We’re making our way through this year at a fair pace, aren’t we. And our favourite month of the Brighton year is mere weeks away. But there’s still loads to enjoy before we get to mighty May. Food-wise, you need to check out the latest restaurant to grace the seafront, you can get 25 percent off Lost in the Lanes’ evening menu for the whole of April, and there’s a brand-new cafe – The Hatch Hove – down by Hove Lagoon that we’ve heard is well worth a look. But it’s not just about food, we’ve also got fashion, flowers, and yes, flunking.
Indulge in a spot of ye olde dwyle flunking
Say what now? Yes, dwyle flunking (also written dwile flonking). We’re recommending a trip back to the legendary Lewes Arms this weekend for another fabulously eccentric event. Originating in East Anglia, dwyle flunking is possibly a rite of passage from the middle ages, or just a brilliant post-pub game for post-war pissheads. Whatever, it involves one team dancing around another while trying to avoid getting hit by a beer-soaked cloth (the dwyle) that the non-dancers try to chuck at them. It’s heaps of fun even if you’ll never quite get your head around the rules or find out who actually won.
Saturday 13th April; 2pm; free
The Lewes Arms, 1 Mount Place, Lewes, BN7 1YH
lewesarms.co.uk
Go (sustainable) shopping
We love a bit of guilt-free shopping around these parts and, this weekend, there are two pre-loved shopping events to check out. Over in Hanover, locals have got together to put on a pre-loved sale at Haus on The Hill on Saturday (1pm – 5pm) – come for the clothes and stay for the beer. And in Dukes Lane, the Secret Store Pop-Up gang are back with a two-day residency (Saturday, 10am – 5pm and Sunday 11am – 5pm; 24 Dukes Lane) full of pre-loved designer treasures in the upstairs space at sustainable lingerie designer Ayten Gasson’s new pop-up. Emma Stanton will also be selling her gorgeous hand-crafted gold and silver jewellery (that you might have seen adorning some of the BOTI team if you’ve spotted us in the wild). While you’re there, check out the Sustainable Spotlight pop-up at number six, showcasing several sustainable fashion and lifestyle brands.
Various dates, times and locations
Get stuck into pizza with a side of ping pong
Pizza perfectionists Fatto a Mano will be slinging the pies (meaty, veggie, vegan and non-gluten), fries, salad and tiramisu at a family day at the Real Junk Food Project’s Fitzherbert Community Hub on Saturday. And Brighton Table Tennis Club, which is literally next door, will be open for anyone to have a go between 2 – 4pm.
Saturday 13th April; 12.30pm – 4pm; pay as you feel, £5 suggested donation (£6 with dessert)
Fitzherbert Community Hub, 2 Bristol Road, Brighton, BN2 1AP
Check out an unusual gig
If you missed out on tickets to the first-ever Homegrown music festival, there are still plenty of gigs to enjoy this weekend. Like the brilliantly named Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development Plan, a social history music concept from Gordon Chapman-Fox. His last album explored the relationship between southern and northern England and the broken promises that much-lauded new town developments left behind through cinematic electronica. It’s been described by Electronic Sound magazine as “delightfully melancholic nostalgia for thwarted suburban dreams”. It’s glorious stuff.
Saturday 13th April; 7pm; £16
Komedia, 44 – 47 Gardener Street, Brighton, BN1 1UN
Buy tickets
Go to Brighton’s not-so-secret secret garden
We know that summer is really on its way when the Kemptown Secret Garden reopens. No longer quite so secret, it’s still a gorgeous (dog-friendly) idyll away from the hustle and bustle of central Brighton. As well as a sculpture exhibition, local caterers Table are in situ for all your foodie needs, serving up supremely tasty sweet and savoury homemade treats. Have a wander, then grab a table and get stuck in – the wild garlic and Cheddar scones are a longstanding BOTI fave.
Open from Saturday 13th April and every Saturday, Sunday and bank holiday until 2nd June, then every Sunday until late September from 15th June; 11am – 5pm; free
Bristol Gardens, Kemp Town, Brighton BN2 5JE (past Sussex Square but before Lidl if you’re coming from town, the entrance is at the corner of Bristol Place and Bristol Gardens)
secretgardenkemptown.co.uk
Enjoy these full-on floral displays
We included this one last week, but these blooms are only around for a while, so we’re sharing these floral extravaganzas again. Tulleys have planted 500,000 tulips across 100 different species, creating a tulip field fiesta to rival Holland’s. It being Tulleys, you’ll also come across live roaming musicians, Dutch-themed food and drink, and, if that’s your bag, Insta photo opps a-plenty – they’ve even put up a windmill. For a slightly smaller (*just* 100,000 flowers and 120 different types), but arguably more authentic experience, head to Arundel Castle for their tulip festival. The riot of colour that surrounds the medieval castle is impressive stuff. We’d recommend making a day of it, with a beer and some food at The Brewhouse Project taproom.
Tulleys: Tuesday – Sunday; 9.30am – 6pm (8pm Friday – Sunday) until Monday 6th May; from £10
tulipfarm.co.uk
Arundel Castle: Tuesday – Sunday; 10am – 5pm; gardens-only tickets £15; tulips are expected to last until about 21st April
arundelcastle.org
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