Restaurants Brighton guide to
Brighton Pride 2026, 1st and 2nd August
All the Brighton Pride 2026 events – all in one place.
Brighton Pride 2026, Preston Park
Brighton Pride 2026 is here, and this year is more extraordinary than ever. Celebrating 35 years of Brighton and Hove Pride, the weekend of Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 August promises to be the most spectacular edition of the UK’s greatest Pride festival yet. The theme for Pride Brighton or Pride Festival Brighton 2026 is The Power of Love, and with a lineup that spans six decades of pop royalty, dance legends and cultural icons, that theme has never felt more fitting. Whether you are a first-time visitor or a Pride veteran who has been making the pilgrimage to Brighton every summer for years, this is the one you will talk about for decades.
Curious about what’s on? Here’s your full guide to Pride 2026 in Brighton, plus what’s going on at various bars and restaurants around the city.
Tickets are available now at prideonthepark.co.uk/tickets. VIP and camping sold out by mid-July last year, so do not wait. Images and artwork on this page, copyright Brighton Pride 2026.
Pride Brighton 2026, The Headliners – RAYE and Diana Ross
This year’s Pride on the Park headliners are the two most exciting announcements in the festival’s 35-year history, and that is not a claim made lightly.
On Saturday 1 August, the main stage belongs to RAYE. One of the most extraordinary artists of her generation, RAYE has achieved over 10 billion streams globally, made history in 2024 by winning six BRIT Awards in a single year, the most ever won in one night, and took the Ivor Novello Songwriter of the Year award in the same year. Her debut album My 21st Century Blues, a decade in the making and her first as an independent artist, was one of the most celebrated records of recent years, and her most recent single Where Is My Husband hit number one in the UK charts in January 2026.
Having performed at Brighton Pride Festival in 2018 and 2022, RAYE returns to headline the main stage for the first time, and is expected to deliver one of the first live performances of material from her highly anticipated new album This Music May Contain Hope. Prepare for something genuinely historic.
On Sunday 2 August, in a UK live show exclusive, the legendary Diana Ross makes her Pride Brighton debut. In a career spanning more than six decades, Diana Ross has become one of the most celebrated and beloved artists in the history of popular music, and her headline set at Preston Park will be one of the most unforgettable moments in the festival’s 35-year story. As Pride MD Paul Kemp puts it, welcoming Diana Ross as Sunday headliner is a dream come true. It is not hard to see why.
Where to Eat and Drink During Brighton Pride 2026
Brighton Pride weekend is one of the greatest times of year to be in the city, and its restaurants, bars and pubs rise magnificently to the occasion. The city fills to capacity over the weekend and the energy across every neighbourhood is extraordinary.
Kemptown is the epicentre of Pride street celebrations away from the park, with St James’s Street and the surrounding area buzzing from early morning until late into the night. The bars in Brighton city centre are at their most spectacular over Pride weekend, and the Brighton seafront bars take on a particular magic as the sun goes down on both evenings. Booking restaurants in advance for Pride weekend is absolutely essential; the most popular venues fill weeks ahead. The LGBTQ+ bars in Brighton are particularly worth planning around, as many host special Pride programming throughout the entire week.
Brighton Pride 2026 takes place on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 August at Preston Park, Brighton. Tickets at prideonthepark.co.uk/tickets. Book early. This is 35 years of Pride, and it is going to be extraordinary.
The Full Pride on the Park 2026 Lineup
Beyond the headliners, the full lineup for Pride on the Park 2026 is as strong as the festival has ever assembled. Here is the full picture.
Saturday 1 August, Main Stage: RAYE headlines, joined by RuPaul performing an exclusive DJ set making his Brighton Pride debut, Jessie J returning to the stage she memorably graced in 2019, the brilliant Self Esteem, pop powerhouse Leigh-Anne from Little Mix, electrifying Aussie star G Flip and the extraordinary Moonchild Sanelly.
Saturday Dance Arena: Purple Disco Machine headlines, supported by Bimini, Daniel Avery, Patrick Mason and Oxylion and Danger.
Sunday 2 August, Main Stage: Diana Ross closes the festival as headline act in a UK live show exclusive. Joining her on the main stage are Five, reuniting following their celebrated 2025 comeback tour, Paris Hilton performing live as Sunday Icon, the iconic Holly Johnson of Frankie Goes to Hollywood in the Legends slot, and Spice Girls icon Melanie C performing a DJ set.
