year’s event kicked off in spectacular style with a parade through the city centre with more than 60 community groups represented in a cavalcade of floats travelling from the Brighton Wheel through the city to Preston Park.
Lady Gaga, David Beckham, Whitney Houston, Freddie Mercury and Tina Turner were just some of the icons represented on the floats in keeping with this year’s theme and were cheered on by thousands of people blowing whistles, singing and dancing in the street.
On Saturday afternoon, about 25,000 spectators gathered in Preston Park to enjoy music and entertainment in a variety of tents and on a range of stages.
Alison Moyet, the original line-up of the Sugababes and Paloma Faith were just some of the big name acts taking to the stage.
Most revellers praised the atmosphere and organisation although there were some complaints about the length of queues getting into the event and queues for toilets.
Rainbow Fund Organisers had hoped that a newe-ticketing system and extra toilet facilities would have eased the lengthy queues from last year, but vowed to make improvements next year.
Pride director Paul Kemp said: “Pride 2013 was an amazing day and we would like to thank every single person who came along and made it one of the best Pride events we have witnessed in the city.
“We’ve had fundraising events throughout the Pride Arts Festival as well as over the Pride weekend and hope to have topped last year’s fundraising for the Rainbow Fund.
“Every year Pride faces the unique challenge of a large number of guests that follow the parade, all arriving at Preston Park at one time.
“We appreciate that it is frustrating to have t o queue to access the park and this is one area of logistical planning that we recognise and event organisers must endeavour to improve this area for 2014.”
From Preston Park, thousands thronged to St James’s Street and the Old Steine to continue the party long into the night before resuming the celebration on Sunday afternoon.
Organisers said the street party attracted record crowds with 25,000 people estimated to be in the St James’s Street area at its peak.
Street party organiser and owner of Zone Bar Sharon Barr said: “We have had no complaints so far, no major incidents and everybody had a good time.
“Shopkeepers were amazed with the state of the streets on Sunday morning, everything was cleared away and we were ready to go.
“In the face of our main sponsors pulling out, we came through it well.
“We are hoping that next year, we will get sponsorship in and we will have music right down the street, we want to make it bigger and safer next year.”
In total, 40 arrests were made between 2.20pm on Saturday and 3.55am on Sunday morning with 24 arrests made either in or around Preston Park and 16 elsewhere in the city.
Arrests were made for a range of alleged offences including battery and sexual assault, drug possession, exposure, theft, assaulting an officer and being drunk and disorderly.
With so many people coming into and out of Brighton for the event, some late-night trains did not stop at scheduled stations as part of overcrowding measures while some stragglers missing their train simply sleeping in the station.
Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne said: “It was probably the best Pride in a long time.
“The officers on the parade were delighted with the response they got from the crowds, they said they were cheered and clapped which has never previously happened.
“I was in the park for several hours and we had very positive reactions from people.
“Everybody took on the spirit of the day and it was just great that the city can celebrate diversity in such a way.”
Chief Superintendent Paul Morrison, who oversaw Saturday’s policing, said: “This is one of the biggest policing operations we manage, and it could not happen without the support and hard work from all those involved and the thousands of people who travel from far and wide to attend it and help make it an amazing and fun event.
“Officers have made a number of arrests today, which is expected at such a large event.”
Sue Shepherd from Friends of Preston Park said she was very impressed with the efficiency of the park clean-up operation.
She said: “On Sunday afternoon, teams were working very hard to get everything out of the park by the end of the night.
“The park was still usable yesterday which is amazing after such a big event.
“This year’s clean-up has been much more effective than previous efforts, three years ago the park was left in an abysmal state.”
Cheering crowds Brighton and Hove City Council leader Jason Kitcat said: “Pride in Brighton and Hove continues to go from strength to strength and maintains its place as a premier event in our city’s calendar.
“It was wonderful to see so many groups on the parade and to once again have our streets filled with cheering crowds.
“It was an honour to be at the head of the parade with the Mayor, supporting the LGBT community and equal love.”
Councillor Warren Morgan, leader of the Brighton and Hove’s Labour and Cooperative Group, said: “The high point for me was being in the parade with Peter Kyle, Nancy Platts and 40 of my Labour colleagues as we went through the city centre, with thousands of residents cheering and applauding, “It was a really positive, friendly and inclusive event.”
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