Neighborhood
Kemptown / St James’s Street
in Brighton, United Kingdom
Bars, drag and classic seaside scene.
Where it is
Kemptown lies east of the city centre, with St James's Street as its main artery running parallel to the seafront.
Address: 39 St. James's Street, BN2 1RG Brighton
What it is
St James's Street is the city's main queer artery, lined with LGBTQ pubs, bars, cafés and shops that spill onto the pavements on warm evenings. Kemptown is one of Britain's best-known gay villages and stays lively all year round.
History
Brighton's queer history reaches back to the early 19th century, and from the 1930s the first gay and lesbian pubs took root. The University of Sussex produced the Sussex Gay Liberation Front in 1971, which organised Brighton's first gay rights demonstration in 1972 and its first Gay Pride Week in 1973. Kemptown grew into the heart of queer Brighton.