Sunday Dance Arena: Armand Van Helden headlines, supported by The Blessed Madonna, HAAi, I.Jordan, Hannah Wants and Girls Don’t Sync.
Across the wider site, the festival spreads far beyond the main stage into multiple spaces and experiences including the Legends Cabaret, The Cocoa Butter Club, Queer Town, Party Bag, Bears in the Woods, Queer Soap Box, Outro and dedicated family zones. Brighton Pride 2026 is not a concert; it is a world.
The Brighton Pride Street Party
The Brighton Street Party transforms Marine Parade into a two-day LGBTQ+ spectacular on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 August, running alongside Pride on the Park as the most accessible and community-rooted celebration of the entire Pride weekend.
Free from the constraints of a ticketed festival site, it brings open air stages, drag performances, live music and dancing to the seafront in a format that feels genuinely connected to the city it celebrates.
The event is produced in collaboration with some of Brighton’s most beloved LGBTQ+ venues, including Legends, Charles Street Tap and Kitchen, R Bar, Camelford Arms, Affinity Bar, Bulldog, The Marine Tavern and many more, each hosting performances and parties across both days.
Together they create a connected celebration that stretches the length of Marine Parade and gives the whole Kemptown neighbourhood an energy unlike anything else in the city’s year.
The 2026 lineup features Gok Wan, Bimini, Kerry Ellis, Rozalla, Woody Cook, Dave Lynn, Pxssy Palace and an extraordinary cast of drag artists, DJs and live performers.
For those not attending Pride on the Park, or wanting to continue the celebrations into the evening, Marine Parade is where Pride truly lives. Full details and tickets at brightonstreetparty.co.uk.
What’s On During Brighton Pride 2026
18 July: Brighton Trans Pride
Europe’s largest trans pride event, supporting over 10,000 attendees in a joyful, safe and celebratory environment.
30 July: Pride at the Pavilion
A glamorous evening at the Brighton Royal Pavilion to kick off Pride weekend in spectacular style before the parade begins.
31 July: Drag in the Park, Family Edition
Family-friendly drag spectacular at Brighton Open Air Theatre with pop, Disney songs and inclusive fun for all ages.
31 July: Drag in the Park
The raucous adult edition of BOAT’s beloved Pride event, hosted by Alfie Ordinary with top UK drag queens performing.
31 July: Brighton and Hove Frontrunners 5k Rainbow Run
A celebratory Pride weekend 5k fun run supporting MindOut, the local LGBTQ+ mental health charity.
1 August: Pavilion Pride Picnic
A family-friendly, alcohol-free Pride picnic in the grounds of the Royal Pavilion before the parade gets underway.
1 August: Pride Community Parade
Brighton’s iconic LGBTQ+ parade starting at Hove Lawns and travelling through the city centre to Preston Park.
1 August: Aperol Spritz Aperidisco Pride Fundraiser
High-energy beach terrace day party at OHSO Social with house music, sunshine and ice-cold Aperol Spritz.
1 and 2 August: Pride on the Park
The headline festival at Preston Park with RAYE on Saturday and Diana Ross on Sunday headlining the 35th anniversary celebrations.
1 and 2 August: Brighton Street Party
Open-air LGBTQ+ spectacular on Marine Parade with Gok Wan, Bimini, Kerry Ellis and drag performances across both days.
Planning your Brighton Pride weekend? Discover our handpicked Pride events below
35 Years of Brighton Pride
Brighton and Hove Pride has come a very long way since the Sussex Gay Liberation Front organised the city’s first Gay Pride event in 1973. Now celebrating its 35th year, it has grown into something that bears very little resemblance to almost any other event in the UK. Firmly established as the UK’s most popular international Pride festival, described by The Guardian as the country’s most popular LGBT event and celebrated by Attitude Magazine as one of the best international Pride festivals in the world, Brighton Pride is as famous, vibrant and utterly unique as the city that hosts it.
Over the years, the Pride on the Park stage has welcomed Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue, Dua Lipa, Nile Rodgers and Chic, Pet Shop Boys, Grace Jones, Fatboy Slim, Paloma Faith, The Human League and many more.
Brighton Pride Weekend, What Happens and When
Pride weekend in Brighton is not a single event; it is a city-wide celebration that runs across several days and transforms every neighbourhood it touches.
