Brighton Major Events 

May to December 2011

MAY – Brighton & Hove’s BIG Festival Month

7 to 29 May - Brighton Festival

Brighton Festival continues its sensational programme of theatre, dance, music, books & debate, and family shows as well as outdoor spectacles kick-started by the now famous Children’s Parade which winds its way around the city on its opening Saturday. www.brightonfestival.org

7 to 30 May - Brighton Fringe

The third largest Fringe Festival in the world offering cabaret, comedy, classical concerts, club nights, theatre and exhibitions, as well as street performance. www.brightonfestivalfringe.org.uk

Throughout May (mainly weekends) - Artists’ Open Houses / HOUSE Festival

2011 is the 30^th anniversary of Artists’ Open Houses, the biggest free arts event in Britain with over 1,000 artists exhibiting in 200 houses and studios across the city. www.aoh.org.uk

12 to 14 May - The Great Escape music festival

Music festival showcasing 300 new, local, national and international bands in 34 different venues over three days. www.escapegreat.com  

14 May (Date TBC) - Heroes Run

Dressing up as their favourite super heroes, over 1,000 participants run jog or walk 10k or 5k along Hove seafront.  www.passingiton.org.uk 

27 May - The Royal Escape Race, Brighton Pier to Fécamp, Normandy, France

Around 100 boats compete in this cross channel event celebrating the Escape of Charles II from Cromwell.  www.royalescaperace.co.uk

JUNE

5 June (Date TBC) - Springwatch Festival - Stanmer Park

Celebrating and promoting local wildlife and wildlife-friendly living. In 2010 the Festival welcomed 15,000 people to Stanmer Park.  www.brighton-hove.gov.uk

Second week (Date TBC) - Brighton Fashion Week

With the legendry Brighton Fashion Week catwalk show, great parties and a fashion emporium showcasing up and coming designers, shopping discounts and much more.  www.brightonfashionweek.co.uk

19 June (Date TBC) - London to Brighton Bike Ride

The annual 54 mile bike ride from the capital to the coast in aid of the British Heart Foundation.  The UK’s largest charity bike ride with 27,000 riders.  www.bhf.org.uk/london-brighton

JULY

2 & 3 July (Date TBC) - Paddle Round the Pier

The best free beach festival in the UK has live music, ‘have a go’ activities and of course all manner of craft taking to the sea including dinghies, blow-up whales and even a turtle on a surf board. www.paddleroundthepier.com

9 &10 July (Date TBC) - Kite Festival – Stanmer Park

Brighton Kite Festival is one of the longest, running kite festivals in the UK. A perfect family event, the festival has been running (or rather flying!) for 33 years.  www.brightonkiteflyers.co.uk

15 to 17 July 2011- Soundwaves Festival

New music produced by some of the UK’s established stars and hot new talents from the world of contemporary music, sound art, electronica, dance and visual art. www.soundwaves-festival.org.uk

AUGUST

6 Aug (Date TBC) - American Express Community Football Stadium

This will mark a new chapter in the history of Brighton & Hove Albion FC (the Seagulls) as they play their first competitive fixture at the new 22,500 capacity stadium. www.seagulls.co.uk

6 & 7 Aug (Date TBC) - August Festival - Brighton Racecourse

Experience a taste of the good life.  Sip Champagne and admire all the hats on Ladies Day - and watch some races of course! www.brighton-racecourse.co.uk

8 to 13 Aug (Date TBC) - Brighton Pride

The biggest and best free Pride festival in the UK celebrating everything LGBT in a week long extravaganza of events and parties culminating in a spectacular parade through the city. www.brightonpride.org

20 & 21 Aug (Date TBC) - Brunswick Festival

Celebrating the diverse nature of the Brunswick area of Hove, Brunswick Festival offers a fun and friendly mix of foodie treats, street theatre and live music as well as bric-a-brac and craft stalls.

