This weekend’s kind of crept up on us. We could swear we hadn’t passed Wednesday yet. It must be the weather (it’s always the weather.) But the weekend it is, so we’re back with another large slice of Brighton and Hove-flavoured inspo. From funnies at the Brighton Comedy Garden, community initiatives and open-air gigs to food festivals and full moon parties, (we hope) there’s something for everyone. And if there’s not, please let us know what you’d like to see more of here!
1. Support Brighton’s only community-owned pub and secure its future
The Bevy epitomises everything that’s great about Brighton and is the only community-owned pub in the city, not to mention the only one on a housing estate in the UK. But this brilliant pub is struggling to survive amid the rising cost of living. They’re holding a public meeting at 2pm this Saturday to chat about what they can do to cut costs and get more people through the door to secure The Bevy’s future. So now’s the time to head down with some ideas or just for a drink and a chat. They’re a very friendly bunch and are always looking for more people to help out with their regular community events (for example, they run cut-price lunch clubs for older people, job clubs, free evening talks with academics, free weekly family-friendly activity and meal days, and more). And, unusually for pubs these days, they’ve got darts, pool, toad in the hole, bar billiards AND table tennis. If you can’t make it down but have some ideas you can drop them a line on contact@thebevy.co.uk or if you have a few spare pennies, you can donate on their website to help keep this great pub going.
Saturday 1st July; 2pm
50 Hillside, Brighton, Brighton and Hove, Brighton BN2 4TF
thebevy.co.uk
2. Check out a new food festival
We know, another food festival. But it sounds pretty good and it’s free, so how could we not tell you about it? This is the first year of Brighton Feastival and their debut three-day event features street food, drinks, a curated grocery and craft stall line-up, and a bucketload of family-friendly entertainment. There’s a live music stage across a wide range of genres, fairground rides, plus comedy and workshops for kids (large and small), too. Let’s feast!
Friday 30th June – Sunday 2nd July
Friday midday – 8pm; Saturday 9am – 8pm; Sunday 10am – 6pm; free
Victoria Gardens, 12A Marlborough Place, Victoria Gardens, Brighton, BN1 1WN
3. Visit Brighton’s only airstream cafe
Did you know that vegan cafe Tiger Eats Carrot (still love their name) have taken over the 1950s Airstream diner parked up at the 18th century manor house and public gardens at Moulsecoomb Place? Well, now you do. And if you’ve been to their London Road site, you’ll know you’re in for a treat. Grab one of their tasty falafel boxes and a (n iced) coffee, courtesy of Tiger Moth Roastery, and pick your perch. There’s 10 seats inside the cute diner, plus outside seating and a huge lawn around the house with plenty of shady bits to choose from. It sits next to the beautiful semi-open Riwaq (Arabic for colonnade) construction, safely rebuilt at its new home last summer after its Brighton Festival stint.
Open Wednesdays to Saturdays; 10am – 3pm
Moulsecoomb Place, Lewes Road, Brighton, BN2 4GA
tigereatscarrot.com
4. Celebrate the full moon with a beach party
We can’t believe it’s been a month since the last one, but it’s full moon time again. This one’s a Buck Moon, so named because male (buck) deers’ antlers are in full-growth mode around this time. We know, bringing you the Brighton inspo AND the trivia. Anyway, good or bad, it’s time to let go of the last month and see it off. How about a banging Bison Beach Bar party send-off as the super moon fills the sky? They’ve got tie-dye workshops from 2pm, DJs from 5pm and fire performances from 8pm as the sun starts to set. And they’ve teamed up with their beachside neighbours Luna Wave to offer a free yoga class, too – just enter BISONBUDS on the class of your choice at checkout. (For more full moon celebrations, don’t miss Ruby Moon’s monthly swim, paddle, yoga and dance event on Monday at 8.45pm.)
Sunday 2nd July; 5pm – 9pm
Bison Beach Bar, Sea Lanes, 300 Madeira Drive, Brighton, BN2 1BX
bisonbeer.co.uk
5. See a drag show in Kemptown
We love what inclusive LGBTQ+ venue Arcobaleno are doing – we recently went to their first birthday celebrations and had a blast. And this Friday is their weekly Ready Player 2 drag show, one of Kemptown’s finest. Hosted by Drag Idol semi-finalist Mary O’Kart (“just like the video game, she always comes first”) and featuring Drag Wars 23 runner-up Amber Sands, it’s safe to say you should expect the unexpected. In the best possible way. It’s worth getting there early to hang out in their spacious garden and fuel up on cocktails and their tasty home-cooked Maltese-inspired food before the show kicks off.
