Day One – Pride, Pop and a Whole Lot of Love
Preston Park, Brighton – Saturday 1 August 2026
Pride is many things in many places. A protest, a celebration, a place to be unapologetically yourself. And, in Brighton, one hell of a festival.
As Brighton & Hove Pride hit its 35th year, Preston Park once again became a sea of glitter, flags, sequins and unadultarated joy. With this year’s theme, The Power of Love, the first day delivered the big pop spectacle expected of Pride On The Park — but underneath the confetti and headline names was something more important: a crowd gathered to celebrate being exactly who they are.
And Brighton knows how to throw a party.
Arriving after the parade, Moonchild Sanelly wasted no time proving that Pride programming can still have plenty of bite. Her self-styled Future Ghetto Punk fused house, amapiano, dancehall and hip-hop into something gloriously unruly. Infectious, bold and impossible to stand still to, she brought the kind of individuality that Pride should always champion.
Leigh-Anne followed with a slick burst of pop and R&B, turning the park into a giant dancefloor. Her Little Mix legacy is obvious, but this is a solo artist increasingly finding her own lane. ‘OMG’ landed particularly well, while her take on ‘Could You Be Loved’ brought a little sunshine to an already very bright afternoon.
Then came RuPaul. Few people have done more to drag queer culture into the global mainstream, and watching the legendary queen work the catwalk at Pride feels almost perfectly circular. Glamour, attitude and a soundtrack built for moving hips — RuPaul understood the assignment.
If there was one act who embodied the sheer exuberance of the day, it was G Flip. Multi-instrumentalist, drummer, singer and all-round force of nature, they turned the main stage into a pop-rock playground. ‘The Worst Person Alive’ hit hard, while a joyous ‘Cruel Summer’ cover had a new generation of Pride-goers singing along.
And then Self Esteem arrived and raised the theatrical stakes.
With precision choreography, formation dancing and a performance that feels part pop concert, part cabaret and part feminist fever dream, Rebecca Lucy Taylor gave the afternoon a welcome dose of weirdness and theatricality. It was big, bold and brilliantly committed — exactly the sort of left-field pop spectacle that makes a festival lineup feel more than just a collection of famous names.
Jessie J brought the powerhouse vocals. Whatever life has thrown at her, standing on that stage and belting out the songs that made her a pop heavyweight felt like a victory in itself. ‘Who’s Laughing Now?’ and ‘Do It Like A Dude’ were particularly potent reminders of why her music has always connected with outsiders, misfits and anyone who has ever been told they don’t quite fit.
And then it was the turn of RAYE.
The headline slot could have simply been a victory lap for one of Britain’s biggest stars. Instead, it became something more personal. Her relationship with Brighton Pride goes back to before the huge venues and global acclaim, and that history mattered.
The opening of ‘Escapism’ announced the arrival of a serious headline act, but the real strength came from the contrast — huge orchestral arrangements, cinematic staging and towering vocals sitting alongside moments of vulnerability and genuine connection.
By the time ‘Prada’ transformed Preston Park into one enormous outdoor nightclub, there was no mistaking the mood. This wasn’t just a crowd watching a pop star. It was thousands of people celebrating together.
And that is where Pride still matters.
Yes, Pride On The Park is now a huge commercial festival. There are VIP areas, massive production, major sponsors and a lineup packed with chart stars. There will always be debate about how far a Pride event can move into mainstream festival territory without losing sight of its roots. But standing in that crowd, surrounded by people waving flags, embracing friends, dancing with strangers and simply existing without apology, the original purpose is still visible.
Pride began with protest. It grew through resistance. It exists because previous generations fought to make this kind of public celebration possible.
So bring on the sequins, the giant stages and the pop bangers — but don’t forget what they’re celebrating.
Day one was loud, colourful, occasionally chaotic and unapologetically joyous.
Pride had arrived. And Brighton was ready to party.
Day Two – Legends, Love and One Very Big Party
Preston Park, Brighton – Sunday 2 August 2026
If Saturday proved Brighton & Hove Pride could throw one hell of a pop party, Sunday arrived with a different kind of energy. The sun was still out, the glitter was still firmly in place and Preston Park was once again filling with colour, camp and enough sequins to be visible from space.
