Brighton Pride 2008

Dusan couldnt be sure of the weekend off so we didnt book a hotel early enough to get any of the bargains so we decided to do Brighton for the Day.


Leaving the flat at just after 930AM we made our way to new cross and annoyingly had to wait 12 minutes for a Train, we found ourselves at London Bridge awaiting the 1026 to Brighton. You could already tell there was going to be a mass of people. Already the Platforms were packed. It doesnt seeem to matter that every gay londoner is going to go to Brighton, there are no extra Trains. So we waited with the crowds for a train.

The Train pulled in and left without us. Well you don't think I am going to go all that way and stand up? No thanks. We waited as another train was just outside of London Bridge and hopped on that one instead. It may have been the slower service, but hey we got a seat.

Now I know that Pride is about being proud, but I dont think it extends to me having to listen to Kylie being sung or played out loud on a communnual train. Call me old fashioned, but never had I wanted my Ipod more than to block out the sound of an attention seeking queens. We tried not to utter our disrespect, but please, you dont have to share it with everyone. Needless to say the loud G-A-Y crowd on the train thought they were the only people there.


We wont let that destroy our day. :-) The train arrived in Brighton just after 11:00. Wet and cold. We decided to grab a bite to eat and then go via the shopping centre as doesnt the horizon look bright?

We were right, after going to Charles Street which was absolutely packed full we pondered to think, Is anyone actually in the park? After a large Cider each we decided to get a taxi to the park , but on route spoted the Gay Express Bus. £2 each to Preston Park. A bargain considering it takes an hour to walk it after the Parade.

We paid our fare and headed, as always upstairs to Upper Class. Well the leg room wasnt quite so roomy and Virgins you may not find. But we took the double decker bus and were joyed to discover that they would actually open closed roads to us.
The bus chugged along, albeit slowly at the latter part, till we reached the point of Preston Park. Okay so we had missed the Parade. The Place was heaving already. We worked our way around the park, looking for somewhere to go to the loo. Dont you just have to go when you really have to go?

We worked our way to the Market Place and then down to Wild Fruit where we found Shaun & Mike. We tried to find Cadice under the Wild Fruit Sign but there was no joy.
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Then we went to the Cabaret Tent again and enjoyed some Abba Hits. A trip via the Market to the BEAR Area. It was heaving. My turn to go to the toilet. But when I came out I couldnt find Dusan. I was sure I had left him just here. Or was it back there? Wait, there are thousands of people here, everyone looks the same. What colour shirt is he wearing again? I tried calling him but there was no network coverage. So I texted and he said he was where I had left him? Where was that exactly? I was lost in a park with litterally hundreds of thousands of strangers. Finally my phone rang and he had managed to get a line through and it turned out he was just feet away from me after all. However there is still that moment where you feel fear and oh my gosh, i've lost my babycakes.

We found each other anyway and went back to the Cabaret Tent for a while spotting Mervyn and David on the way. Back to Wild Fruit but no sign of Cadice and by now there was not a spot of ground that wasnt covered with bodies. Mums, Dads, Gays, Lesbians, Children, everywhere there were people. People in the bushes peeing, people everywhere.

We queued for the loo once more and then both unable to go go (Can you go when you are under preasure with a queue behind you?) we decided enough was enough and made our way towards the road for the walk back to the Station.

We had a good time, but one has to ask the question, Has it become a victim of its own success? Surely the reason every gay Londoner goes is we have nothing like it of our own. We used to! We used to have London Pride and Summer Rites. Two free summer festivals. Now if all of us who paid £18 each return to go to Brighton on the Train paid £18 towards our own Pride Event could we not see a return of London Pride too?

Brighton, admirally makes millions of pounds out of the pink tourist on Pride weekend. You can not get a hotel room for love or money. The city knows that they will make Millions out of us all going down for Pride weekend. One cant help wonder why London cant see this also? For there were days past when I sat on the tube on the way to Pride and were spotting fellow gayers on the train. People came from all over the coutry to go to London Pride. Even if it cant be a free festival, Big Gay Out wasnt so bad after all? At least they had toilets (Toilet World) sorted.

A fun day was had by us both but we were glad to be home by 8:00PM and to open a bottle of Merlot. Happy Pride!