Friday 30th June; 8pm
Arcobaleno, 120 St George’s Road, Brighton, BN2 1EA; free
myarcobaleno.com
6. Go to a new tongue-in-cheek art expo
We’re big fans of Brighton-based Haus of Lucy’s work, which cleverly juxtaposes fine art and contemporary culture with a dash of social criticism. Her new solo show, Ghost Town, at Enter Gallery takes a wry look at the death of the high street and the impact this is having on our sense of community and how we connect to one another. Spoiler alert: it’s not good. “Across the country, high streets are dying, and being taken over by the same chains. It’s becoming virtually impossible to distinguish one town from another. The personality is literally being stripped from our high streets with communities being erased,” Lucy says. The exhibition of original ceramics, crockery and framed prints kicks off with a private view on Friday – have a glass of bubbly with Lucy at the show!
Friday 30th June; 6pm – 8pm; free
Enter Gallery, 13 Bond Street, Brighton, BN1 1RD
Book tickets for the private view
7. Catch a gig at a beer yarden
Brzn Beer are back with more oversized fun at the Brzn Arms beer yarden this weekend – grab a sharpie from the bar to make your mark on their community art wall while you’re there. There’s an afternoon of music on Saturday with Kaleida Wild playing their first Brighton gig and support from Kirk Gross. The Get Sum Dim Sum gang will also be there with their tasty dumplings and rice boxes. It’s the perfect opportunity to get your laughing gear around Brzn’s new 5 percent pale brew too, the epically named ‘You can’t give someone a 99 with a broken flake. It’s embarrassing for an ice-cream man”. Oh yeah.
Gig: Saturday 1st July; 3pm; £6 (advance and on the door)
Pub is open Wednesday and Thursday 4pm – 9pm; Friday – Sunday midday – 9pm
62 Beaconsfield Road, Brighton
Brzn Beer
8. Indulge your inner child at a summer fair
Yes, we featured a couple last weekend, but couldn’t miss this one either, we’re still indulging that childhood nostalgia. And this one sounds like a summer fair in the old tradition of summer fairs with cakes, games (costing from 20p to £1), bric a brac, a raffle and the essential fair add-on – the bouncy castle. One word of warning, in keeping with its pleasingly old-school vibe, it’s cash only.
Saturday 1st July; 11.30am – 2.30pm; £1 adults, children go free
Royal Spa Nursery School, at the bottom of Queen’s Park, Park Hill, Brighton, BN2 0BT
9. Check out Brighton’s newest rooftop
Yep, there’s a new rooftop in town. The Joker has finished its build and the new plant-studded space looking out over the sexy Duke of York’s cinema and the admittedly less sexy London Road officially opened last week. Open seven days a week (assuming it’s not pissing it down), we reckon it’s a great spot for chilling with their house-made Pride drink, the Crystal Head pink limoncello, or one of their tasty summer sours, obviously with a side of Lost Boys Chicken’s seriously saucy wings.
Open Monday and Tuesday, 4pm – 11pm; Wednesday and Thursday, midday – midnight; Friday and Saturday, midday – 2am; Sunday, midday – 11pm
2 Preston Road, Brighton, 4QF
thejokerbrighton.com
10. Bust some moves at a day of dance
Another year, another round of the brilliant Our City Dances festival. There’s a full day of dance performances, leaf-printing and recycled art workshops, a film installation, taster afrocardio, heels, gravity yoga and Charleston classes, a silent disco, and a whole lot more besides. Plus, it’s all completely free. You can sign up online for the classes, but drop-ins will be available too. They’ve also got a bit of a community marketplace going on on the square with stalls run by local community initiatives, including Project Female’s Period Poverty, Rise and the Tarner Community Project. The day ends with a carnivaltastic performance from the Marta Scott Dance Company who always bring the party. Don’t forget to head into White Cloud Coffee while you’re there, it’s a lovely space and they make an excellent coffee and even better brunch dishes.
Saturday 1st July; 10am – 6.30pm; free
The Dance Space & Events Square, 2 Market Square, Circus Street, Brighton, BN2 9AS
southeastdance.org.uk
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