THIS year’s Brighton Pride looks set to highlight how far the event has come since starting in 1973, and could be the biggest yet.

Opening the 2017 Summer of Love celebrations will be the Tigers parachute display team, of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment.

It will be the first time the military has been involved in the city’s showpiece.

They will deliver the Pride rainbow flag to the head of the parade at about 11am on Saturday, kicking off the highly-anticipated weekend in a special year that marks the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality.

Corporal Millerick, the Tigers’ team leader, said: “The event is a big one for us, especially as one of our members is from the LGBT community.”

Paul Kemp, managing director of Brighton Pride Community Interest Company, said: “For the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality we are thrilled to have a military involvement, highlighting just how far we have come in a relatively short time.”

Around 200,000 people are expected to be taking part or enjoying the spectacle.

Brighton College is making history this year by becoming the first private school in the country to take part in a Pride parade.

Its pupils will join more than 100 companies, charities and community groups in the annual parade, which is sponsored by Gatwick Airport.

Pupils were inspired by a talk from Oscar-nominated actor Sir Ian McKellen, and have developed peace and love banners as they prepare to be the only school taking part in the event.

West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service is also joining the parade with a colourful truck.

Businesses are helping splash colour around the city in preparation for the weekend and BeFries, a chip shop in West Street, has gone for a funky take by offering a rainbow-coloured sauce drizzled over the top of mayonnaise on chips.

Dashal Beevers, co-founder of BeFries, wanted to get involved in the biggest event Brighton has to offer.

He said: “When we opened a year ago we wanted BeFries to be a very Brighton business – whether that’s working with local independent businesses, supporting grassroots charities or taking part in some of the amazing events that the city has to offer.

“Pride encapsulates everything that Brighton is about so it was only natural that we combined those celebrations with our own birthday.

“We think this tasty and colourful sauce is the perfect way to mark both of these milestones.”

Onlookers will be hoping the rain stops and the sun shines to reflect this year’s Summer of Love theme