While I don’t agree that Pride has run its course, I do feel that there needs to be a serious look at how it is run, done and implemented.

Pride stopped being Pride in the Park for me when they started to charge community groups extortionate prices to have a stall and feel that the following should be implemented:

  • A market stall /community stall area around The Level and/or Old Steine which is free for people to enter, shop and use
  • A reduction from two days in Preston Park to one, where the key "headliner" are those from across the LGBT+ community. There is no need for expensive headliners, especially not those who go to Dubai and take money from anti-LGBT regimes, where local community acts are then drip fed fees which have been reduced year after year due to additional costs on security, toilets and headline acts
  • There needs to be more access for lower salaried individuals to be able to fully participate
  • The week-long series of Pride events that happen need to be promoted more and not simply the ones being run by Pride Brighton.  There needs to be more communication/PR on what’s happening across the city
  • The St James's Street party needs to be thought through again and as highlighted, there needs to be a better solution for residents and businesses within the "zone"
  • More needs to be done to support activities outside the zoned area ie Kemp Town village, Hove etc as there are many venues where people can go who can't afford to pay/don't want to pay the £30 for a weekend wristband.

Pride Brighton really needs to start engaging with the LGBT+ community, residents and businesses now and not wait until the week before next year’s event.

Robert Brown

Kemp Town

Brighton