Emag.co.uk Entertainment News Leader
Draped in a rainbow flag and blowing kisses, Britney Spears wowed a crowd of 57,000 at Brighton Pride in her first UK performance for seven years.Britney Spears returns to the UK in two weeks for shows in Scarborough, Manchester, Glasgow and London.Dressed in a sequinned leotard and thigh-high stockings, she treated the Brighton crowd to classics including Baby One More Time, Oops!… I Did It Again and Toxic.
Just as in her Las Vegas residency – which ran on and off for four years from December 2013.
The routine also found room for a tribute to songs by rapper Missy Elliott.- the audience was given a performance of slick routines, with around 20 backing dancers, and countless costume changes.Her other numbers included Boys, Me Against The Music, Piece of Me, Gimme More and Womaniser.
Thousands of revellers have taken to the streets of Brighton to celebrate Pride, in what is one of the largest LGBT+ celebrations in the world.The 90-minute set was rounded off with an encore in which she danced with a rainbow flag and blew kisses to fans.
Excitement for Britney’s headline performance had reached fever pitch throughout Saturday, with many people wearing Britney masks and dressing up in some of her most famous outfits from her music videos.
More than 300,000 people flocked to the south coast of England, which was awash with colour for a march that preceded a series of parties and concerts.The theme for this year’s event is “Colour My World” and a festival atmosphere subsumed the city throughout Saturday afternoon as teens climbed on to bus shelters and adults swarmed roofs.
Crowds gathered for the Pride parade which started at Hove Lawns at 11am, travelling through the city centre, along King’s Road, and past the Brighton Centre.A giant rainbow flag stretched across the marchers in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the multicoloured banner.
Green MP Caroline Lucas posed in front of an “Equality” sign and tweeted: “With the amazing Brighton & Hove Greens making the case for Equality – that’s what Pride is all about!”Olly Newport, a freelance video editor, tweeted: “Brighton Pride is unquestionably the best Pride festival in the UK, jus’ saying London… there’s a beach, and you don’t have to queue to get into it.”
Sussex Police advised party-goers to stay hydrated, as their officers marched along the route wearing flower garlands, while a police car was “pimped out” for the occasion.
“Pride 2018 is now in full swing,” tweeted the force. “Enjoy the weekend safely! Stay hydrated, apply that suncream and keep your belongings with you. Please report any suspicious activity.”
Prior to the event, leading LGBT+ rights charity Stonewall criticised bookmaker Paddy Power for planning a stunt intended to highlight the absence of any openly gay footballers in the English top flight.
An empty open-top bus was planned to drive through Brighton for the parade to highlight the statistical anomaly; however, the charity said no one should feel pressured to come out.
Charities posted an alert warning attendees that contaminated “Chupa Chups” ecstasy pills were in circulation before the event.
