10 things to do this bank holiday weekend | 28th april – 1st may

Who’s ready for the first of May’s three, count ‘em, deliciously long weekends? (Whatever your views on the coronation are, an extra bank holiday is definitely not to be sniffed at.) Easter may have only been a short hop ago, but we know we are ready for three days of fun, frolics and, yes, food. Come on in, it’s lovely in here…

1. Paint your own tote bag

Can you ever have enough nice bags? The answer is, quite possibly, yes, but we reckon there’s always room for one more, especially if you’ve lovingly designed it yourself. Office and coworking space PlusX is hosting a Paint Your Own Tote Bag event with the intriguingly named GetFun Garden this Saturday. You’ll get given a nice sturdy Muji tote bag, which you can embellish with letters or patterns as you see fit. All stencils and paints are provided and your creative juices will be kept topped up with soft and hot drinks throughout the session.
Saturday 29th April; 1pm and 3pm; from £22.15
Plus X Brighton, Lewes Road, Brighton, BN2 4GL
Book tickets

2. Get stuck into some great food and music at Foodies Festival

With the 2023 results of Brighton’s Best top 20 restaurants now in, it’s the perfect time to see some of the chef winners in action at Foodies Festival. You can expect mouthwatering demos from a whole host of local (and not-so-local) foodie legends, including Kenny Tutt of Worthing’s Pitch, Jamie Halsall from Cin Cin, and Alistair Munro from Wild Flor, with a side helping of food and drink masterclasses and live music, courtesy of Scouting For Girls, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Martin Kemp. There are still some tickets left and if you pop FOODIES30 in the box when you checkout, you’ll get a tasty 30 percent discount.
Preston Park, Preston Road, Brighton BN1 6SD
Saturday, 29th April – Monday, 1st May, 2023; 11am – 9pm (8pm Monday); adult day tickets from £21
foodiesfestival.com

3. Go to the launch of a new typography exhibition and get free candy floss

The Museum of Art and Craft in nearby Ditchling is reopening this Saturday with a new interactive exhibition on the typography of the British seaside, which includes never-before-seen draft designs and new commissions. The family-friendly show gives a fascinating insight into the role typography and design – iconic pier-side lettering, neon signs and painted shop fronts – play in shaping our views of the seaside. Bang on theme, there’s free candy floss available on the opening day, too. (If you’re interested in signwriting, they’re running a workshop on 3rd June.) And while you’re there, we’d highly recommend a leisurely stroll around Ditchling village, followed by a slightly more strenuous walk up one of the many trails onto the Downs, finishing with some well-deserved food and drinks at The Bull (it’s worth booking ahead if you want to eat).
From Saturday 29th April – Sunday 3rd September; 10.30am – 5pm; from £5
Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft, Lodge Hill Lane, Ditchling, BN6 8SP
ditchlingmuseumartcraft.co.uk

4. Shop til you drop at an indie makers’ market

This Sunday sees the return of the Silver Spur Makers’ Market (the new name for the Exeter Street Hall Makers’ Market) and it’s safe to say that it’s fit to bursting with seriously brilliant local creative talent. Yep, the market features 21 stalls, including small-batch ceramics from Rarebit Design, leather bags in a riot of colours by Holly M Atelier, unexpected collage art from Cassia Beck (we have several of her gorgeous swimmers), neon-bright printed textiles and geometric jewellery by Pinki Jones, knitwear by designer Kate Kingham (we’ve been obsessed with getting our hands on one of her knitted scarves since reading Jess Cartner-Morley’s piece in The Guardian) and much more. There’s also a tooth bling pop-up, a raffle featuring prizes donated by the makers, a discussion on plastic pollution and how to protect our seas by Leave No Trace, plus Solitary Bee Coffee to fuel the shopping experience.
Sunday 30th April; 10am – 4pm; free
Exeter Street Hall, 16 – 17 Exeter Street, Brighton BN1 5PG
Silver Spur Makers’ Market

5. See Lenny Henry’s debut play

If you fancy a trip to the bigger city (yes, London) this weekend, this is a great reason to go. Lenny Henry is staging his debut play August in England at the Bush Theatre, with artistic director Lynette Linton co-directing with associate artistic director Daniel Bailey. An exploration into the impact of the Windrush scandal, the play follows August Henderson, a family man and part-owner of a fruit and veg shop in West Bromwich, who is suddenly faced with deportation to a country he has no memory of. The Bush Theatre is partnering with the Windrush 75 network to distribute 750 free tickets and discounted tickets to Windrush generation elders and their families across the UK. And if you need more inspo on things to do while you’re in the Big Smoke, head to our big brother site, LOTI.
Saturday 29th April and Monday 1st May
7 Uxbridge Rd, London W12 8LJ
bushtheatre.co.uk

