Oof, bit hot outside, isn’t it? We don’t want to jinx it, but Brighton’s somehow landed a bank holiday weekend with actual good weather. Naturally, the beach is going to be rammed, but if you fancy mixing things up we’ve got plenty of other ways to spend it – from eclectic Fringe fun (find our reviews here) and foodie treats (free empanadas!) to pottery road trips, immersive installations, BBQ terraces, and the final weekend of the Artists’ Open Houses and the main Brighton Festival (we’re going all nostalgic tomorrow at Malory Towers). Brb, we’re off to stand directly in front of a fan.
BOTI’S Best Bits
Join the Disco of the Damned
If you’re looking for a night out that epitomises Brighton Fringe quirkiness, this is probably it. If joining a disco cult while someone calling themselves ‘The Prophet’ guides you through ritualistic nonsense sounds up your street, then this is for you. This is Disco of the Damned: The Gathering (from the madcap mind of Guess Boo‘s Lost Hippo), turning Caravanserai’s Klub Kaput into a mayhem-fuelled party complete with cabaret acts, immersive theatre, comedy, confessions, funk, disco and just the right amount of weirdness. There’s apparently a Baptismal Ball Pit (to cleanse you of conformity, of course). There’s definitely dancing. And while you can lurk at the edges and people-watch, we know from experience that the more you get stuck in, the more fun you’ll have.
Sat; 7pm; from £15
brightonfringe.org
Shop sustainably
Lucy & Yak’s Brighton store is going fully second-hand for the bank holiday weekend as the brand launches its first-ever PreLoved Weekender. That means rails packed with old-school prints, rare finds and one-off pieces brought back through the brand’s buyback scheme – which has already kept more than 42,000 Yaks in circulation since 2023. It’s all part of Lucy & Yak’s big circular fashion push, but mostly it’s a good excuse to rummage through loads of colourful dungarees. Sustainable shopping, here we come.
Sat – Mon
lucyandyak.com
This weekend’s excellent eats (and drinks)
The Hove branch of Argentine eatery Malo (run by the family behind Baqueano steakhouse) is turning one and, to celebrate, they’re giving away 100 free empanadas from their spot at 120 Portland Road. The first 100 people there at 10am will get their hands on the hot stuff.
Friday is National Paloma Day apparently and Patio are celebrating in a way we can get on board with – slashing the price of the tequila-based cocktails to £6 all weekend.
Over at Babble, home of the sunrise, sunset and general view palace, BBQs (Trenchmore Wagyu, Halloumi and bok choi, Chalk Stream trout), and pizzas are back in a big way for the long weekend from midday Fri to Mon and a DJ terrace takeover on Fri and Sat (5pm – 11pm). Get there early if you want to nab a spot outside.
On Sunday, don’t miss the Med boys descent on Curio for another BBQ spectacular. Think fire-cooked mackerel, flatbreads, sambals, cowboy butter, pork tenderloin, grilled chicken, smoked beetroot and probably a lot more good stuff. Their food always hits the spot.
Excitingly, Plateau and Komodo Coffee have teamed up for a bank holiday brunch offering and the menu sounds seriously mouth-watering – from brioche buns packed with whipped cod’s roe and poached eggs to larger plates like steak and eggs, and sweet treats.
Bit of a random one this, but free is free and ice-cream is always a good idea, so here we go: Nail queen Sally Hansen has teamed up with Boho Gelato on an ice-cream range. If you buy their £6 ‘Summer Fling’ triple scoop of the collab gelatos at their Pool Valley shop, you’ll get a free gel nail polish worth £9.99. See, we told you it was random. It’s available until 7th June.
If you needed another reason to visit Voya (you probably didn’t, it nails the food, the drinks and the vibes), this is it: they’re trying something a bit different, with Ricekiller popping up there until the end of the month. This is apparently ‘fusion filth’ and the menus is both entertaining and delicious-sounding.
Check out the latest pizza joint on the block – Jack’s (see pic above). You’ll find the eponymous Jack’s Detroit-style slices (read: crispy, fluffy and flavourful rectangular deep-pan joy) at Sydney Street. They serve booze, the staff are super-friendly, the sauces are also great and it’s upstairs so it’s prime people-watching territory. Didn’t think Brighton needed another pizza spot? Jack’s is proof you’re wrong, sorry.
