Brighton Pride 2025 Highlights

Brighton Pride 2025 once again transformed the city into a sea of colour, music and celebration, drawing hundreds of thousands of people from across the UK and beyond. This year’s theme, “Ravishing Rage”, gave the weekend an extra layer of meaning, reminding everyone that Pride is both a joyful celebration and a powerful protest.

The festivities began with the famous community parade on Saturday morning. Setting off from Hove Lawns, the parade wound its way through the city centre via West Street, North Street and London Road, before finishing at Preston Park. More than 300,000 people lined the route, waving flags, dancing to music and cheering on the diverse groups taking part, from NHS staff and local activists to drag artists, community organisations and dazzling floats.

Over at Preston Park, Pride on the Park hosted a line-up that matched the energy of the parade. Saturday’s main stage was headlined by Mariah Carey in her first UK festival performance since 2019. Her set was a glittering display of talent and solidarity, with hits like Emotions, Always Be My Baby and Hero sung to an adoring crowd. She was joined by a vibrant mix of acts including Confidence Man, Ashnikko, Loreen, Slayyyter, Sister Sledge featuring Kathy Sledge, and rising boy band ABSNT MIND, each adding their own flavour to the celebration.

Sunday kept the momentum going with a headline set from the iconic Sugababes, who brought the house down with classics such as Push the Button and Overload. Will Young made his Pride debut, delivering a heartfelt set, while Andy Bell of Erasure took on the Icon slot with a mix of nostalgia and pure joy. The day also featured crowd-pleasing performances from Natalie Imbruglia, Beth Ditto, Sonique and Ultra Naté, all of whom had the audience singing and dancing well into the evening.

Beyond the main stage, the festival buzzed with activity across multiple zones, from the vibrant Queertown to the Pleasuredome and False Idols. Over 150 LGBTQ+ artists performed throughout the weekend, offering everything from drag and DJ sets to spoken word and cabaret. Jodie Harsh brought high-energy beats to the False Idols tent, while Beth Ditto, Sonique and Ultra Naté delivered unforgettable sets that left the crowds euphoric.

What made Brighton Pride 2025 stand out wasn’t just the star power or the scale of the event, it was the sense of unity and purpose that ran through every moment. The theme of “Ravishing Rage” gave the celebrations a political edge, turning joy into defiance and spectacle into statement. Whether you were in the parade, in the park or just soaking up the atmosphere in the streets, the message was clear: Pride is as much about fighting for equality as it is about celebrating how far we’ve come.

Brighton Pride proved once again why it’s one of the UK’s most important and unmissable Pride festivals, a place where music, community and activism come together in the most spectacular way.