Apparently at least one gay pride parade is no longer open to the public — it’s a private, ticketed event. Brighton Pride on August 13 is no longer free. Attendees will have to fork over £17.50, or about USD$28 (for tickets purchased the day of), or £8.50 (for locals who purchase tickets in advance). With an estimated 160,000 attendees last year, Brighton Pride organizers are planning just 45,000 tickets for this year’s event, which will bring in an estimated £375,000. Which sounds decent for organizers, since pride parades are not cheap to put together. But isn’t the whole point of pride to offer one big welcoming rainbow umbrella to the community? Fees, even a token £1, change the entire atmosphere of the event. We’ve already seen how sponsors commercialize the entire affair, but adding a surcharge just to check out the floats all but guarantees some guests — the poor, the young, or just the casual observer — won’t be motivated to take part. [photo via]
entrance fees
Would You Be Willing To Pay $28 To Go To The Gay Pride Parade?
Help make sure LGBTQ+ stories are being told...
We can't rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. That's why we don't lock Queerty articles behind a paywall. Will you support our mission with a contribution today?
Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated
Fagburn
Erm, the parade is still free – it’s the event in Preston Park they are charging people to be proud in.
But anyway…
Brighton’s my hometown – it’s a sign of how shameless and shameful this move is that it’s considered newsworthy on a US site.
Jaxson Kelly
This could be construed as another way for gays to discriminate against their own. Anything to keep out the “riff raff”!
Shannon1981
Pride, anywhere, is the last thing we should be charging for. Sure, charge for HRC memberships and the GLAAD awards or what have you. But Pride should be for everyone.
Gregger
What a great way to cut attendance down by 75%!!!!
tazz602
But – according to social networking websites like Fab.com we are so mainstream now, do we really need a pride parade anymore anyway?? <== Insert Sarcasm Here (Just in case you couldn't see the expression on my face)
Spike
Hey Queerty, you are worse then Fox News when it comes to completely fabricated spin. Had you googled this event, you would find the following explanation on their website . . .
Q3. Why is this a ticketed event?
The growth of the event has been well documented over recent years. The event has reached such a size that the Council and licensing authorities have made it a requirement to fence and ticket the event. Sadly no ticket + no fence = no event.
Q4. Why is there a limit or numbers?
To be allowed to run the event on public land, Pride had to obtain landlords consent from the City Council. The site capacity and therefore cap on numbers had to be agreed to receive landlords consent.
Q5. Why do I have to pay and where does my ticket money go?
The vast majority goes to pay for the £600,000 plus that it costs to put on the Pride Parade and main Park event along with all the health and safety associated with it. Pride as a Charity does not make a profit. The Board of Trustees have stated that a percentage of any money raised over the costs of running the Charity will be donated to local community groups and Charities.
Fagburn
With respect I think Fox News just regurgitates whatever official line is being spun by corporate interests, Spike.
Some unanswered questions are raised here – http://www.gscene.com/local/Fury_At_Announcement_of_Pride_Ticket_Prices.shtml
The debate continues on the facebook pages it links to…
Spike
@Fagburn:
Fox News misinforms, just as Queerty has done with this article. As for unanswered questions, they are all the same questions raised when Pride events in the US became to big and required event organizers to charge admission. Those bitching about admission are the same cheap bitchy gays that show up at a BYOB party with a cheap bottle of vodka, and go str8t for the Grey Goose.
Eric
This will just make many people avoid Preston Park altogether. Many of my friends in Brighton will just celebrate somewhere else.
They’ve successfully killed the park event.
TommyOC
The first – and only – gay pride event I ever attended was in 2002 in Long Beach, CA. The parade on Sunday was absolutely free, but to get into the park grounds that on Friday and Saturday hosted the various dance floors, performances and what-not, a cover charge had to be paid.
This move in Brighton… it’s old news elsewhere.
Pay up, or just attend the parade and go to any number of nearby bars afterward.
And stop believing that our modern-day Pride weekends are the celebration of community they originally started out as. Cuz they’re not.
alan brickman
More discrimantion against poor ethnic, or younger gays….how typical….