Advice On Staying Safe At Brighton & Hove Pride This Weekend

Brighton & Hove City Council have issued some great safety advice to anyone attending Pride celebrations in the city this weekend.

Brighton & Hove Pride is a celebration of our LGBTQ+ communities. As one of the largest and most popular Pride events in the country, it is a busy weekend in the city.

If you are heading to Pride events this weekend please take care of yourself, don’t overdo it, look out for others and get support if you need it.

Look after your friends

Festival areas can get busy during the weekend. Decide on a meeting point in a quieter area in case you get separated and you have no phone reception or battery to get in contact. 

Be a friendly face in a crowd

If you see someone who looks like they are struggling or needs some help, ask if they’re ok.

Pace yourself and know your limits

Have a good time but know when to stop drinking or call it a night. 

Don’t accept drink or drugs from strangers. Avoid drugs you are unsure about or mixing drugs with other drugs or alcohol. 

Stay hydrated 

Avoid dehydration by drinking plenty of water, especially if you’re drinking alcohol. Water refill points are scattered throughout the park and in the city centre. 

Be sun aware and keep cool

The forecast is for a hot and sunny weekend. Make sure you find shade, use suncream and watch out for sunburn or heat exhaustion.

Wash your hands frequently or use sanitiser and cover coughs and sneezes

No one wants to go home with a cold or virus. 

Make sure sex is safe and consensual

The best way to look after your sexual health and avoid catching an STI is to use protection. Free condoms are available from Terrence Higgins Trust at the Park or in LGBTQ+ venues in the city.

Drinking and taking drugs can reduce your capacity to consent. If you have sex remember that everyone involved needs to definitely agree. Everyone should be happy about what’s happening.

Don’t feel pressured into doing something you don’t want to

Alcohol and drugs can impair your judgement – don’t feel pressured into drinking, taking drugs, having sex or going somewhere you don’t feel comfortable. If you’re not interested in doing something that your friends are doing, remember that you don’t have to. 

Avoid the crowd if you don’t want to be part of it

Crowded environments can be overwhelming. If it gets too much, find a place that’s quieter and take a break. But let someone know if you’re going to leave the group or head home.

Stay safe in the sea

If you’re on the beach, please only swim in the lifeguarded areas between the red and yellow flags and remember it’s never safe to go into the sea when you’ve been drinking alcohol.

Don’t attend if you feel unwell

No one wants to miss out, but if you don’t feel well, please don’t risk passing anything on to others.

COVID-19 is still infectious and causing illness. If you feel unwell, have a temperature or have flu or COVID-like symptoms you should stay at home and avoid contact with others. More info: www.gov.uk/coronavirus

Monkeypox is a rare infection but there has recently been an increase in cases in the UK. It can be passed on from person to person through close physical skin-to-skin contact, including during sex. 

Anyone can get monkeypox, though currently most cases have been in men who are gay, bisexual or men who have sex with other men.

While the infection is mild for many it can cause severe symptoms for others. Symptoms can include unusual rashes or blisters on the body, including mouth, genitals and anus, a high temperature, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen glands, shivering (chills), exhaustion, proctitis (anal or rectal pain).

If you spot any symptoms, or if you’ve been in contact with someone who has monkeypox, please sit this one out and don’t risk passing it on. You should stay at home and contact a sexual health service or call NHS 111 for advice. 

Read more about the symptoms and what to do: www.nhs.uk/monkeypox

If you need first aid, medical help or support 

Health services are extremely busy. Make sure you use the right services for your needs so the NHS can continue to provide the best possible care for those that need it.

Please only use A&E if it’s an emergency. Medical help or support is available at Pride events as well as walk-in services and NHS11 for advice.

If someone is unwell, don’t leave them alone. Send someone to get help.

Tell medical staff if any drugs or alcohol have been taken. You won’t get into trouble, but it will help them to help your friend.

St John Ambulance

First aid teams will be located in Preston Park and at the Pride Village Party. A steward will be able to direct you or assist you in getting to them.

NHS 111 

Help is available 24/7 and trained operators offer advice and guidance for urgent healthcare needs when it is not an emergency. They can advise on where local NHS services are, help with prescriptions and offer self-care advice.

Call 111 or go online to 111.NHS.uk.

Visit a pharmacy 

If you have a minor health concern you can visit a local pharmacy for expert advice.

Pharmacists are healthcare professionals trained in managing minor illnesses and providing health and wellbeing advice.

Brighton Station Health Centre 

A walk-in centre is located minutes away from Brighton Railway Station on Queens Road. Anyone can visit Brighton Station Health Centre for treatment, and there is no need to be a registered patient. 

Open 8am-8pm every day (or call 0333 321 0946 for a call with a clinician).

Safe Space

A quiet space for anyone who is feeling distressed, intoxicated, injured, has lost friends, needs to charge a phone or is unable to get home and needs support or medical help. 

Open Friday and Saturday 10.30pm-5am, St Paul’s Church, West Street BN1 2RQ (or call 07979104406 during opening hours).

Samaritans

A confidential phoneline offering 24/7 support to anyone experiencing distress.

Call 116 123.

After the festival

If you’ve had unprotected sex, make sure you visit your local sexual health service for a check-up.

If you feel unwell, have a temperature or have flu or COVID-like symptoms you should stay at home and avoid contact with others. 

If you notice a rash with blisters and have aches, a fever and swollen glands it could be Monkeypox. Stay at home and contact a sexual health service or call NHS 111 for advice. If you develop symptoms and it’s possible and safe to do so, let your recent close physical contacts know, so they can be on the lookout for symptoms too.  

Find out more

If you need drugs and/or alcohol support:

• ru-ok? young people's substance misuse service (for under 18s)
• Change Grow Live (for over 18s) CLG

If you need sexual health & HIV support or advice:

• Brighton & Hove Sexual Health & Contraception Service (SHAC) 
• Terrence Higgins Trust HIV & sexual health service

More information on getting ready for Pride is available on the Brighton & Hove Pride website.

Find out more about the right health services to use from NHS Sussex.