6. Get stuck into this great brunch before it’s gone for good

You know how we love a brunch here at BOTI. And this is a GREAT brunch. Yes, the Pharmacie Coffee Roasters brunch in nearby Lewes comes with a still-fresh-from-the-printers’ BOTI stamp of approval. The speciality roastery set against Lewes’ white cliffs not only makes a lovely coffee, but excellent food too: we’ve loved every one of the dishes we’ve tried, from the mushrooms and garlic spinach cream on lemon tarragon buttered toast to the brûlée brioche French toast with mascarpone, lemon curd and raspberries. Sadly, though, it’s only available for two more weekends (including this one) as their chef, Benny Sullivan, is heading off on a new adventure. If you’re thinking of going, you really need to book as the word has spread. And yes, we know it’s another out-of-town one, but a) this brunch is worth the trip alone and b) with its quirky indie and antique shops, castle and cobbled streets, Lewes is a great day trip in its own right.
Saturdays and Sundays until 7th May; brunch served from 10am – 2pm
11 Cliffe Industrial Estate Lewes, Lewes, BN8 6JL
pharmacie.coffee

7. Head for the beer garden

If the weather plays ball, holiday weekends are made for beer gardens. Luckily, we’re pretty spoilt for choice for great ones locally. Over in East Brighton is Brighton Bier’s lively taproom, which aside from serving up banging beers, is now even more appealing with Lucky Pineapple’s residency. They’ll be conjuring up their tasty cocktails from their beautiful golden pineapple van on Fridays and Saturdays, while Ditch Brisket will be serving up BBQ meats on the Friday and Caccia and Tails Italian street food on the Saturday. Cin Cin!
Thursdays and Fridays, 5pm – 10pm; Saturdays, 1pm – 10pm
Unit 10, Bell Tower Industrial Estate, Roedean Road, Brighton, BN2 5RU
brightonbier.com

8. Drink great wine, eat great food and explore West Sussex

Have you been to Kinsbrook Vineyard yet? Here’s why you should go exploring: The progressive young winery is in a gorgeous part of West Sussex that’s studded with great vineyards and stunning views. Kinsbrook recently opened a farmhouse, comprising a superbly stocked farm shop (cheese counter, baked goods, butchery, local goodies, the works) and an excellent upstairs eatery overlooking their glorious vines. Michelin-trained French chef Pierre Schaeffer will be taking over the kitchen to cook up a brunch and lunch storm – another one that comes highly recommended by us following our recent visit – from this weekend and every weekend in May.
Open daily (including the bank holiday); 9am – 5pm
West Chiltington Road, Thakeham, RH20 2RZ
kinsbrookvineyard.com

9. Forget karaoke, you need Barrioke

Karaoke has been through a lot of iterations, from hip hop to live band, but Barryioke is a whole other phenomenon. Yes, that’s right, you get to sing with the legend that is Barry from Eastenders, aka the brilliant Shaun Williamson. Does it get any better than that? (Don’t answer that one.) Barrioke has done the rounds of music festivals and he always goes down a storm with the crowd thanks to Shaun’s trademark warm and jokey banter and now he’s back in Brighton at Concorde 2. Need cheering up after a long week? Get a bit of Barrioke in your life.
Friday 28th April; from 7pm; £22.50
Concorde 2, 286A Madeira Drive, Brighton, BN2 1EN
Get tickets

10. Be one of the first to try Fika at its new second home

The pool may not be ready yet but our favourite dirty egg sarnie slingers are having a soft launch for their new Sea Lanes location on Bank Holiday Monday and they’re offering buy one, get one free on all their hot drinks. As well as great coffee, they’ll be serving up stuff on toast, breakfast burritos, panuozzo (with dough by their good friends Big Slice Pizza), Swedish snacks and smoothies and shakes. They’re the main coffee and brunch trader at the long-awaited new site and there’s indoor and outdoor seating available. Said egg sarnies will be available soon! Bison Beach Bar is also soft-launching Monday – yes, bigger, better and beerier in its new forever Sea Lanes home.
Fika is open from Monday 1st May, seven days a week; 7am – 5pm
Sea Lanes, Madeira Drive, Brighton, BN2 1EN
fikasussex.co.uk