Police say 450,000 people flocked to the city during Pride weekend

And 300,000 were thought to have been in the city on Saturday (August 4) for the popular Pride parade and the Pride Festival in Preston Park which saw Britney Spears headline. But a rush to travel home after the Britney set saw ‘dangerous’ crowds at Brighton station from 11pm, with some Pride-goers sleeping on the beach as the station temporarily closed on police advice. Brighton Pride organisers said they were ‘appalled’ at the ‘insufficient’ train service. Sussex Police reported that there were 30 arrests throughout the city on Saturday, and South East Ambulance Service reported that the numbers of people who were taken to A&E or sought medical attention on the Park was proportionate to the elevated numbers in Brighton for the day. Police said the majority of instances were due to the heat and lack of hydration, with some drugs and alcohol-related instances. The party continued on Sunday (August 6) with new event LoveBN1Fest in Preston Park, while the Pride Village Street Party was buzzing all weekend, and sun-seekers flocked to the beach in the hot weather. Chief Superintendent Neil Honnor said: “We are extremely proud to be a part of such an inclusive and diverse event in the city. “Months of preparation has taken place in the run up to this weekend and it all would not have been possible without the support and hard work from all of the partner agencies involved. I would like to extend my thanks to everyone involved. “We ensured the safety of those attending the Pride events across the city and this included having uniformed officers present throughout. “I am hugely proud of the officers who policed Pride this year, many of whom worked very long and busy shifts in very hot weather, but remained positive and professional throughout. “We welcomed thousands of people into the city and on the whole, the majority of the people attending Pride events were excellent. “However, officers did have to make a number of arrests across the weekend, which can be expected at such a large event. “We hope everyone who attended Pride 2018 had a brilliant weekend and we cannot wait to welcome you all back next year.” Becky Stevens, head of operations at Brighton Pride, said: “This has been a fantastic event and we are so proud the city of Brighton and Hove enabled us to be able to host the biggest Pride in the UK. “None of this would have been possible without all of the support from volunteers and partner agencies so I would like to extend my thanks to everyone for delivering such a diverse and accessible event.” Related stories: Brighton Pride celebrations kick off with vibrant parade Parade begins for Brighton Pride 2018 Brighton Pride 2018 live blog