It’s that time of the year again when Brighton becomes the brightest, loudest, most colourful place to be in the UK. That’s right, it’s Pride! When I was thinking about writing this post for the Infinity Foods website, I wondered what angle to take and why I should write about it. I came to the conclusion that I just wanted to write about Pride because it’s an amazing burst of Brighton culture which we feel really connected to at Infinity Foods.
We get very much into the Pride spirit in the shop with rainbow flags and colourful displays, and we love seeing everyone dressed up coming in to see us. It’s an exciting and glittery weekend that is a lot of fun, but most importantly, it brings about a real feeling of acceptance, love and community, which are things that Infinity stands for too. We are a very inclusive business, in fact, if you’re considered a ‘minority’ in general society based on your gender, sexuality, nationality or being vegan/vegetarian etc… you’re most likely to be a majority in our shop! I’m sure I speak for my colleagues as well in saying how proud it makes me feel to work somewhere that really does embrace everyone.
The Pride Parade in Brighton is a lot of fun. Although there are many more corporate sponsors these days (that the fighting spirit in me wants to rebel against!!!), I still can’t help seeing the silver lining that it actually does mean something in terms of a progressive society.
This year, the day started off sunny and fresh and almost as if it were timed, a brief but heavy downpour of rain came just as the parade wrapped up. The theme for Pride this year was ‘Summer of Love’ and the spirit and energy of those participating in the parade as well as watching, really reflected that. I watched it close to Preston Park, which is where the parade ends and everyone moves on to enjoy one or more of the many other Pride festivities Brighton has to offer all over the city. Even though the participants in the parade had started about 6 hours before they passed me at the end of Springfield Road, their enthusiasm was still high.
Watching the parade alongside many others, I was surrounded by groups of friends, couples and families. I love to see children get excited by all the colour and happiness of the parade. Every year I think about the amazing gift of love and acceptance these parents are giving to their kids by showing them how beautiful and fun life can be when we celebrate the fact that as human beings, we most definitely have more in common than not. It’s a real feel-good atmosphere for everyone.