SEPTEMBER

1 – 30 Sept (Dates TBC) - Brighton & Hove Food & Drink Festival

A must for foodies everywhere, The Brighton & Hove Food and Drink Festival is a celebration of the best food and drink available across Sussex.  www.brightonfoodfestival.co.uk

10 Sept (Date TBC) - National Speed Trials, Madeira Drive

Britain’s oldest motor racing event- first staged in 1905- showcasing a wide range of cars and motorbikes racing over a quarter of a mile along Brighton’s historic beachfront. www.brightonandhovemotorclub.co.uk

11 Sept (Date TBC) - Ace Café Reunion

40,000 motorbikes descend on Brighton’s seafront in celebration of biking and the original Ace Café on London’s North Circular Road.  www.ace-cafe-london.com

16 to 18 Sept (Date TBC) - Brighton Art Fair – Corn Exchange

The largest art exhibition on the South Coast brings together the most talented national painters, printmakers, photographers and sculptors along with artist groups and Sussex based galleries.  www.brightonartfair.co.uk 

OCTOBER

6 to 27 October (Date TBC) – Brighton Comedy Festival – Brighton Dome

2011 marks the 10^th anniversary of the Brighton Comedy Festival. Previous acts have included Jimmy Carr, Julian Clary, Stewart Lee and Sean Lock www.brightoncomedyfestival.com.

29 October (Date TBC) - White Night

After three successful years, the 2011 White Night will provide an array of night-time cultural events and ‘happenings’ across the city to mark the end of British Summer Time.  Major attractions stay open into the wee small hours.  www.whitenightnuitblanche.com

NOVEMBER

6 Nov (Date TBC) - London to Brighton Veteran Car Run

This annual event commemorates the Emancipation Run of 14 November.  Today, this run attracts hundreds of vehicles from the UK and abroad as well as thousands of spectators. www.lbvcr.com

17 to 20 Nov (Date TBC) - MADE Brighton – Corn Exchange

MADE has become firmly established as a friendly, accessible and high quality major design and craft event attracting over 5,000 visitors each year. www.brightoncraftfair.co.uk

Mid Nov to early Dec (Dates TBC) CINECITY Film Festival

CineCity Film Festival is the south coast’s major celebration of film, featuring premieres and previews, artists’ cinema and installations, treasures from the archive and retrospectives, talks and special events. www.cine-city.co.uk

DECEMBER

Weekends up to Christmas - Christmas Artists Open Houses

This event provides a chance for visitors to explore around 100 houses across the city and see and buy the work of local artists, or to simply enjoy a mince pie and mulled wine! www.aoh.org.uk

21 Dec - Burning the Clocks “Winter Solstice Parade”

The people of Brighton & Hove carry paper and willow lanterns through their city and burn on the beach as a token for the end of the year.  This spectacular annual event attracts thousands of participants and spectators. www.burningtheclocks.co.uk

The Royal wedding weekend.

Not far from Brighton Marina House Hotel there a number of things you can do.

Please see below information supplied from www.visitbrighton.co.uk 

Make the most of the extended bank holiday weekend and dive into the weird and wonderful events taking place across the city:

·  Become King and Queen of the volleyball court, Nivea Sun Yellowave, 29 April 
Celebrate the royal wedding at the UK’s only year-round beach volleyball centre. Celebrate William and Kate’s wedding “beach stylee” then see if you can become Yellowave’s own King or Queen of the court. After working up a sweat stay at Yellowave to enjoy a chilled out ‘Barefoot Unplugged Music & BBQ’ night.

·  The King's Speech, The Duke of York's Picturehouse, 29 April
In celebration of the Royal Wedding the Duke of York's Picturehouse will be having a special screening of the Oscar winning film. So why not escape the crowds, snuggle up in a sofa and enjoy this modern classic.

·  The Treason Show - The Royal Wedding Special, Brighton Dome, 29 – 30 April 
Join in with Brighton’s infamous traitorous satirists as they dissect and deliberate over the royal wedding hype. Leave regal airs and graces at the door for the slickest and irreverent satirical sketch show.

·  Dusty does Drag, Latest Music Bar, 29 April
Experience Brighton’s alternative royal wedding club night in a beautiful listed building combining the best of old and new Brighton. Come dressed to impress in your wedding gear and celebrate the royal nuptials until the early hours.

·  Playgroup Royal Wedding, Pop-up venue and Concorde 2, 29 April
Pop-up playgroup is a new venue which will be in the city for the Brighton Festival Fringe. Celebrate the launch with cocktails and swing bands before wedding carriages take you down to Concorde 2 for a wedding party to remember including cake and confetti!

