Brighton Dyke Pride takes over St Ann’s Well Gardens from 1pm on Saturday 5 September 2026: free, trans-inclusive by design and pointedly unsponsored. No banks, no rainbow lanyards, no wristband tiers. Just a dyke market, DJs, drag kings, live music, queer line dancing, speakers and a dyke cabaret, then an afterparty at Ironworks that goes until 3am. Here is everything you need to know before you go.
What is Brighton Dyke Pride?
Free, not-for-profit, DIY and made for dykes by dykes. It grew out of Dyke Day, the organisers’ free community event held earlier this year on Lesbian Visibility Day, which pulled such a crowd that a full pride became the obvious next move. By the organisers’ reckoning, Brighton is one of the only major UK cities without a dyke pride or march, which is a strange thing to be able to say about a city shaped by its LGBTQIA+ population for generations.
The timing is deliberate. “It also came out of a frustration with the current political climate,” says co-founder Jen Benyovits. “With the rise in fascism, transphobia, anti-immigrant rhetoric and more politics that punch down on already marginalised people, we wanted to focus on what we could change locally. And accessible community spaces play a part in our ability to fight back!”
There is a local ache underneath it too. “As a native Brightonian, I am so proud that our event has found its home here,” says Benyovits. “We have such a rich LGBTQ+ history, politically and socially. It feels especially significant to have had so much attention given to our event when in the past 10 years we have seen every lesbian bar shut down in Brighton & Hove. We crave spaces to come together!”
Co-founder Emily Payne puts the case against the alternative plainly: “Mainstream pride can sometimes feel really alienating, and parades feel very corporate. As a dyke I can sometimes feel left behind.”
Who is it for?
Dykes, defined as generously as possible, and their close friends. Nobody is checking your credentials at the gate.
“Brighton Dyke Pride is for trans dykes by trans dykes. A patchwork maximalist event with trans people at its centre,” says co-founder Billy Ballantyne. “As a trans man, I’ve had countless conversations with other trans men and transmasc people, and there can be a sense of isolation and alienation from our own LGBTQIA+ community at times. Previously at home in sapphic spaces, on the other side of transition these spaces – that initially allowed us to explore our identity – become uncertain terrain. So I want to be absolutely clear: trans men are celebrated here. At Brighton Dyke Pride you are welcome whether you identify as a boydyke, dyke alumni, or a dyke ally.”
Co-founder Zoë Schulz says keeping it free was never up for debate: “We are living through scary times, and spaces that are resolutely trans inclusive and community-led have never been more important. It was so important to us that this space was completely free to attend, for all dykes without any identity policing. Dykes are magic and we deserve spaces that are our own.”
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They are just as clear about who is not welcome. The listing reads “No terfs. No cops,” and the day is billed as anti-racist, anti-ableist and pro-Palestine (OutSavvy).
What’s on
Brighton Dyke Mart is bringing the market, so that is your queer traders, makers and impulse purchases sorted. Around it: DJs, drag kings, a dyke cabaret, live music, queer line dancing, workshops and crafts, speakers, and food vendors on site. The full line-up is still landing, so keep an eye on their Instagram in the run-up.
Entry is free and the performers are working for tips, so bring cash if you can spare it. Free to you still costs someone something.
Accessibility
Access has been a top priority. There is step-free access from the west entrance on Somerhill Road, a BSL interpreter at the stage, an accessible toilet alongside five standard toilets and four extra portaloos, and a quieter space for when the middle of the park gets to be a lot. Emotional support animals are welcome, and the team will send you an access video or arrange a walk-through beforehand if you ask.
Dogs are welcome too, just be careful around the stage and the louder corners.
Getting there
St Ann’s Well Gardens sits just off Somerhill Road in Hove, roughly a ten-minute walk from Hove station and a short bus ride from Brighton station along Western Road. The park has several entrances, but Somerhill Road is the step-free one.
The afterparty
The park winds down at 8pm, which gives you two hours to eat something and reapply. Then it is Ironworks from 10pm until 3am, with Luca Perry, Lebby, Puppy Playgrnd and BBYSHAZ on the line-up. Tickets are £4, or £9 if you want to add a £5 tip for the performers.
The venue is wheelchair accessible throughout, including the bar, toilets and dancefloor, with a quieter chill-out space away from the main room. Welfare is handled by Safe Only, a queer, trauma-informed welfare and security team. Carer tickets are free on request, and the organisers will sort you out with entry if the ticket price is a barrier. Just message them.
How to support it
They are crowdfunding, and the maths is refreshingly legible. The first £1,000 covers public liability insurance, council fees, toilets, the BSL interpreter, and small speakers and a mic for speeches and music. The £3,000 goal adds a small stage, a generator, performer travel costs and a contingency budget. That is the whole event, itemised, which is not a sentence you get to write about most prides.
The organisers want this to stick. “We’re hopeful it will grow to become a cornerstone in our city’s queer history and an annual event, alongside our community dyke days, bringing together dykes from Brighton and beyond year after year,” says Benyovits. “But we will just have to watch this space!”
The details:
Event: Brighton Dyke Pride 2026
Date: Saturday 5 September 2026
Time: 1pm – 8pm, afterparty 10pm – 3am
Venue: St Ann’s Well Gardens, Somerhill Road, Hove, BN3.
Afterparty: Ironworks, 30 Cheapside, Brighton, BN1 4GD
Tickets: Free, register via OutSavvy. Afterparty £4 – £9.
Donate via their Crowdfunder
Instagram: @dykepridebtn
See you there,
Nonchalant x
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This article was written by one of our creative team writers here at Nonchalant Magazine.
