BRIGHTON and Hove is set to welcome thousands of people for the grand return of its Pride celebrations.

Brighton Pride is celebrating its belated 30th anniversary as an annual event following a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.

Here is everything you need to know about this weekend's festivities, including all the events, how to get around the city and what you can't bring in with you to the festival in Preston Park.

Celebrations get underway today

Festivities kick off later this afternoon with the opening of “Pride campsite” at midday, with campervans and tents being pitched at a special site in Withdean.

An official Pride party at the Ironworks Studios, near Brighton Station, will kickstart the weekend of celebrations; with live songs and drag performances from Brighton-based star of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Anubis Finch, Glew and Brent Would.

Community groups and businesses to celebrate in Pride parade

The Argus: Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to line the streets of the city for the return of the Pride community paradeHundreds of thousands of people are expected to line the streets of the city for the return of the Pride community parade

Tomorrow will see thousands of people take to the streets to celebrate diversity and inclusion and call for equal rights for LGBTQ+ people in a community parade across the city.

The parade, with the theme of Love, Protest and Unity, will set off at 11am from Hove Lawns, before heading along the seafront, passing by the i360, before heading up West Street and through North Street.

The parade will pass the Royal Pavilion, Victoria Gardens, St Peter’s Church and head along London Road towards Preston Park.

The Argus:

One of the biggest and brightest events in the city’s calendar, over 300,000 people are expected to line the streets to participate in and watch the parade of community and campaign groups.

Businesses and residents along the parade route have already been preparing to celebrate in style, with Pride flags being flown from windows across the city.

Christina Aguilera to headline Preston Park Pride festival

The Argus: Christina Aguilera will perform at the Pride festival on SaturdayChristina Aguilera will perform at the Pride festival on Saturday

Tomorrow afternoon will also see the return of a two-day festival in Preston Park, described as one of the country’s most popular LGBTQ+ events.

The “We Are Fabuloso” festival will see world-class artists take to the stage, including Christina Aguilera, Ella Henderson and Todrick Hall, with Paloma Faith headlining day two of the event on Sunday.

Stars from RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Tia Kofi and Bimini will be taking to the main stage at the park at 3pm and 4.45pm respectively on Saturday, with Todrick Hall at 6.45pm, Ella Henderson at 7.45pm and Christina Aguilera at 9.15pm.

On Sunday, Sophie Ellie-Bextor will perform at 5.15pm, followed by Jake Shears at 6.30pm, with headliner Paloma Faith at 8pm.

Over 100 LGBTQ+ artists will be featured across the various stages at the park, with community areas and funfair rides.

Kemp Town to welcome return of "village party"

The weekend will also see businesses across St James’s Street and Marine Parade in Kemp Town come together to celebrate Pride in a “village party”, with gay bars and nightclubs among those raising money for the Brighton Rainbow Fund and Pride Social Impact Fund.

Pride beach clean

Pride organisers are also encouraging partygoers to sign up for the event’s second “Big Pride Beach Clean”, alongside campaign group Surfers Against Sewage.

Volunteers who complete a full session on Sunday morning at one of two sites, near Shelter Hall and on the beach east of the Palace Pier, can get a free ticket to the Preston Park festival for the afternoon as a thank you for their hard work.

How to get around the city this weekend

Roads are set to be closed across the city this weekend, with visitors being urged to travel on foot or by public transport.

No trains will be stopping at Preston Park, the closest station to the Pride festival, over the weekend, with London Road station closed all day on Saturday.

Extra services will be running with longer trains on Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express routes to and from Brighton to transport people safely, with a colour-coded queuing system to guide people out of the city.

Bus services are already being diverted today as the city prepares for a weekend of celebrations, with Brighton and Hove Buses urging passengers to check before they travel due to widespread changes to services over the weekend.

Prohibited items at Pride events

A range of items are banned from the festival in Preston Park and other Pride events this weekend, including rucksacks larger than A4 size, psychoactive substances, drones, water pistols, Chinese lanterns and flares.

Brighton and Hove Pride first began with a demonstration by the Sussex Gay Liberation Front in October 1972, with a full pride march in July 1973. However, it wasn’t until 1991 that Pride became an annual event in the city, with a weekend of events calling for equality for LGBTQ+ people.

Brighton Pride has raised over £936,000 for the Brighton Rainbow Fund, Pride Cultural Development Fund and Pride Social Impact Fund over the last seven years.