The weekend traditionally begins to build on the Friday evening, with bars, clubs and venues across the city hosting Pride warm-up events and the first wave of visitors arriving from across the UK and around the world. Brighton is estimated to receive a £22,500,000 boost to its local economy over the Pride weekend, which tells you something about the scale of what this event has become.
The LGBTQ+ Community Parade opens the weekend’s proceedings on Saturday morning, snaking its magnificent route through the streets of Brighton and drawing enormous crowds along the way. Watched by hundreds of thousands of people, the parade passes through the city centre and has its spiritual heartland in Kemptown, Brighton’s historic LGBTQ+ neighbourhood, where the celebrations spill out onto every street and reach a joyful intensity that is unlike anything else the city experiences all year.
From the parade, the focus shifts to Preston Park, where Pride on the Park takes over the city’s most beloved green space for two full days of music, community and celebration. The park is transformed into a vast festival site with multiple stages, performance spaces, food and drink, community areas and the two main stage headliner sets that draw the largest crowds of the weekend.
Pride Campsite at Waterhall
New for Pride-goers who want to make a full weekend of it, the Pride Campsite at Waterhall provides a dedicated camping option set in the beautiful Sussex countryside just north of Brighton. With VIP and standard camping options available, the campsite gives those travelling from further afield the chance to stay close to the action without the pressure of finding city centre accommodation over one of the busiest weekends in Brighton’s entire year. Given that camping sold out well in advance last year, booking early is strongly advised. Full details and booking are available at prideonthepark.co.uk/tickets.
Pride on the Park, Community and Purpose
Pride on the Park is the official Brighton and Hove Pride fundraiser for local LGBTQIA+ community groups, channelling its success directly back into the LGBTQ+ organisations, charities and projects that depend on it throughout the year. Brighton and Hove Pride’s sole ethos is to promote diversity, inclusion and education, and to celebrate and support LGBTQ+ lives in every way it can. Pride with Purpose is not a marketing line; it is the organising principle of the entire weekend, with a positive influence that extends into schools, workplaces and community spaces long after the stages have come down.
LGBTQ+ bars | Brighton Pride
Over the last 50 years, Brighton has firmly established itself as a hotspot of LGBTQ+ activism, hosting some of the UK’s first Gay Pride demonstrations and vocal anti-Section 28 marches.
Today, we enjoy living in one of the most gay-friendly cities in the world. As such, almost all pubs, bars and cafés are what might be called ‘queer welcoming’, but there is also an abundance of out-and-proud venues that cater specifically for our LGBTQ+ communities and allies.
We’ve put together a collection of some of our favourite Brighton Gay Bars or LGBTQ+ friendly bars.
other food and drink events
As well as the official Pride line-up, many of our city’s fine food and drink establishments will be joining in the celebrations by doing what they do best and in the name of a good cause. See below for our foodie picks to fuel and recharge before, during and after your celebrations. Plus our Brighton food and drink events page is your one-stop shop for having fun with your food.
Restaurants and Pubs
Pubs and restaurants that are great for sharing with friends or enjoying a breather before (or after) the party.
- Bonsai Plant Kitchen – Award-winning vegan small plates and cocktails on Baker Street.
- The Chimney House – Ideal pitstop on the way to Preston Park, with cracking burgers and pints.
- The Roundhill – Post-parade wind-down with comforting vegan pub food and cocktails.
- Tutto – Gather your crew on Marlborough Place for Italian sharing plates and fabulous wines.
- Nanima Asian Kitchen and Café – Award-winning, at the top of Kemptown, serving warming bowls of noodles to recharge or re-energise.
- Fatto a Mano – Swing by Preston Circus for a post-parade pizza fix.
Pictured above: Nanima Asian Kitchen and Café
Cafes and Bakeries
Cafés, sandwiches, coffee, brunch and more — ideal for lining your stomach or fuelling up en route.
- Jacobs Bakery – Right on the parade route, serving up freshly made sandwiches from early doors.
- Curio Café Bar – In the heart of the action on Clyde Road, perfect for a sensational sandwich stop.
- Moksha Caffé – Brunch it up with a full plate and don’t skip the hash browns.
- Social Board – At the bottom of St James’s Street, serving their award-winning sandwiches ideal for on-the-go.
- Open Bakery – At the top of Kemptown, known for outstanding cakes, bakes and coffee.
