6 things to do this weekend

Happy almost Halloween! You’ve probably seen our bumper Halloween guide (tsk, if you haven’t yet) which is full of fun things to do, see and eat this weekend, from theatrical seances to scary films, haunted houses, pumpkin picking and more, but here’s a few other ideas for how to spend the last weekend in October…

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Wish for the moon
As you know, Halloween coincides with a full moon this year. So, to celebrate, ethical swimwear brand Ruby Moon Swim and yoga teacher Green Tree Goodness have organised a full moon ceremony with yoga salutations and intention-setting, followed by a paddle or a swim if you’re brave enough – sea temperature is a positively balmy (ahem) 15C . (Check out the Seabirds’ tips for winter swimming if you do fancy getting in.) We understand that there’s absolutely no pressure to get in the water if you prefer not to – October dips/paddleboarding are definitely not for everyone. Whether you take a dip or stay on terra firma, we reckon it’s a lovely socially distanced celebration and the perfect way to see out the month under the light of the moon.
Saturday 31st October, 4.30pm; free
Meet at the Lawns Cafe on Hove Promenade, Hove BN FR

Full Moon Swim and Paddle Out

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Stellar Saturdays
Devastatingly, it’s the last Saturday that the marvellous Patisserie Stellar will be popping up at Shelter Hall Raw – although we’re hoping for an extension. So if you want to get your Saturday started right, you can’t do any better than one – or preferably five – of their spectacular pastries. Their flavours are just so damn dreamy: think Snickers pains aux chocolat or passion fruit curd and toasted meringue cruffins. We’re drooling as we type. And in case you needed another reason to give them a go: they’ve also just brought out half-baked cookies – complete with with requisite gooey centre. Patisserie Stellar, you’re spoiling us.
Saturday 31st October, from 11am
Shelter Hall, Kings Road Arches, Brighton BN1 2LN
shelterhall.co.uk

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Life’s a beach bar
It slipped through our Halloween guide, but here’s another Halloween belter: one of our favourite beach-side bars – Bison at Sea Lanes – is hosting a full-moon-on-the-beach shindig on Saturday to celebrate the blue moon and the scariest night of the year – Covid aside, obvs. Wood x Coal will be serving up suitably spooky all-black-everything Hello Darkness burgers (seriously, there’s black beef or Moving Mountains burgers, black brioche bun, charcoal cheddar fondue and black garlic aioli). And the bar will be plying punters with ‘evil cocktails’ – your guess is as good as ours. To keep you entertained, they’ll be screening retro horror films all day while White Cloud Coffee will be doing pumpkin-carving workshops. Plus if you make the effort to dress scary for the occasion, then you’ll be rewarded with some ‘bad brains’ shots. Now the heaters and pergola are in situ, it’s the perfect place to enjoy the beach views whatever the weather.
Saturday 31st October, from midday
Bison Beach Bar at Sea Lanes, 284 Madeira Drive, Brighton, BN2 1EN
sealanesbrighton.co.uk

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Fringe benefits
We’re loving having some theatre, music and comedy back in the city, so we thought we’d share our Fringe recommendations for this weekend. For Halloween thrills, we reckon it’s hard to beat this weekend’s open-air Blue Moon Halloween season from local arts producers Nikki Shaill and Lauren Sweeney. There’s something pretty special about outdoor theatre and under the light of a Halloween blue moon? We’d love to say it’s a once-in-a-blue-moon opportunity, but we wouldn’t dare. Our other Halloween-appropriate picks are psychological thriller Unquiet Slumbers: The Haunting of Emily Emily Brontë, which sees Wuthering Heights protagonist Cathy Earnshaw meet her creator, ie writer Emily Brontë, and intriguing-sounding medieval-murder-mystery musical The Crooked Spire.
Until 8th November, various locations and prices
brightonfringe.org

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My milkshake brings all the art to the yard…
The Art Yard Sale is back! Ok, in these Covid times, it’s not quite the same obviously – it’s all online now – but there are still some fantastic bargains to be had across some exclusive limited-edition prints. The discounts – this weekend, a signed Maria Rivans giclée print is £300 instead of £420, for example – are only available for 72 hours. As usual, the art is very varied, with works covering a wide range of areas, from street art to mixed media. We’ve particularly got our eyes on Sarah Arnett’s gloriously evocative Kissing Peacocks, Rebecca Strickson’s Future Joy is Coming, (not least because we need to the reminder right now – see the main image), the new Bonnie and Clyde print and Dave Buonaguidi’s lucky-dip Brighton is Always A Good Idea postcards
From Friday 30th October to Monday 2nd November
entergallery.com

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What’s new, pussycat?
UPDATE: DUE TO FLOODING AT RUBY RUTH HQ, THE EXHIBITION START DATE HAS BEEN POSTPONED TO WEDNESDAY, 4TH NOVEMBER.
Have you ever been to Brighton’s smallest gallery space? You can’t miss it once you know what to look for: yep, the aptly named Dog and Bone Gallery, right by gorgeous regency square Powis Square, is made up of two vintage phone boxes. And, for Halloween, they’re welcoming a new exhibition – Black Cat Magic by Ruby Ruth Dolls, which celebrates the brand’s adorable adult character dolls, each with a brilliant back story and heaps of personality. The creator behind the brand, Jenny Mustill, has a fantastic family of the eccentric handmade Brighton dolls. But it is Halloween, so we’re bigging up Jasper, even though he’d probably hate that, because he’s the strong and silent type. This black cat also works as a doorman at a fancy Brighton hotel and is ‘softly spoken but has very strong opinions’. Just our type. Fancy taking him home? We’re with you – and you can currently get a mini Jasper now, too. Or head along to the gallery to meet him and his friends – they’ll be there until the end of November.
From Saturday 31st October
rubyruthdolls.com