It just wouldn’t be Christmas in Brighton without the wonderful Hanover Advent Street Calendar. If you’re not familiar, participating streets in the hilly neighbourhood are each allocated a day in December, right up to Christmas Eve. Street by street, the houses decorate and light up their front windows each evening, creating a living calendar that culminates in a massive street display on 24th December when all the houses are illuminated.
With lots of artists living in the area, you can always be sure of some pretty special displays, like last year’s brilliantly topical window display from a house on Grove Street in the feature image (we particularly love the nod to #TileGate).
It’s a great opportunity to get stuck into some Christmas and community spirit and explore the neighbourhood (and its many pubs), especially as many of the streets hold friendly get-togethers on their days.
Plus, it’s all for a good cause: there will be collections for Clock Tower Sanctuary (or you can donate at this link), a Brighton-based charity that works with young homeless people to give them space, support and stability.
Speaking of those pubs, it’s the perfect opportunity to check them out. Here’s a few to get you started: there’s Village at the Coleman Street/Islingword Road junction for great mulled wine and North African food, The Greys (great beers and tasty roasts) and The Geese (sausage and mash kings) at the other end of Coleman Street; the fabulous beer selection from Brighton Bier’s Haus on The Hill (top of Southover Street); The Howard (it replaced the other Brighton Bier boozer), the Constant Service further up Islingword Road, The Independent (featuring great beer and wine), The Dover Castle, The Sir Charles Napier and, over Albion Hill way, the Setting Sun (the place to go for epic sunset-spotting). Take your pick!
The run-down of the street order before the big finish on the 24th will follow as soon as it’s announced.
1st Hanover Terrace
2nd Elm Grove
3rd Holland Road, Belgrave Street
4th Ewart Street, Islingword Road
5th Lyndon Street, Quebec Street
6th Hampden Road, Hanover Street, Howard Road, Whichelo Place
7th Albion Hill, Carisbrooke/Ryde, Picton Street
8th Bentham Road, Baxter Street, Coleman Street, Luther Street
9th RIchmond Street
10th Southover Street
11th Agnes Street, De Montfort Road, Normanton Street
12th Arnold Street, Queens Park Rise, Scotland Street, Washington Street
13th Bonchurch Road, Whippingham Road, Islingword Place
14th Harrington Terrace, Jersey Street
15th Grove Street, Franklin Street, Southampton Street
16th Freshfield Street, Bernard Road
17th Stanley Street
18th Toronto Terrace
19th Beaufort Terrace
20th Islingword Street
21st Montreal Road
22nd Newark Place, Windmill Street
23rd Milton Street
24th – everybody!
1st December – 24th December, windows are lit up from around dusk
Various streets in Hanover, Brighton BN2
Photo credit: Robert Ashby