·  Hove’s Foodies Festival, Hove Lawns, 30 April - 2 May  
After celebrating the royal nuptials in the city, relax on Hove’s large seafront garden with food and drink tastings and masterclasses from Michelin starred chefs. Tickets are valid for the whole weekend, so take time deciding on which signature dish to try from a wide selection restaurants.

The Brighton Marathon 10th April 2011

Information from the The Brighton Marathon team. 

Brighton’s second Marathon will be taking place on Sunday 10th April 2011, with 15,000 runners registered to take part in this exciting event for the city. With anticipated spectator crowds of 150,000, Brighton will have a great atmosphere on the day and we hope your stay is enjoyable as well as memorable.
We have endeavored to make the logistics of the day run as smooth as possible. Obviously there will be some disruption to the City with road closures and parking restrictions, please see below information. However we aim to make the day as special as possible for runners and spectators alike. As well as the 26.2 marathon race for adults, there is The Grand Hotel Mini Mile race along with 14 entertainments stages along the route, there is a lot for everyone to enjoy.

Welcome and Introduction from the Race Director

Dear Brighton and Hove Visitor,
You are probably aware that the second Brighton Marathon is here, taking place on Sunday 10th April.
The Start for the expected 10,000+ runners, will as last year, be in Preston Park at 9am.
And as last year, we are anticipating another huge day of fun and celebration for the city, with the runners winding their way between the Start in Preston Park and the Finish in Madeira Drive along exactly the same route they used twelve months ago. Hopefully too, the sun will shine for us all once again!
Thousands of the runners who ran the very first Brighton Marathon reported afterwards that the support of the Brighton and Hove crowds completely shocked them – and reduced many of them to tears. A repeat by you this year would be most welcome, so let’s show every one of them – most of them running for charity remember – just how much noise Brighton and Hove can make!
Once again within the following pages we want to give you as much information as we can about our Brighton Marathon Weekend (April 9th & 10th), so that you can plan your days around the city’s biggest sporting event and the tens of thousands of runners and visitors.
We believe we’ve considered everything for you over the weekend – and more! For example, we are staging a FREE TO ENTER “Running & Healthy Lifestyle Exhibition” at the Brighton Centre on Saturday April 9th (10am to 6pm) where we are providing an opportunity to meet sports stars and encourage everyone to find out about a healthier lifestyle.
Our Grand Hotel Mini Mile Races for kids on race morning (starting from 8.30am to 9.30am) will see 1,115 youngsters from 8 to 17 years old racing the last mile of the marathon route; and our Sunday evening “After Party” at the Brighton Centre will see a wonderful celebration of the race for runners and you with live music, food and drink.
Please come down once again with your family, your picnics and your cameras and join us in supporting these amazing individuals who are taking on the 26.2 mile challenge of a lifetime.
Good Luck everyone, thank you again and we hope that you have a great day.
Best wishes
Tim Hutchings

Key Timings – The Start
 6.30am– First Park and Ride Buses leave all sites for the Start
 7.00am– Charity Village opens
 7.00am– Baggage Lorries open
 7.00am– Changing tents, toilets and concessions open
 7.30am– Music commences from entertainment stage
 8.15am– Warm up around the stage
 8.30am– Runners begin to assemble in Start Corrals
 8.30am– The Grand Hotel Mini Mile Races Start on Hove Sea Front , 1,115 children participating.
 9.00am– Gun goes off for the Marathon Start!

Park and Ride information
We are offering a Park and Ride Scheme for Brighton Marathon runners and their accompanying spectators.
We are offering a Park and Ride Scheme for Brighton Marathon runners and their accompanying spectators.
■ Brighton Marathon Park and Ride Sites

● University of Brighton – parking at the following sites: Moulsecoomb – Watts
building, Mithras House and Crockcroft.
Directions: from A23/A27 junction follow A27 east for 2 miles and look out for yellow
signs to Brighton Marathon Park and Ride. For full directions please visit:
www.brighton.ac.uk/maps/moulsecoomb/

● University of Sussex – parking at main University Campus on the A27
Directions: from A23/A27 junction follow A27 east for 2 miles and look out for yellow
signs to Brighton Marathon Park and Ride. For full directions please visit:
www.sussex.ac.uk/aboutus/findus/location.php

■ Cost
The cost for using Park and Ride sites is £5 per car. Spectators travelling with runners will be allowed to board the bus. There is no charge per person, just per car.
The Park and Ride scheme is not for use of the general public. These spaces have been reserved for runners and their friends and family.

