Thousands of students from across the country will celebrate their sexuality at a new festival.

Bosses behind the popular Shakedown music festival are launching the weekend event for lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender students in Brighton on March 28.

The ‘Takeover’ event will be run from Friday night through to Sunday over the same weekend when the first same sex marriages commence in England and Wales.

Organisers say a single wristband for participants will give revellers access to club nights, activities and discounts at city attractions including the Palace Pier and the Sea Life Centre.

It will give free entry to Brighton and Hove’s biggest gay clubs – Revenge, Charles Street and Legends – and offers cheap hotel and hostel stays for students coming from out of town.

The busy weekend will also include a “scene-wide bar crawl” across LGBTQ venues and a student fair.

Popstar Ms Dynamite will kick off the action when she performs at club Revenge on March 28.

Steve Jones, promoter of Takeover and Shakedown Festival, said: “I’m delighted to be part of such an exciting event for Brighton. The city has some of the best LGBT venues in the UK, and this is a brilliant opportunity for us all to work together to showcase just how good it can be.

“With National Student Pride finding a new home in London, we all felt it was important to welcome new students from all over the UK to Brighton with a packed weekend of events across the scene.

“From Friday evening through to the early hours of Monday morning, over ten venues are offering a broad range of entertainment and discounted prices.”

Festival bosses are donating 10% of ticket sales to local charities the Terrence Higgins Trust and the city’s Rainbow Fund, which will distribute funds to other local LGBTQ charities and frontline services. Donations will also be made to Brighton and Sussex University’s LGBT student societies.

For more information visit www.takeoverbrighton.co.uk