what’s on in brighton and hove this weekend: 21st – 23rd September

You can really smell the autumn in the air now and while we’re looking forward to cuddling up in cosy sweaters, layering like a pro and indulging our romantic fantasies over a book and open fire (not pyromaniac ones, we hasten to add), we’re also loving the fact that we can still head, sometimes, to the beach without freezing our derrieres off. Although not this weekend. Sorry. This weekend, the weather gods have rainclouds and water in store for us. But never fear, as we’ve got heaps of things to keep you entertained (and probably dry) whatever the weather.

So here goes. We’ve already hollered about the fabulous Fort Process, that’s happening this Saturday, but here are some of our other top picks in and around the city for this not-so-sunny weekend:

Girls on top (featured image)
The fantastic Women Over 50 Film Festival, which addresses the ageism and sexism many women experience in film, is in full swing this weekend. It kicked off on Thursday, but Saturday and Sunday sees two bumper days of UK and international screenings, workshops and panel events, all celebrating older women in front of the camera and behind it. The festival is split between Brighton’s Duke of York’s cinema and the Depot in Lewes – if you haven’t been yet, we can almost guarantee you’ll love it – and we’re excited about all of it. A couple of our highlights are Sunday’s lecture on the ageing romcom heroine in Nancy Meyers’ films (such as It’s Complicated), as well as Faces Places, which sees legendary 90-year-old director Agnès Varda and young photographer JR embark on a road trip across France.
Until Sunday 23rd September; from free (full weekend tickets £50)
wofff.co.uk
Depot, Pinwale Road, Lewes BN7 2JS
Duke of York’s Picturehouse, Preston Circus, Brighton BN1 4NA


Will it be the death of us?

If you’re feeling brave, then you might want to enter the Doom Room, an intriguing 18+ live virtual reality experience from Danish collective Makropol that’s part of the ongoing Brighton Digital Festival. You and the five others in your 45-minute slot will be invited to put on a blindfold (eek) before being whisked off to the afterlife one by one by means of a guided meditation (with you as the main character) that marries live performance with technological wizardry. We’re certainly intrigued, but with warnings that there will be “scenes of an extreme nature”, are we brave enough to take a journey to the other side? We’re not sure – are you? (Seriously, though, make sure you check the trigger warnings on TOM’s website.)
Until 30th September, slots available between 3.00pm and 9.00pm; £15
The Old Market, Upper Market Street, Hove BN3 1AS
theoldmarket.com

drop-in-the-ocean-brighton-the-inside
Making waves

Set up by local designer Irene Soler, A Drop in the Ocean is a conservation and design project that uses bottle caps found along Brighton beach and the seafront cafes to create an infographic and raise awareness of plastic pollution.  What started as a small wave has grown enormously and is an incredibly beautiful visual representation of just how much plastic normally gets discarded. The first phase saw 9,248 differently coloured bottle tops (blue was by far the most collected colour) picked up from the beach and seafront cafes over three months, before being sorted and then turned into the wave art installation you can see on the Volks Railway line fencing. The second phase is now underway and it’s not too late to get involved with making the bottle-top infographic at Saturday’s free workshops. And if you can’t make it to a workshop, you can still do your bit by collecting any plastic you see or taking part in group beach cleans. And you’ve got time to check the installation out – it’s there until March 2019.
Until 22 September, 10.30am – 5.00pm (drop in any time); free
Volks Railway Visitor Centre, Madeira Drive, Brighton BN2 1EN
adropintheocean,org.uk

Tea’s up
If standard afternoon tea’s a bit too polite for you, and you prefer yours with a healthy serving of scandalous truths and gossip, then try this on for size: Spilling the Tea (see what they did there?) is a drag take on the traditional event, featuring bucketloads of fabulous cabaret from the likes of Spice, Ruffles the Clown and Miss Disney and prizes, all while raising money for MindOut, the mental health charity for the LGBTQ community. And if you’ve not been to The Beddy before, make sure you check out their other fabulous events, especially their infamous piano bingo. Quite possibly the most fun you can have on a Sunday afternoon.
Saturday 22nd September, from 4.00pm
Bedford Tavern, 30 Western Street, Brighton BN1 2PG
Bedford Tavern


There’s an art to it

And if you fancy more of an arty weekend, you can brave the rain and get in touch with your inner snail as you visit all of Martlets’ gastropods hanging out around the city. They’re not scared of a bit of water. And for more cultural (and, crucially, dry) razzle-dazzle, the stunning restored saloon at the Royal Pavilion (originally decorated for King George IV in 1823) has now opened. The accompanying display covers the room’s journey from design to interiors masterpiece and is well worth a look. Our other top exhibition picks are Kinska’s whimsical ceramics pieces at seafront gallery Two Kats and a Cow and Charlotte Paszkiewicz’ beautiful screenprints at Tidy Print. Also both inside. Bonus.
Various dates, times and prices