We are Fabulous in the Park Brighton Pride 2022: the UK’s most popular pride!

Brighton and Hove Pride on Saturday is the Uk’s most popular Pride parade.  This year marks the 30th anniversary of Pride in the city and has all the hallmarks of a wonderful success.  

Saturday marks - not the end, but a new beginning - of the lead up to the Pride Parade.  The winter programme is already being flagged up on the internet and promises to break every target ever set by the organisers.  

This year, Yahoo is the headline sponsor, so lets hope comms go well…

Brighton is one of the most vibrant places in the UK.

As the old tourist slogan for Brighton went:

‘Human nature doesn’t change – like a stick of Brighton rock you bite all the way down and still read ‘BRIGHTON’!’

Citizen Wang Irish News amends that:  you bite all the way down the rock and still read ‘PRIDE”.

https://www.brighton-pride.org/

In 1944, the actor Laurence Olivier spoke of success, following his stage production of Richard III saying:

‘There is a phrase: ‘the sweet smell of success’. And I can only tell you, I’ve had two experiences of that and it just smells like Brighton and oyster bars and things like that.’

One very sweet smell of success will sadly not make it to Brighton this year for Pride.  

Though they will be in Brighton next year -  and in the Isle of Man supporting Lady Gaga and Cher at Pride next Saturday!

Last Saturday saw brilliant virtuoso performances from many artists.  But the star was undoubtedly Carl Connie Lingus.  

The Pride parade was followed by an evening of entertainment at Custom House Square, including singing and drag queen performances.

And not just drag queen performances.

Drag kings too, with the stunning Carl ConnieLingus ‘Belfast's No.1 GenderQueer Drag King!! An Electric, GenderBending, Live Singing Performer’ giving an amazingly evocative performance to the highly appreciative audience at Custom House Square.

In a Facebook post on Monday, Carl wrote:

‘What a moment!! I may have been losing my voice but to be able to do this was, and has been a dream come true!! Thank you @belfastpride and everyone involved on Saturday. I will never forget this 

Video credit: @kathryn180166 

#dragking #dragkings #dragkingsofinstagram #singingdragking #dragkingsinger #singer #performer #northernirishdragking #irishdragking #chestplate #belfastpride #gni #visitgayni #visitgaybelfast #prideinbelfast #pride2022 #bigstage #bigcrowd #loveislove #queen #adamlambert #queenmix #queentheband #customsquare #customsquarebelfast

https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=carl%20connielingus

This link to his performance in the Custom House appears thanks to  @kathryn80166 and is here:

https://www.facebook.com/carlconnielingus/videos/1554148505074514/

Citizen Wang Irish News sends greetings to all those Irish people travelling to Brighton.

Have a great one!

And you can always watch this video from Carl ConnieLingus before you travel.  This 2020 Freddie Mercury tribute is stunning!

https://www.facebook.com/CJSummer83/videos/10158439221369269

Belfast Pride 2022 parade was the biggest march of its kind in the city.  In an assessment from police they estimated that the number of people who turned out to march or watch the event was many more than the 60,000 who attended the parade in 2019.

The parade got under way at Custom House Square in the city before finishing at Victoria Street.

Saturday's Belfast Pride Parade through the city centre was the first march to take place in three years.  The 2020 and 2021 parades were cancelled because of the pandemic.

Organisers said more groups than ever had registered to take part in the march.

"We are over the moon and really joyous to be back," the event's co-chair Cara McCann told BBC News NI.

This year the parade was led by a group of asylum seekers and refugees.

Belfast Pride co-chair John O'Doherty said: "Belfast is a welcoming city for all, not least of all newcomers to our city."

Ulster Rugby and the Ulster Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) were among the organisations to send official delegations for the first time.

Also marching in the Parade were Belfast Blaze, the city’s first and only inclusive LGBTQIA+ football team.

Pandemic cancellations meant that Pride groups and supporters had been unable to mark the legalisation of same sex marriage in 2020, which was a landmark moment for the LGBTQIA+ community.

Ms McCann said after the restrictions were lifted, organisers were hoping for the "biggest and the best Belfast Pride we've ever seen”.

"We've had more groups than ever register to march in the parade which is absolutely amazing," she added.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has been policing the event for more than 20 years, but began sending officers to parade in 2017.

In a statement, PSNI Supt Gerard Pollock said: "I want to take this opportunity to thank all those involved for their help in making today's Belfast Pride Parade run smoothly.

"This is the first parade since 2019 and our initial assessment is that it was much larger than 2019 which would make this year's event, the largest Pride parade to date.

"Pride is an important series of events for those who identify as being LGBT+ and we see this not just as an opportunity to highlight that hate crime, in whatever form, is wrong and the importance of reporting it but also to engage with and show our support for members of the LGBT+ community."

Kimberly Robertson, chairperson of East Belfast GAA, said the club was "all about breaking down boundaries, breaking down barriers and being an accepting organisation for everyone and Pride just encompasses that”.

"We are welcoming to everybody, all walks of life, all communities. Everyone is welcome to find a home in East Belfast GAA and we really wanted to represent ourselves at Pride today."