With the recent civil disturbances erupting around the country that week, it was time for Brighton to show the country that one local community can still gather with positive results.

The day started with the customary procession kaleidoscopically snaking through the city, along a route lined by thousands of enthusiastic onlookers.

Due to some forceful intervention from the local authorities, numbers at the main event in Preston Park had been restricted. Resultantly the park festivities were encircled by a hefty looking 15ft high fence.

Despite this, the event was still busy, but for the first time in years there was room to move about freely. Previously over-crowding had become a serious problem, which needed to be addressed before a serious accident befell the event.

Although the park was quitter than before, the crowds were mostly just exuberant and boisterous as ever, although there was a discernable decline in the numbers of the more outrageous participants. As a result the atmosphere was slightly changed from the feverish sprawling free party that used to spill out into the whole city, to that of a tremendously camp version of an American state fair.

Conversely there was an absence of the undesirable element that had started to frequent the event, instead the tens of thousands in attendance were completely all on-message and wearing a smile.

The actual activities on offer were considerably better this year, not least being the newly-cavernous dance tent. This 8,000 capacity arena was kept rocking all day by the likes of DJ’s Danny Rampling, Guy Williams and Seamus Haji.

Many of the other festival attractions had been pumped-up also, with the Black and Minority Ethnic, Women’s, Cabaret and Bear Tent’s all attracted some huge crowds.

Returning after a long absence was the live acts Main Stage, where Booty Luv, Joe McElderry and Alexandra Burke all did their bit to ensure this much-missed attraction came back with a bang.

It’s been a difficult year for Pride in Brighton and Hove. Criticism pertaining that the organisers were simply providing an enormous free party for all and sundry, turned into assertions that the organisation wasn’t following the ethos of the original park events.

To add to a growing list of issues, Pride was failing to generate money for the LGBT front-line services it endeavoured to support. The park event was slowly bleeding the organisation dry. Beset on all sides with problems the only choice was to completely reinvent the way the park event was run.

Fears of the festival becoming a staid and anodyne shadow of its former self have not been realised, but there was a visible impact upon the numbers of people on the city streets throughout the weekend. The restrictions upon attendance numbers must have had some effect on the income the city generates off of the back of the event.

This is just the first step in an evolutionary period for Pride in Brighton and Hove. But the organisation has shown that the new model for its event works. The most recent estimate was the park event had risen over £40,000 for the causes it supports. A big difference to before, where apathy towards the voluntary donation system meant that it was running at a loss.

Changing social attitudes have meant that there is a greater acceptance of different sexual orientations, especially in Brighton. What was once a singular demonstration of LGBT solidarity, has now transformed into a celebration of different lifestyles, which finally has the potential to put something back into the community that created it.

There’s no denying the Brighton’s Pride has changed for ever, but with careful management and continued local support it will remain one of the best events of its kind in the world