Over at the Marina, Sora – a Japanese dining experience complete with robatayaki BBQ – has popped at Malmaison for the rest of the summer. Sushi with a side of harbour view? Don’t mind if we do.
READ ALSO: FRIDA KAHLO RETURNS TO THE BIG SCREEN THIS WEEK
Coming up
There’s only five days to go until The Set opens its teensy-tiny 12-seater spot on Preston Road (Kitgum’s old place) – their very first permanent home after 11 years of popping up deliciously over town. You’re going to need to book (early) for this one.
Speaking of Kitgum, the much-loved (by us and everyone else) East African and Gujarati eatery is in the process of opening up a new space on Hampton Place. Opening (and running) a restaurant – especially right now – is a mighty expensive business and they’ve hit plenty of roadblocks along the way. So they’ve put together a crowdfunder to help them get open in June. You’ll get extra bang for your buck, too: whatever you can prepay, you’ll get 50 percent on top to spend when they open. So if you pledge £50, you’ll get £75, ie more to spend on their delicious food.
What else?
Music lovers (and everyone else) should head over to Saltdean Lido for a swim, brunch in the new Reading Room and a browse around the vinyl delight that is the First Press record fair with DJ sets all afternoon (Sat; 12pm – 4pm; £2 before 2pm, then free).
There’s a lot of lasts this weekend – it’s the final weekend of Film Pride which showcases the work of LGBTQIA+ indie filmmakers from all over the world.
How about some quizzing with a side of art on a Friday night? Art Core and Mr Teds are hosting One Quiz Over The Cuckoo’s Nest and this way madness – aka twisted trivia and other fun nonsense – lies (Fri; 8pm). Get there early, hit the bar, eat some tacos, and explore the work of over 50 artists in their huge studios (Fri – Mon; 12pm – 6pm) before you get fully committed.
And if you’re after another Fringe rec (there’s plenty more of those here), check out Selena Mersey’s Bisexuelle on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We saw her first show last year and if that’s anything to go by you are in for a clever musical comedy treat. Mersey is one of those annoyingly multi-talented performers who can sing, write, act and make a room lose it all at once.
There’s a clothes swap on Saturday (12pm – 2pm; £3), but with a twist: party gear only. Sparkles, glitter, OTT maximalism; basically, if it looks like it belongs at a festival, you’ve got the right idea. Taking place at Caravanserai, there are a couple of slots available for you to discover some new-to-you bits.
Beer’s up at London Road’s Cowley Club. More specifically: vegan beer. The Vegan Beer Festival is back (Sat and Sun; 12pm – late; free) at the volunteer-run social centre with a whopping selection, including lighter ales, sours and cider.
On Monday, Chamego Brighton are organising an afternoon of Brazilian forro dance on the bandstand (2pm – 8pm). Join in if you’re feeling brave, or just park yourself on the beach nearby and watch everyone else attempt the footwork.
Finally, Sunday is your last chance to see immersive sound-and-light installation We Are Warriors (above) in the old cab run under the station. Hundreds of flickering lights, each a tribute to someone lost or silenced, pierce the darkness as women’s, girls’, trans and non-binary voices, lullabies, breathing and roars echo all around you. The result is something rather special that sits somewhere between memorial, protest and quiet moment to yourself.
Get outta town
If you fancy swapping Brighton crowds for pottery, parkland and maybe even somehow spending £80 on a handmade mug, Potfest at Glynde Place is calling. Just outside Lewes, the huge ceramics festival takes over the grounds of the Elizabethan country house with more than 90 makers (including Brighton’s and The Great Pottery Throw Down‘s Adam Johnson) selling everything from sculptural statement pieces to bowls you can’t leave without. There are live pottery demos, raku firings, food stalls and plenty of opportunities to wander around picturing yourself in some kind of Bridgerton-esque fantasy. It’s an utterly gorgeous spot.
Fri – Sun; 10am–4.30pm; £8
potfest.co.uk
Got an event you reckon we should know about? Want to take us out for coffee? Or maybe you just want to tell us you love us – we’ll take it all. Just drop us a line here hello@brightontheinside.co.uk (yep, still just the one on).
