Observer column 14 August 2026

Cllr Solly Solamito, Corporate Services, Communities and Equalities

As Cabinet member for equalities, I'm looking forward to my first Hastings Pride event in my role. We are lucky in Hastings to have such a varied and diverse community who organise so many fantastic events throughout the year. Pride is just one of these.

This year's festival is on Sunday 30 August at the Oval, Bohemia Road. This year is the tenth anniversary of Hastings Pride, which was set up in 2016 and is now organised by Hastings Pride Community Interest Company (CIC).

The day starts with the brightly coloured parade, which will make its way along the seafront from the Stade from 11am, gathering at The Oval for 11.45 for the official opening at 12noon.

If you want to take part in the parade, you can still register either yourself or as a group or organisation. There are also spaces for stalls, and you can get involved by volunteering your time to help on the day if you want to play your part.

It is always a celebration full of colour and joy with everyone welcome. The festival site has some Blue Badge parking for those who need it, and site staff will be happy to help anyone who needs assistance getting around the festival on the day.

There will be music, food, dancing, all free for anyone who wants to attend.

To show our support during Pride weekend, the Pride flag will be flying from the Town Hall and Muriel Matters House, and the lights in Bottle Alley will be rainbow.

Find out more on the Hastings Pride website and their social media channels. I look forward to seeing lots of you there enjoying the celebrations.

Sunday 30 August is also your last chance to enjoy Lemons, Laws & Secret Doors, a Hastings Queer History Collective Exhibition at Hastings Museum & Art Gallery. The exhibition brings together personal objects, fashion, film, sound and multimedia works, alongside a major new commission by artist Emma Frankland. The works tell the stories of Hastings Queer History Collective lives within our town.

The museum also hosts the Queer History Trail throughout the year so you can discover more about 11 stories from the museum's collection that illuminate the trials and triumphs of Hastings' LGBTQIA+ ancestors.

As part of my equalities role I'm also excited to see the age friendly sessions that Hastings Voluntary Action are holding. These include their age friendly coffee morning at Central Hall on 10 September, cultural cookery workshops and on Tuesday 22 September they are holding A Trip Down Memory Lane in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Society for a morning reminiscing about memories of Hastings.

Places must be booked, please contact debby@hastingsvoluntaryaction.org.uk or call 01424 444010 for more information and to book. There are lots more events planned, details are in the age friendly newsletter.