Day two was about generations.
From rising pop names to bona fide icons, the lineup jumped decades with gleeful abandon. But beneath the nostalgia and festival-sized production was the same message that should sit at the heart of Pride: be yourself, love who you love and never apologise for taking up space.
Opening the main stage, Pale Waves brought indie-pop swagger and a welcome dose of guitars. Their set, including a punchy ‘Zombie’, cut through the sweetness of the afternoon and gave the growing crowd something to properly get their teeth into.
Local Brighton favourite Caity Baser followed with an altogether more carefree kind of chaos. Her candid, cheeky pop landed perfectly with a crowd ready to sing, dance and forget about Monday. There is something particularly fitting about seeing a Brighton artist take over a Pride stage: local, loud and entirely comfortable in her own skin.
Then came Melanie C, who turned the main stage into a giant dancefloor. Her DJ set was pure pop nostalgia with enough modern club energy to keep things moving. For a generation raised on Wannabe and platform trainers, it was an unapologetically joyful trip back through the soundtrack of their youth.
And then came a moment when Pride’s history suddenly felt very present.
Holly Johnson took the stage.
‘Relax’ is more than a classic pop single. When Frankie Goes To Hollywood released it in 1983, its unapologetic sexuality caused outrage, censorship and controversy. At Brighton Pride in 2026, thousands of people could sing every word in broad daylight.
That is Pride in one song.
Johnson delivered the performance with style and swagger, and when that unmistakable opening landed, Preston Park erupted. What was once considered scandalous had become a communal celebration. The world had changed — and everyone in that field was part of the evidence.
If Holly Johnson represented Pride’s rebellious past, Paris Hilton represented its glorious present-day camp.
There was absolutely nothing understated about this performance. Glitter, dancers, attitude and an audience fully prepared to embrace the madness. Hilton knows exactly what she is doing and, crucially, knows that Pride is one place where being spectacularly extra is not only permitted but actively encouraged.
Five then turned back the clock again, and proved that nostalgia can still hit like a truck when the crowd is willing. ‘Keep On Movin’, ‘If Ya Gettin’ Down’ and ‘Everybody Get Up’ transformed the park into one enormous late-90s dancefloor.
For a festival audience spanning multiple generations, these moments matter. Parents, children, old friends and new ones were suddenly singing the same songs together.
And then came the main event.
Diana Ross.
There are headline acts, there are icons, and then there are performers whose careers have become part of popular culture itself.
Ross arrived with the kind of grandeur that only Diana Ross can really pull off. Six decades of music, The Supremes, Motown, disco, pop and countless reinventions all came with her.
‘I’m Coming Out’ was the obvious opening statement — and an almost perfect Pride anthem. From there, the hits came thick and fast: ‘Baby Love’, ‘You Can’t Hurry Love’, ‘Stop! In The Name Of Love’, ‘The Boss’, ‘Chain Reaction’ and ‘Upside Down’.
But the biggest moments weren’t necessarily the biggest songs.
‘Reach Out And Touch (Somebody’s Hand)’ turned Preston Park into a field of raised arms. ‘I Will Survive’ became a huge collective declaration of resilience. And when ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ arrived, the crowd did the singing for her.
This was Pride as a shared experience rather than simply a concert.
Ross’s voice may carry more history now, but her presence remains immense. At 82, she still possesses the rare ability to command an entire field simply by walking onto a stage.
Her closing message of individuality and freedom was perhaps the most fitting way to end the weekend. Because for all the huge names, spectacular costumes, nostalgia and pop bangers, that’s what Pride is ultimately about.
Being seen. Being heard. Being yourself.
Two days at Preston Park delivered enough music, glitter and spectacle to fill a dozen festivals. But the real success wasn’t the size of the stages or the celebrity wattage.
It was the sight of generations standing together, singing together and celebrating together.
From Holly Johnson’s once-outrageous ‘Relax’ to Diana Ross’s timeless ‘I’m Coming Out’, the message remained remarkably simple.
We’ve come a long way. And we’re still here.
Brighton Pride 2026: loud, proud, gloriously excessive — and still, underneath it all, about love.
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