Brighton & Hove Pride’s first Digital Pride Festival, We Are FABULOSO!, was a resounding success last weekend, raising an amazing £13,000 (and counting!) for the Brighton Rainbow Fund who give grants to local LGBTQ+/HIV groups who deliver effective frontline services to LGBTQ+ people in the city.
Brilliantly hosted by comedians and broadcasters Stephen Bailey and Zoe Lyons, We Are FABULOSO! had more than 14 hours of content streamed live from the studio in Brighton, featured performances from over 100 artists including Nile Rodgers & CHIC, Jess Glynne, Billy Porter, Todrick Hall and Carly Rae Jepsen, as well as supporting messages from artists that were due to play the Pride festival in Preston Park this year including the Pussy Cat Dolls and Bananarama.
Reaching way beyond the city boundary and UK borders, the first Brighton & Hove Pride Digital Festival had a truly global reach, receiving messages from viewers in Argentina, Columbia, USA and Asia as well as from across Europe, highlighting just how important a Pride celebration is to LGBTQ+ communities across the world.
Streaming live through YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, Instagram and 13 terrestrial TV channels, We Are FABULOSO! reached in excess of half a million viewers over the weekend and even YouTube promoted the event on Twitter to 72 million followers.
Marking 30 years of LGBTQ+ campaigning, protest and celebration, We Are FABULOSO! also included archive parade footage and iconic performances from main stages of the past, while messages from our local community groups ensured the virtual Pride Parade promoted and highlighted the essential support and year-round services they offer.
We Are FABULOSO! was a fundraiser for the Brighton Rainbow Fund, local charities and community groups. By Sunday evening donations were over £13,000 and anyone watching on demand later can also contribute to increase that amount up.
Paul Kemp, managing director of Brighton Pride CIC, said, ‘Whilst we acknowledge that Pride this year was very different, we are really pleased that our usual visitors heeded the advice to stay home, stay safe and celebrate with us online.
‘We have to say a huge thank you to all the artists, performers and interviewees who either gave us permission to show archive footage or recorded new material for us. We also extend our thanks to Brighton & Hove City Council, Sussex Police, the NHS and local agencies for their support for the Pride Digital Festival and consistency of messaging to encourage people to stay at home and join the fun online.
‘Not just about the celebration, We Are FABULOSO! also had large sections highlighting the campaigning, queer politics and essential work of the Brighton Rainbow Fund and local charities and we really hope donations continue to come in as people watch all the entertainment back on our YouTube channel.
‘A huge thank you to everyone who tuned in over the weekend. Brighton & Hove Pride has always been time to come together to celebrate and embrace diversity and inclusion in our great city, and just because we were not able to meet in person doesn’t mean we can’t support and celebrate our fantastic LGBTQ+ communities. Looking forward seeing you all back in Brighton in 2021.’
‘We have a simple request… this is all free, you will all see world class entertainment, you will all see why the funds raised which we distribute to LGBTQ+ and HIV groups are vital, especially this year. Think what you spend on Netflix, or on tickets to a concert, or drinks and food over Pride weekends, and donate… please go the extra mile this year by donating.’
To donate CLICK HERE and if you missed any of We Are FABULOSO!, you can catch it all again HERE.
You must be logged in to post a comment.