Another weekend, another moan about the weather. Seriously, WTF is going on with August? We’re pretty inured to whatever the sky decides to throw at us though, so we’ve got plenty of ideas of things to do whether Ms Blue Sky sticks around or buggers off again.
1. Enjoy some Shakespeare al fresco
The One Fell Swoop Project are back with their Shakespeare micro-festival this weekend. Here’s the deal: the actors have got just 24 hours to rehearse and stage one of three of the Bard’s most well-known plays before performing it to an audience at the St Nicholas Rest Garden. They’ll have no idea which play they’ll be doing until they get the script and you, the audience, won’t know what you’ll be watching until the play begins. They’ll have scripts in hand, but the production will be fully costumed and staged. If you didn’t see them last year, it’s a great afternoon out in a really lovely setting.
Saturday 20th August; 2pm (doors open at 1pm); from £5.42 (they’re also performing on 27th August and 3rd September)
St Nicholas Garden, 41 Dyke Road, Brighton, BN1 3FG
Book tickets
2. Watch the Women’s World Cup final
Well, we know what we’re doing Sunday morning, how ’bout you? Yes, it’s the big one and it looks like it might actually be coming home. As you might expect, pretty much every bar, pub and anything else that might have a semblance of a screen kicking around is showing it, but these are our recommendations for where to head if you fancy watching it with a crowd: in Kemptown, Bison Beach Bar (they’re offering two for one on their iced lageritas for the duration of the match; get snapped at the Photomatics booth while you’re there) and Concorde 2 (get your free ticket here). More centrally, there’s the Lion and Lobster, The Edinburgh/Eddy (you can see a screen wherever you’re sitting in the pub and you can order takeaways to there too) and the Mesmerist (they’re showing it on their roof terrace), or book your own private beach hut for six to 12 people at Brighton Music Hall. London Road-way we like The Joker, the Harty (Hartington – they’ve got an outdoor screen in their courtyard) and the Open House and, over in Hove, we’d head to The Station (good pizzas) and the huge Garden Bar (they’ve got six screens) further west. It’s definitely worth DMing/calling to book a spot if you want to sit down, though, as it’s going to get busy everywhere!
Sunday 20th August; 11am (most venues are opening at 10.30am); free
Various locations
3. Go to a picnic with a difference
The weather’s looking sunny for Saturday evening so for a wheelie (sorry) good time, you’ll want to take yourself to the Bass Bin’s latest micro-rave beach picnic. Head to West Pier for bass-driven music from a self-built wheelie bin sound system and super-friendly vibes. Just one word of warning: there’s a public space protection order in place for this part of the beach so cold picnic food is fine, but you can’t have a fire or a BBQ.
Saturday 19th August; 6pm – 11.30pm; free
West Pier, Kings Road, Brighton, BN1 2FL
Bass Bin
4. Don’t miss your last chance to catch this beachfront exhibition
Entitled ‘Contemporary idolatry and the modern muse’, this beachside exhibition showcases local artist Req’s beautifully vibrant paintings of his muse, Smudge. You might know Req better for his street art work and murals (he’s behind the gorgeous facade of the Prince Albert and the ‘I believe in angels’ NHS mural by the Singing Barber’s shop and he also does street art tours for Enter Gallery. All of the works on show here have been created in just three colours – cyan, magenta and yellow – with prints and originals available to buy.
Until Sunday 20th August; midday – 6.30pm; free
Naked Gallery, 283 Madeira Drive, Brighton, BN2 1EN
The Naked Gallery
5. Head to an open air cinema by the water
It may be uncomfortable (ok, it usually is), but there’s always something rather special about watching films in the open air. And movies by a pool where you can swim for free pre-film is even better. Yep, Cinestock is showing ridiculously belated-yet-entertaining sequel Top Gun: Maverick at Art Deco beauty Saltdean Lido this Saturday. Get there early for the swim, food and drinks, and live music beforehand. We’d recommend an umbrella just in case, as the film carries on whatever the weather. (And if you’re after some more film action on the Sunday, Jubilee Library is showing a free family-friendly film at 2pm – just turn up!)
Saturday 19th August; 7pm (gates), 8.30pm (film starts); £16.90
Saltdean Lido, Saltdean Park Road, Saltdean, BN2 8SP
cinestock.co.uk
6. Learn to forage for food
It’s around this time of year that we always wish we could distinguish edible mushrooms from the ones that will kill you in about 15 minutes flat. And safely gather herbs and plants to make all the incredible dishes that live in our head but never on the plate. But it’s hard to trust yourself on this (what with the death thing lingering over each half-friendly-looking fungus), and that’s where Urban Forage come in. The Stanmer-based biz offer courses on identifying wild plants, herbs and fungi and this weekend, they’re holding an introduction to foraging summer walk with snacks. Wild food, here we come!
Sunday 20th August; 1pm – 3.30pm; £35
Urban Forage, Stanmer Craft Museum, Stanmer, BN1 9SE
Book tickets
7. Go to a book club with a difference
Like reading but don’t want to dissect the book afterwards/make small talk (delete as appropriate)? Then you might like the Silent Book Club. It’s as straightforward as it sounds: you get together with other people to read a book of your choice – there’s no prescribed reading here – and just enjoy your book in companionable silence over a drink or two. It’s basically happy hour for introverts.
Sunday 20th August; 1pm; free (obviously you need to pay for your own food and drinks)
Boudica, 109A Western Road, Brighton, BN2 2AA
Silent Book Club Brighton
8. Enjoy live music on the terrace
This weekend sees the finale of Pizza Express’ Live Summer Sessions – four al fresco acoustic performances raising money for music therapy charity Nordoff & Robbins. Yes, we know it’s a chain, but thanks to their legendary vouchers, they offer good value for money and we have a bit of a soft spot for the Padana. Plus you can always just hang out by the boats and enjoy the music for free. We won’t tell.
Friday – Sunday 20th August; 4.30pm – 7.30pm
Pizza Express, Unit 4, The Waterfront, Brighton Marina, Brighton, BN2 5WA
pizzaexpress.com
9. Come to the cabaret
We’ve always had a soft spot for the LGBTQ+ venue that’s now The Actors (ex The Marlborough) and if you, like us, love a spot of jazz and burlesque, we reckon you’ll enjoy this Saturday’s Bebette’s Cabaret in the pub’s upstairs speakeasy. Take some vintage burlesque from Miss Lolly May and some seriously sexy acrobatics from Wings Chan, add in beautiful burlesque emcee Bebe Boheme and wash it all down with a tasty tipple or two and a soupçon of debauchery, and you get the picture of a great night out.
Saturday 19th August; 8.30pm; £16.96
The Actors, 4 Princes Street, Brighton, BN2 1RD
Book tickets
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