Ah, May. Fringe and Festival action, The Great Escape, Artists Open Houses AND two bank holiday weekends? They don’t call it the best month in the Brighton calendar for nothing. Although if we were going to quibble (we are), we’d love it a bit more spread out throughout the year so that we could get to experience, you know, more of it. Who’s for a BOTI Beat-the-January-Blues festival? Anyway. This weekend sees us bid farewell to our favourite month, so we’re here to help you see it out on a high with everything from bathroom graffiti musicals to goat yoga. Come on in June, we’re ready for you.
Snap up some arty bargains at the Art Yard Sale
The bricks-and-mortar Enter Gallery is sadly no more, but the Art Yard Sale lives on. It’s your chance to snap up an arty bargain directly from the 30 or so artists and creators exhibiting, with heaps of limited-edition pieces and sale exclusives from some of our favourite Brighton artists, and watch some live art-ing in action. This year, there’s no need to swap your cash for Art Yard Sale money, either, you can just pay with plain old cash and card. Tickets are free, but you do need to book one in advance. Read more here.
Sunday 1st June; 11am – 5pm; free (book your ticket here)
Jubilee Square (outside Jubilee Library), Brighton BN1 1GE
artyardsale.co.uk
Don’t miss your last chance to catch a Fringe show
Part of the joy of the Fringe is being able to see a show impulsively, without too much forethought. It gives you the chance to discover things that you might not normally gravitate towards, but which can end up being ridiculously fun.
Despite our conviction that can be an excellent way to Fringe, here’s some of our to-see list for this final Fringe weekend (sob): First up, Felix Le Freak’s last show on Friday (9pm). This came highly recommended by one of our readers (“brilliant, really creative, engaging and fun,” they said) and while we haven’t seen Men and Other Problems yet, we’ve loved everything else we’ve seen of Felix’s, so we’re adding it to our must-see list.
For a joyous dose of fashion-forward flirty circus and cabaret fun, check out United Queendom’s Smooch! (Friday and Saturday; 9pm). Or maybe you fancy a date with Ollie (Friday – Sunday; 7pm). For a niche-as-it-gets musical, check out Caitlin Cook’s bathroom graffiti musical The Writing on the Stall (Saturday and Sunday; 2.30pm). For an all-female comedy line-up (yes, there are enough women comics for this), check out the Brighton Belles in the teensy venue on the first floor of The Temple Bar (Friday – Sunday; 6pm). And Brighton’s Singing Barber will be serenading passers-by from his barber shop window on Saturday at 6pm (free).
For something more hard-hitting, we’d recommend Sitting (in Silence) (Friday – Sunday), which tells the story of the powerful bond a daughter has with her father. To see out the Fringe in true Brighton style, you really need Positive Deviants’ alternative Fringe closing party. Think genre-bending live music, DJs, and dancers and a whole lot of mayhem (Friday; 7pm). At the other end of the spectrum, for big and small kids, there’s family-friendly comedy show 101 Ways to Annoy Your Parents and Other Really Old People (Friday – Sunday; various times). And if you want to soak up the atmosphere without handing over any of your hard-won money, check out Drum and Blaze’s free high-energy drumming performance on Friday (7pm).
Finally, if you want to visit the Fringe-iest of Fringe venues, head to the Roost, two Hanover housemates’ living room-turned-performance venue. You can even help yourself to a cup of tea. They’ve got three literature and spoken word events to enjoy this weekend.
brightonfringe.org
What else?
Forget yoga in a studio, downward dog with free-roaming goats in the middle of the gorgeous countryside just outside Lewes (Saturday; 11.15am and 12.30pm; £30). Preston Park Food market is back with another delicious edition with plenty of mouthwatering stalls (Sunday; 10am – 3pm; free). One of our favourite bars is joining forces with one of our favourite record shops this weekend in a dream collab: yep, Voya is heading over to Hove’s Capsule Records with some of their top-notch cocktails, excellent eats and favourite tunes (Saturday; from 1pm). Also on Saturday (1pm – 5pm), Circus Street have got a bunch of free outdoor dance workshops with South East Dance and a pop-up plant sale.
Soak up the rays on a sunny terrace
We’re not sure whether we’re due any more deliciously summer-like weather this weekend, but we’ve switched to summer mode, so a terrace hang is a must. And when you’ve got views like we have, there’s no excuse not to, really. These are some of our favourite spots right now. New restaurant Winkle has opened on the old Drifter site, right on the seafront, and co-owners Owen and PJ have created a space that captures and celebrates the spirit of Brighton – creative, welcoming, and a bit special without being exclusive – in everything from the food and drink to the wonderfully warm hospitality. Grab one of the tables on the patio – or a window table on the first floor – to indulge in brunch, dinner, or drinks and nibbles over great views. The crab mac and cheese bites are worth ordering twice. The new Hove venue from the Bison Beer gang, Babble, is fully open now following its soft launch so head down for some triple-terrace action with a great range of Bison brews, excellent food by Sam Lambert of Slam Tacos, sunrise yoga (7am) and killer sea views. Read more about it here. Pearly Cow recently launched its terrace and it’s a goodie. Perched directly opposite the West Pier with the i360 to the right, it’s the perfect spot for a long lazy lunch or for settling in to watch the sun go down with an excellent cocktail, some oysters or a pizzette fresh out of the outdoor pizza oven. Over past the pier, we’re still loving the newly democratised Cecconi’s for northern Italian dishes, decent wines and wide-ranging sea views from under those scalloped umbrellas; the gorgeous Reading Room – now with sofas and umbrellas! – for breakfast, brunch and weekend supper clubs; and old favourite Bison Beach Bar at Sea Lanes for a lively vibe with a side of seaview action. And you can’t beat The Setting Sun from near the top of hilly Hanover for a spot of, no surprises here, sunset-watching.
