Brighton Pride 2024 review - the UK's most fabulous festival

Brighton’s Preston Park came alive this weekend in the most magnificently colourful, sparkling and diverse celebration of love in all its forms for the UK's most famous LGBTQ+ community fundraiser.

Saturday was the more hedonistic affair, seeing the finest (and smallest) costumes, rainbow paint and general indulgence, with all the glamour and glitter to rival a spectacular line up including The House Gospel Choir and disco Queen Sophie Ellis Bextor. American actor and singer Billy Porter showcased some fabulous moves and music, including hit “Children” and debuting “Black Mona Lisa”, a funky alt-pop and deeply personal album.

There were some cabaret legends on the Miss Jason Stage (including Amy Laqueefa, Snow White Trash and Shania Pain); Paul Heron DJ’ing in the Beef Mince dance tent and beats a-plenty in the Sober Bright ‘huns for those who wanted a boogie without the booze. But it was all eyes on the main stage for Girls Aloud as the headline act for Fabuloso in the Park, with the four pop divas showcasing some spectacular golden costumes with shoulderpads, gowns and thigh high boots, and Cheryl Cole dazzling everyone with her new bubblegum pink locks. Kimberley Walsh opted for purple tresses to join bandmates Nadine Coyle and Kimberley Walsh, taking their audience on a nostalgic tour down memory lane to round off their 20^th anniversary reunion tour – dedicated to former bandmate Sarah Harding who sadly passed away from breast cancer in 2021.

Commenting that they can’t believe it’s their first ever Brighton Pride for “a community that’s been by our side since day one”, the girls gave glimmering renditions of their biggest hits “Love Machine”, “Sound of the Underground”, “Something Kinda Ooh” and “The Promise”. There were also some surprises with a showcase of “Watch Me Go”, not performed since 2005, and a cover of Madonna’s “Material Girl”. The highlight of the night was a surprise visit from Eurovision singer and former lead of Years and Years, Olly Alexander, to sing “The Loving Kind” and “King” with the pop quartet – a moment that both a beaming and delighted Olly and his fans will treasure forever.

Sunday was a bouncier, more chilled and family friendly event with fairground rides spinning and the sun shining for ABBA cover band Bjorn Again who lit up the afternoon with some kitsch classics “Super Trooper”, “Voulez-Vous”, “Mamma Mia” and “Dancing Queen”. With their bubbly chat, and voices that sound so like the original band, the crowd’s smiles grew as dazzling as the band’s sheeny outfits.

Gabrielle’s mellow soul and soft voice bought us songs of hope and empowerment with “Sunshine”, “Rise” and “Dreams” and a sweet little ditty where she sang “you’re gorgeous and so are you and you” to her adoring crowd. S Club 7 then burst onto the stage in diamante covered tie-dye rainbow costumes, all looking somehow exactly the same as they did 20 years ago. Energetically delivering “Don’t Stop Moving”, “Bring It All Back”, “Two In A Million” and finishing with “Reach”, they took us all firmly back to the nineties and noughties.

It was Mika’s Sunday night set that really made the weekend what it was – a celebration of pride in who you are and a warm sense of belonging, celebrated with music and performance. I wish I could have bottled the gorgeousness somehow, just to re-live the feeling of joy and beauty that he radiated around the entire outdoor arena.

The stage welcomes us to ‘Club Apocolypso’ as a sharp-suited Mika tells us that “all the Gods and Goddesses and everything that’s in between are with us tonight” and that the common denominator between us all is love, before breaking into an epic rendition of “Origin of Love” with a deeply genuine warmth shining out towards everyone in the audience.

Speaking candidly about the difficulty of coming out as a teenager, he shares thoughts and words with the crowd, and seems to be absorbing the love everyone responds with, with a sense of sweet, almost bewildered wonder.

At some point he jumps off the stage and walks through the entire crowd, borrowing fans hairbands, squeezing himself all the way through the middle and turning everything on its head, as together, we “re-create the Butterfly Lounge”, singing along to “Big Girls You are Beautiful” for his last gig of the summer, as rainbow paper confetti is strewn across the crowd.

From the club lounge to the night sky, he tells us all we’re “little stars” as phones light up the night sky and we sway along to “Underwater”. Whether donning massive red wings for “Relax, Take It Easy”, showering himself in flowers for “We Are Golden”, singing under lazer lights for “Grace Kelly” or bouncing up and down as finale fireworks explode above the stage for “Love Today”, Mika’s wide smile and enthusiasm is infectious. His energy is so vibrant and spirit so generous you can’t help but be swept away in the authentic message of acceptance and the huge fun of the music.

Mika’s an official Brightonian now, having moved here just before he got the call asking him to perform at this year’s Pride, and it’s a joy to feel how much he means every word, note and nuance as he sings “Happy Ending” knowing that this is vibrant town is now his home.

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