THOUSANDS gathered to watch Christina Aguilera perform on the first night of Brighton Pride’s festival. Argus reporter Daniel Green was there to watch the action unfold.

 

It’s hard to know where to begin to describe the first night of Pride exploding back to life after its long hiatus to mark its 30th anniversary.

Having enjoyed several Pride events in the city over the years, it was truly fantastic to see so many people make the pilgrimage from far and wide to Preston Park to mark the occasion.

I spotted people from all walks of life scattered around the park in a sea of unity.

The park’s variety of dance tents offered something for everyone, from the drag queens of the cabaret tent to the DJ sets and bass-dropping tracks of the Gaydio tent.

The Argus: Huge crowds stretched as far as the eye could seeHuge crowds stretched as far as the eye could see

After a few hours, the several thousand-strong crowd began to converge around the main stage for the start of Todrick Hall’s set. It was an ocean of people waving Pride flags and throwing their hands in the air in excitement.

Todrick dazzled the audience with a series of quick costume changes, ending his performance with his gay anthem “Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels”.

The Argus: Todrick Hall, fan in hand, as he wears a Pride Progress flag bodysuitTodrick Hall, fan in hand, as he wears a Pride Progress flag bodysuit

Ella Henderson, too, did not disappoint, with the crowd putting their hands together to make love hearts, cheering along and singing at the top of their lungs to her chart-topping tracks, including Ghost, Glow and Crazy What Love Can Do.

The Argus: People put their hands together to make love hearts as Ella Henderson performed at Brighton PridePeople put their hands together to make love hearts as Ella Henderson performed at Brighton Pride

The crowd packed in even tighter as Christina’s performance neared, with fans chanting her name as they eagerly waited for the star to take to the stage.

Before too long, a short video was shown on the screens of Christina and a montage of various lesbian and gay couples kissing.

“It's so gay I could die,” one person said next to me in ecstasy.

The Argus: Christina Aguilera performs the first song of her set, DirrtyChristina Aguilera performs the first song of her set, Dirrty

Then the woman herself arrived as bright red lights flashed, smoke erupted from the stage, and the word “Dirrty” appeared on big screens around the park. The crowd went wild as the bass vibrated underfoot.

Christina took part of her set to protest against a recent “Don’t Say Gay” law passed in Florida, which bans discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms.

The Argus: Christina Aguilera used part of her set to protest against anti-LGBTQ legislation in FloridaChristina Aguilera used part of her set to protest against anti-LGBTQ legislation in Florida

As dancers held banners and the stage’s giant screens beamed the words “Say Gay”, the crowd loudly cheered and started chanting the phrase over and over again.

The Argus: Lasers lit up the sky as Christina Aguilera donned a neon green bodysuitLasers lit up the sky as Christina Aguilera donned a neon green bodysuit

It was a set full of classics from the late Nineties and early Noughties, as well as eye-catching costumes, including a neon green bodysuit with horns coming out of her chest.

In a dazzling finale, several large inflatable balls were released into the crowd, with “Gay” and “You are beautiful” printed on them.

The delighted crowd was showered with confetti for the last time. This was a night to remember.