"Better hours for the event and local residents." Worthing Pride announces Sunday Garden Party for 2026
– 2 min read
Worthing Pride organisers have announced a Sunday Garden Party will take place during the 2026 edition of the annual Pride event, which brings colour, Pride and unity to the town.
Organisers have spent the last three months securing Worthing Pride's future at Steyne Gardens with the local licensing committee. They said on social media: "We are pleased to report we have secured our permanent operating licence for Pride in Worthing.
"The new licence allows us to operate over the whole weekend going forward with better hours for the event and our local residents.
"All Friday ONLY ticket holders will have their tickets automatically rolled over to Sunday's new event date in due course. If you are unable to make Sunday's new event date you can request a full refund through ticketing agents. Weekender ticket holders will automatically be valid on Saturday and Sunday."
Worthing Pride returned in July of this year with a vibrant celebration of love, diversity, and community spirit, overcoming early financial hurdles to deliver one of its most memorable events yet.
Held at Steyne Gardens, the festival kicked off with a Friday night concert featuring nostalgic pop acts including N-Trance, Big Brovaz, Urban Cookie Collective and headliner Jo O’Meara of S Club fame. Saturday’s festivities were crowned by a high-energy performance from Atomic Kitten’s Natasha Hamilton.
The highlight of the weekend was the free-to-enter parade along Worthing seafront, themed “Protecting Trans Lives.” Participants proudly donned blue, white, and pink to show solidarity with the trans and non-binary community, creating a powerful visual statement of inclusion and support.
This year’s event was nearly cancelled due to a lack of sponsorship and reduced business participation. However, a last-minute lifeline came from BA Euroflyer, a Gatwick-based subsidiary of British Airways, which stepped in as the official sponsor. Their support, combined with grassroots fundraising through a GoFundMe campaign and the “Community Angels” initiative, secured the parade’s future for at least two more years.
Pride Director Gary Richardson praised the overwhelming community response: “This has demonstrated that our local businesses fully support Pride and do not wish to see it leave our town. These funds will ensure we can offer free entry into our fantastic parade, showcasing that our amazing town and businesses stand by our LGBTQI+ community.”
Organisers will start to announce 2026 artist line up over the coming months. They added: "We cannot wait to show you what we have planned for our brand new Sunday Garden Party."
