Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) has revealed that it is already making preparations for this year’s Brighton & Hove Pride, an annual event asserting equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

GTR, which runs Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express services to and from Brighton, is working closely with the event’s organisers, as well as with the local council.

Brighton & Hove Pride is one of the biggest events in the UK’s Pride calendar, and this year will take place over the weekend of Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 August.

Previously, operators have rebranded trains to mark the event.

With popular singer Mariah Carey headlining the entertainment part of the event, thousands of Pride visitors are expected to travel to Brighton.

GTR is planning to run more trains and provide extra passenger capacity.

The operator is already providing travel advice for people planning to attend Brighton & Hove Pride. Tips include:

• Allow plenty of time to get to and from events over the Pride weekend, as trains will be busy.
• Buy train tickets in advance, including for the journey home. Train tickets for Pride weekend will be available from early May.
• Do not bring glass bottles or containers into stations or onto trains.
• Give yourself at least an hour to get to Brighton station from any of the festival sites in the evening, due to large crowds.

Brighton station will operate a ‘rainbow queuing system’, which will direct departing passengers to the queue for the right train for their journey, before they get to the station entrance.

The Southern and Thameslink websites wil carry full travel information nearer the time of the event. Information is already available on the event’s Travel page.

“We’re really proud to support Brighton & Hove Pride, and with the success of last year’s event my team and I are throwing ourselves into the planning for 2025 to make sure we deliver another safe and reliable service for festivalgoers. This is a largescale event, so we’re again working in close partnership with event organisers and the city to ensure that visitors can have lots of fun, whilst keeping safe.”

Jenny Saunders, Customers Services Director at GTR