BUILDING on the success of the previous two years, this unique LGBT+ Community Festival will take place this year on Victoria Gardens from March 28 – April 14, on the same site occupied by the Ladyboys of Bangkok Sabai Pavilion during the Brighton Festival. The festival is delivered by the volunteers of the Brighton & Hove LGBT Community Safety Forum (B&H LGBT CSF).
Free Community events and training planned for 2019 include: Mental health workshops, suicide prevention training, Hate Crime reporting service, self-defence training, HIV history day, LGBTQ Dementia awareness training, Domestic Abuse awareness training, Big Community Lunch, survivors day, Dementia Café, First aid training and the launch of Safe Social; for those LGBT+ people affected by loneliness and experiencing isolation, domestic abuse or the impacts of Hate Crime to meet up, prepare and share a nutritious meal or take part in a social activity. There will also be a dental drop in; a free confidential check up and advice service for those who have experienced dental issues relating to medication, violence, homelessness or abuse.
For the first time this year, B RIGHT ON welcomes The Alternative Panto Brighton and their new production, Big Dick Whittington and his Pussy, to the The Phil Starr Pavilion as it transitions from its previous home at the Sallis Benney Theatre and brings all our local entertainers and drag queens to the heart of the festival site.
Other events include: A Community Café, Trans Lives exhibition, Family Day, LGBT+ History quiz night with Mrs Moore, the official launch of Disability Pride Brighton and the display and community preservation of the Brighton & Hove Hankie Quilt.
An LGBT BAME drop-in advocacy service for people affected by Hate Crime, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Honour Based Violence (HBV) will also be held during the event.
A discreet food parcel service for those in need will run throughout the Festival before moving to the home of the B&H LGBT CSF in the basement of the Rainbow Hub in St James Street.
Organisers also hope to have a self-service HIV self-testing vending machine available on site too.
Additional workshops and events will be delivered by the B&H LGBT CSF in partnership with The Crown Prosecution Service, MindOUT, The Survivors Movement, Lunch Positive, Switchboard, Older and Out, Dental Health Spa, The Rainbow Hub, The Martin Fisher Foundation, SCOPE Local People Programme, the Brighton & Hove City Council LGBT Workers Forum, Disability Pride Brighton, Pavilions Drug and Alcohol Services, The Greater Brighton Metropolitan College, Mobiloo, Pagoda Security and Brighton & Hove Police.
Billie Lewis, Volunteer Chair of the B&H LGBT CSF and Volunteers Coordinator of the B RIGHT ON LGBT Community Festival said; “We are so happy with how the Festival has developed over the past two years with so many amazing community organisations now taking part. The entertainment is fun and the free workshops are current and relevant to the issues we and the other LGBT+ and HIV organisations work on every day. The event really holds the LGBT+ Communities of Brighton & Hove in its priorities and heart. It is a privilege to be able to be involved.”
Daniel Cheesman, CEO of Switchboard added: “We are really pleased to be working with The B Right On LGBT+ Community Festival again this year. Switchboard is particularly proud to be raising awareness of LGBT+ Dementia during this years event.”
The B RIGHT ON LGBT+ Community Festival celebrating LGBT+ History, communities, lives and culture is organised by the volunteers of the B&H LGBT CSF and takes place at the Phil Starr Pavilion – a multi functional, fully accessible, heated performance, conference and community space with a licensed bar located on Victoria Gardens, Brighton, BN1 1WN.
There will be a box office open on site at Victoria Gardens from noon on Tuesday, March 26 where you can purchase tickets or sign up to free training events during the festival.
Tickets for selected shows are also available from the Rainbow Hub, 93 St James Street, Brighton, BN2 1TP.
Tickets for ALL events will be available online from Monday March 4 2019.
To book tickets online for the B RIGHT ON LGBT+ Community Festival, click here:
To book tickets for the Alternative Pantomime click here:
To volunteer or take part in the festival email Colin: admin@lgbt-help.com or pop into the Rainbow Hub at 93 St James’s Street, Brighton, BN2 1TP