Kemptown Gay Village Street Party – a proposed way forward!

Proposals have been tabled to make this years St James’s Street Village Party a ticketed event, managed and delivered by Pride CIC.

The post Preston Park event started out as a small grassroots celebration supported by both the LGBT and business community organised independently of Pride by a group of local businesses, most recently under the name GVP (Gay Village Party).

However, over the last few years, as the event has grown, justified concerns have been raised by local businesses, Pride, the police, fire and ambulance services, the Council and, most importantly, local residents about its future. As a result it is now widely accepted that it can no longer continue in the current format unless a formula is agreed to make the Street Party a safe and welcoming event with Pride and community fundraising at its heart.

To achieve this numbers attending need to be controlled and, with the agreement of the statutory authorities, Brighton Pride CIC is proposing to make entry to the area by wristband only, for which there will be a small charge.

As was shown when the festival at Preston Park introduced an entry charge, Pride can become a safe and enjoyable event for the LGBT community and its supporters, while, at the same time, becoming a successful fundraising event benefitting local LGBT charities and organisations.

It is proposed that for a one-year trial The Pride Village Party will become part of the two-day event on St James’s Street and be extended down to Marine Parade. It will take place from 6pm on Saturday with entertainment after the Park starting from 8pm and on Pride Sunday between 2pm and 8pm.

For the first time ever, the seafront road, Marine Parade, will be closed to traffic for the event, creating a unique and vibrant gay village for the Pride weekend with various entertainment areas including zones dedicated to cabaret, bears and disco.

Following the leads of Manchester and Birmingham, this approach will allow Brighton Pride to fundraise from the event for local organisations while reflecting the needs of the wider LGBT community.

A ticketed event will ensure a safe and secure weekend that visitors, local businesses and St James’s Street’s residents can enjoy.

Speaking about the new proposal, the chair of the Rainbow Fund, Paul Elgood, who supports the proposal said: “Thanks to the success of Pride, the Rainbow Fund is able to support a wider range of local LGBT and HIV volunteer-led community groups. If the Village Street Party can add to this, then the community benefits greatly by increasing the amount available for grants.

“The Pride team have a strong track record of delivering high profile and sustainable events, and a successful village Party will be a big win for both the community and local businesses.”

James Ledward editor of GScene commented: “Now that Pride is a paid for event, each year the Gay Village Street Party comes under ever increasing pressure from numbers attending, attracting a rough, noisy and especially on the Saturday night, a not too LGBT community crowd to St James’s Street.

“In order to guarantee safety and long term sustainability the present proposal on the table is as good as it gets.

“In fact it is possibly our ‘last chance saloon’ to ensure that the Village Party continues each year delivering a bumper end of season boost to the many and varied LGBT businesses in the Gay Village.

“An added bonus is the fundraising element to the proposal, which will guarantee extra grants can be given to local LGBT organisations.

“If we want tourists to continue coming to Brighton Pride each year we must guarantee them a safe and enjoyable experience. They did not get that last year when the Saturday night crowds were too large and rowdy for the confined space in St James’s Street. While some people oppose the principle of charging for the event at all, with ever increasing visitors coming to the city for Pride, this is not realistic in 2014.”

Paul Kemp Director of Pride CIC said: “Traditionally the Village party has not been organised by Pride, however after safety concerns being raised that could ultimately jeopardised the future of the event, Pride has agreed to work in partnership with the City Council and partners to reclaim the Village party for our community and to help ensure we have a safer and controlled event for visitors to Pride and our community to enjoy.”

“Brighton and Hove has one of the best Pride’s in the UK and not only do we want to be financially sustainable, but we also feel that we must have a Pride with purpose and raising even more funds to help our community groups must be a good thing.”

Cllr Geoffrey Bowden, chair of the Economic Development & Culture Committee and a local ward councillor added: “Over the years the Pride Street Party has become more and more problematic – especially for residents. Uncontrolled access and irresponsible attitudes to alcohol have turned what should be a celebration into something of a headache and, for some, a nightmare. The old format was unsustainable and has to change if the Street Party is be transformed into a safe environment for partygoers, residents and local businesses.

“Everyone needs to get behind the new approach and fully support Pride CIC’s efforts to manage the Street Party effectively to return it to an enjoyable and unique event. I hope that this one-year trial proves to be a success. If there isn’t a hundred percent support, particularly from the business community, the whole of the Pride Festival in the future could be put in jeopardy. Without sounding too dramatic, the reputation of the city as a safe place to visit is at stake.”

In the proposal on the table wristbands for the two-day event will cost £5, with £1 going to the Rainbow Fund. Joint wristbands for the Pride Festival at Preston Park and St James’s Street party will also be on sale. Both will be available at participating venues, cabin box offices on Preston Park and through the Pride website. For safety reasons no alcohol or glass will be allowed to be brought into the Village Street Party zone. The many venues in the area have agreed to only sell alcohol to wristband wearers.

Paul Kemp concluded saying: “Wristbanding the event is essential to help pay for the significant infrastructure and security costs of the event, as well as helping to raise funds for The Rainbow Fund. Local businesses will be able to fundraise for The Rainbow Fund too.

“The new format has been carefully developed with the full support of the police, other blue light services and the city council. I am confident it will help deliver a safe and enjoyable event, which also respects those who live in the area. Importantly though, the Village Street Party will have a fundraising purpose, something we can all be proud of.”

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Betts from Sussex Police, said: “We have been working closely with the organisers of Pride, Brighton and Hove City Council and the traders in Kemptown to close roads for the Gay Village Party in St James’s Street on Saturday and Sunday (August 2 and 3).

“With this new wristband event, we hope that those attending the party, as well as residents and traders in the area, can enjoy the party in a safe environment. As always Sussex Police’s role throughout the weekend will be to work with partners in support of Pride, minimise disruption to the local community, prevent crime and disorder and provide a safe and secure environment for those attending Pride as well as the surrounding community.

“Pride is a great showcase for the city and is one of the biggest events in the city’s calendar – primarily celebrating our LGBT community but is open for everyone to enjoy. However it is always our priority to keep people safe and we hope this new approach to the street party will do this.”

Reclaiming the event for the community and the safety of all those attending it is at the forefront of organiser’s minds, and while Pride recognises making an entry change may not be welcomed by some, they believe it is the only way the event can continue into a proud, safe and fundraising future.

The proposals will be presented at a public meeting on Wednesday, May 28 at 7pm at Dorset Garden Methodist Church (upper hall) in Dorset Gardens.