Council proud to support 25 years of Pride
Brighton & Hove City Council would like to thank the event organisers Pride CIC, as well as the emergency services and the army of volunteers who helped make the 25th year of the event such a success.
Thousands of people turned out in glorious weather to watch the parade and celebrate in Preston Park and the Pride Village Party in Kemptown.
A bomb scare meant that the parade had to be re-rerouted but services worked together with Pride Community Interest Company to make sure the parade went without a hitch.
Deputy leader of the council Gill Mitchell, said: “It was a fantastic 25th Pride, probably the best ever and I’d like to thank the event organisers Pride CIC, Sussex Police, partners and volunteers who acted quickly and calmly to reschedule the parade.
“The fact that Pride has survived and grown in such a positive way, harnessing the goodwill of so many people, is testament to the efforts of those involved who work so hard to make this event a success year on year.”
St John Ambulance provided more than 100 volunteers to give medical care throughout the weekend, the 16th year they have worked with Pride in Brighton & Hove.
As well as the council’s own events and seafront teams, staff throughout the organisation provided support for the event, from children’s services which set up outreach support for young people, to transport which managed the road network. The council’s street cleaning teams collected 120 tonnes of rubbish from the streets.
The council’s tourism arm VisitBrighton welcomed a number of LGBT travel journalists from around the world to the city over the Pride weekend, including Brazil, USA and Germany.
Acting chief executive Geoff Raw said: “This is a great example of a community led event that brings enjoyment and economic benefits as well as showcasing Brighton & Hove as a city of fairness and equality. We’re proud to play a part in enabling the enthusiasm, creativity and desire to work together that makes Pride in Brighton & Hove such a success.”
The annual Pride festival is the biggest stand-alone event that takes place in the city and is estimated to inject around £13.5 million into the local economy.