‘Obsessed’ star promises that her headline show ‘is going to be a scorcher’. Pop queen Mariah Carey will headline the Brighton Pride festival this summer, organisers have announced. The “Fantasy” star will perform at the Pride on the Park event, following on from Girls Aloud and Mika, who headlined in 2024, and the Black Eyed Peas in 2023. Carey, who has 19 number one singles to her name, including “Obsessed”, “Fantasy” and “Always Be My Baby”, was previously announced as the headliner for the event in 2020. However, the event was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In an announcement on Brighton and Hove Pride's social media accounts, the singer said: "I can't wait to see all of your beautiful faces at Pride on the Park 2025. It's going to be a scorcher.". The show will mark the first time the singer has played a show in the UK since her concert series at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 2019. Paul Kemp, Brighton Pride’s managing director called Carey a “global icon” following the announcement.
“We were so excited to have her join us in 2020 and absolutely gutted the show couldn't go ahead due to pandemic restrictions that summer,” he said. “Pride is always an amazing weekend of celebration and inclusiveness of our city, and this year is going to be incredibly momentous.”. More than 300,000 people attended the Brighton Pride parade in 2024, organisers previously said. Over the years, Brighton Pride has welcomed some of pop’s biggest stars including Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Kylie Minogue.
Carey, a five-time Grammy winner, has often spoken about her love and support for the LGBT+ community in the past. “The LGBTQ+ community has always been a part of my life and has always been there for me, and I will always be there for them,” she said in a 2016 interview. “They inspire me with their courage and resilience.”. Brighton Pride has been running since 1973, when the first Gay Pride in Brighton was held, but the event has evolved and grown over time to include the Pride on the Park festival.
