News: RAYE And Global Icon Diana Ross To Headline Brighton’s Pride On The Park.

Brighton & Hove Pride announces UK favourite RAYE and global icon Diana Ross will headline this year’s 35th anniversary Pride on the Park. The two-day community fundraiser will take place at Preston Park on Saturday August 1st and Sunday August 2nd, 2026.

RAYE is heading to Brighton this Summer to provide us with the perfect Escapism, as we all rise for the pop queen of the moment, and rest assured, she will make your visit completely Worth It. The Where Is My Husband! singer is set to bring all of her fierce hits to the Pride stage such as Prada, Hard Out Here and The Thrill Is Gone, alongside a glimpse of her highly anticipated new album, This Music May Contain Hope. Having performed at Brighton Pride in 2018 and 2022, RAYE is making her triumphant return to dominate the festival as a headliner on the iconic mainstage for 2026.

RAYE has achieved over 10 billion streams globally, making history in 2024 winning 6 BRIT Awards, the most ever in one year. She has also garnered a Mercury Prize nomination and 3 Grammy nominations, whilst also winning the Ivor Novello Songwriter of the Year in 2024. Her debut album ‘My 21st Century Blues’, a decade in the making and her first as an independent artist topped Spotify’s Top Albums Debut, and achieved international success. Her most recent release ‘Where Is My Husband!’ hit No.1 in the UK official chart in January 2026.

Brighton & Hove Pride, it’s time to COME OUT! In a UK live show exclusive global superstar Diana Ross will turn the park Upside Down, making her Brighton Pride debut and headlining the mainstage on Sunday August 2nd. Celebrating a career-spanning journey through her greatest moments, this highly anticipated show from the legendary performer is one not to be missed. Expect timeless classics from her wide-ranging iconic repertoire including anthems such as Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, Endless Love, Stop! In The Name of Love and Queer disco anthem, I’m Coming Out.

During her unprecedented career, the fierce LGBTQ+ icon has acquired over 100 million streams, downloads and sales around the world. Ms. Ross has also been granted over 19 major awards, including two Grammy Lifetime Achievement Awards, a Golden Globe, a Tony Award, 7 American Music Awards and a Guiness World Record for having more hits than any other female artist on the charts, with a career total of over 75 hit singles. The musical legend was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and The Songwriters Hall of Fame, has achieved the National Academy of Recording

Arts & Sciences Hero Award, NAACP Entertainer Award, the Billboard’s Female Entertainer of the Century Award, and The Soul Train Legend Award. Ms. Ross is also one of the few celebrities to have two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

This year is a huge moment, as Brighton and Hove Pride turns 35! The annual and much-loved LGBTQ+ Community Parade will once again kickstart Pride weekend under this year’s theme, The Power Of Love. The Power Of Love will bring us together in solidarity, resistance and community, as we strive for equality for all. This special 35 year celebration is a chance to look back at where our march first began. Brighton’s first Gay Pride took place in 1973, organised by the Sussex Gay Liberation Front, formed in 1971 by students and local LGBTQ+ activists. The group even staged a “Gay Day” in 1972 to test the waters. Brighton was ready but only just. Only a small part of our community felt safe enough to march in 1973, and Pride did not return again until 1991. This anniversary invites us to remember the courage it took to be visible, during years when showing up at all was an act of resistance. Pride grew because people stood together, united. Determined and unapologetic. We honour those early activists, and acknowledge how their bravery and unity carried us all forward.

Further information and more artists announcements are set to follow in the coming weeks. You can sign up for pre-sale tickets here.

Brendon Veevers

::: RenownedForSound.com’s Editor and Founder –
Interviewing and reviewing the best in new music and globally recognized artists is his passion.
Over the years he has been lucky enough to review thousands of music releases and concerts and interview artists ranging from top selling superstars like 27-time Grammy Award winner Alison Krauss, Boyz II Men, Roxette, Cyndi Lauper, Lisa Loeb and iconic Eagles front man/songwriter, Glenn Frey through to more recent successes including Newton Faulkner, Janelle Monae and Caro Emerald.
Brendon manages and coordinates the amazing team of writers on RenownedForSound.com who are based in the UK, the U.S and Australia.