Picture above: Social Board Sandwiches
Brunch Spots
Here’s where to head the morning after the celebrations:
- Oeuf – BRAVO winner and home of the famous Frumpets™.
- Starfish & Coffee – BRAVO winner and top-tier brunches and a Bloody Mary that seriously hits the spot.
- Vios Café – Right in the heart of the Lanes and pours a seriously reviving coffee.
- Mange Tout – French-inspired and reliably excellent for a proper brunch fix.
- Trading Post Coffee – The Kensington Gardens location has a gorgeous roof garden to brunch away in peace.
- Lost in the Lanes – Award-winning and just moments from the seafront.
- Rockwater Hove – Seafront views, brunch classics, and a breezy vibe.
Pictured above: Starfish & Coffee
Q
&
A
Brighton Pride 2026 takes place on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 August 2026. The LGBTQ+ Community Parade opens proceedings on Saturday morning, with Pride on the Park running across both days at Preston Park. The wider Pride Brighton celebrations, including the Brighton Street Party on Marine Parade and events across the city’s bars, restaurants and clubs, build throughout the entire weekend from Friday evening onwards.
The Brighton Pride parade, officially known as the LGBTQ+ Community Parade, snakes through the streets of Brighton city centre before making its way to Kemptown, the city’s historic LGBTQ+ neighbourhood. Kemptown is the spiritual heartland of Pride Brighton, with St James’s Street and the surrounding streets filling with enormous crowds and celebrations that continue long after the parade has passed.
Brighton Pride 2026 has two extraordinary headliners. RAYE headlines the main stage at Pride on the Park on Saturday 1 August, making her return to Brighton Pride as a headline act for the first time and expected to perform material from her highly anticipated new album This Music May Contain Hope. On Sunday 2 August, the legendary Diana Ross makes her Brighton Pride debut in a UK live show exclusive. The full lineup also includes Jessie J, RuPaul, Paris Hilton, Holly Johnson, Melanie C, Five, Self Esteem, Leigh-Anne and many more across the weekend stages.
Tickets for Pride on the Park 2026 are available at prideonthepark.co.uk/tickets. VIP tickets and camping both sold out by mid-July in 2025, so booking as early as possible is strongly advised. Standard tickets, VIP upgrades and the Pride Campsite at Waterhall are all available through the same link. Pride on the Park is the official Brighton and Hove Pride fundraiser for local LGBTQIA+ community groups, so every ticket directly supports the community.
The Brighton Street Party is the open-air LGBTQ+ celebration that runs alongside Pride on the Park on both Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 August along Marine Parade on the Brighton seafront. Produced in collaboration with the city’s most beloved LGBTQ+ venues including Legends, Charles Street, R Bar, Camelford Arms, Bulldog and many more, it features open-air stages, drag performances, live music and dancing across the whole weekend. The 2026 lineup includes Gok Wan, Bimini, Kerry Ellis, Rozalla and Woody Cook among a stellar cast of performers. Full details at brightonstreetparty.co.uk.
Pride on the Park takes place at Preston Park, Brighton’s most beloved green space, located on London Road in the north of the city. The park is transformed into a full festival site across both days with a main stage, dance arena and multiple performance spaces, community areas and food and drink. Preston Park is easily accessible by train, with Preston Park station a short walk from the festival entrance, and by bus from Brighton city centre.
Brighton’s restaurants, bars and pubs are at their most vibrant over Pride weekend. Kemptown is the epicentre of street celebrations, with St James’s Street buzzing from morning until late. The LGBTQ+ bars in Brighton along Marine Parade and throughout the city centre host special Pride programming throughout the week. For brunch before the parade, venues including Moksha, Starfish and Coffee, Mange Tout and Trading Post Coffee are all excellent options. Booking any restaurant for Pride weekend well in advance is essential, as the most popular venues fill up weeks ahead.
Yes. The Pride Campsite at Waterhall is a dedicated camping option for Brighton Pride 2026, set in the Sussex countryside just north of the city. Both standard and VIP camping options are available, giving those travelling from further afield a convenient and well-located base for the weekend without the difficulty of finding city centre accommodation over one of Brighton’s busiest weekends of the year. Camping sold out well before the event in 2025, so early booking is strongly recommended. Tickets and full details are available at prideonthepark.co.uk/tickets.