■ Buses to the Start
The first bus from each of these sites will leave at 6.30am and approximately every 6 minutes after that until 8.15am. The journey is around 10-15 minutes from each site.

■ Buses from the Finish back to the parking sites
The first bus from the Finish will leave at 1.30pm, with the last bus departing at 5pm.
After 5pm it will be the runners’ responsibility to make their own way back.
Please ensure that you get on the right bus from the Finish for your parking site.

■ Getting back to the Park and Ride sites after 5pm
University of Brighton

● By bus: The 24, 25, 25A, 25C, 28 and 49 all provide a frequent service from central Brighton to the University

● By train: Moulsecoomb station is situated behind the Watts and Cockcroft buildings (and across the road from Mithras House) and is two stops from Brighton station
University of Sussex

● By bus: The 25, 28, 30, 728 and 729 all provide a frequent service from central Brighton to the University
● By train: Falmer station is a 3 minute walk from the University of Sussex and trains run from Brighton to Falmer

Please check National Rail and the Brighton and Hove Buses website for Sunday timetables.
Taxis from Central Brighton to all sites will take around 10-15 minutes, traffic dependent.
Important Traffic Information for Race Day

The Brighton Marathon hopes to be a fantastic event for runners, residents, local commerce and retailers. After a very successful first year we have made two small changes to the route. Over the next two pages are some key points to help you plan your Sunday without disappointment.

Start Time: 9am in Preston Park. Runners and spectators will start arriving from 7am
Preston Park: The Park will be used from Thursday April 7th until Sunday April 10th. Access to the park will be compromised from 6am until 10am on the Sunday - Race Day

Finish Time: 4pm on Madeira Drive, dependent on the last runner to finish. All roads around the city (apart from Madeira Drive) will be re-opened by 4pm. If runners are still on the course we will kindly ask them to move on to the pavement where necessary.

Madeira Drive: This is the location of the Finish area including marquees and the Finish line. This will be constructed from Friday April 8th and in place until Monday April 11th. There will be a partial closure of Madeira Drive during this period.

Roads affected into Brighton from 7am until 11am
 Preston Circus closed from 7am until 10.15am
 Old Steine closed from 7am until 11.30am
 _ London Road into Brighton / Hove will be diverted west at
 South Road and can travel into Brighton via Dyke Road.
 _ London Road into Brighton / East Brighton will be diverted
 east at Harrington Road until 10.15am
 _ A270 from Falmer travelling into Brighton / Hove will be
 diverted west onto Hollingdean Road
 _ A270 from Falmer travelling into East Brighton / Rottingdean
 will be diverted east onto Elm Grove until 11.30am
 _ Travelling from Hove to East Brighton you will need to use
 Old Shoreham Road and follow diversions. Preston Circus will
 be open for west to east access from 10.15am
 _ Ditchling Road travelling to Brighton / Hove will be diverted
 at Fiveways to Preston Drove
 _ Ditchling Road travelling to East Brighton / Rottingdean will
 be diverted at Fiveways to Bear Road
 _ Bear Road will have access to Hollingdean Road via the
 Vogue Gyratory all day
 _ Elm Grove to Brighton / Hove will be diverted to Hollingdean
 Road until 11.30am
 _ Southover Street will have no access onto Lewes Road
 until 11.30am
 _ Edwards Street will have no access onto Pavilion Parade
 until 11.30am
Roads affected into Brighton from 7.30am until 1.30pm
 _ A259 from Eastbourne will be diverted north at Rottingdean
 from 7.30am till 1.30pm
 _ Traffic from Ovingdean to Brighton will need to travel
 through Woodingdean via Falmer Road
 _ Ovingdean to Rottingdean / Eastbourne will need to travel
 via Falmer Road
Roads affected into Brighton until 4pm
 _ West Street will have access to the car parks all day but have
 no access onto Kings Road from 7.30am to 4pm
 _ Montpelier Road will have eastbound access only onto
 Kings Road from 7.30am to 4pm
 _ The Drive will have limited access onto Grand Avenue
 from 9am to 4pm
 _ A259 from Shoreham will have access as far as Third Avenue
 until 4pm
Uninterrupted Access
 _ Hove Street will have uninterrupted access onto Kingsway as
 far east as Third Avenue
 _ Boundary Road will have access all day onto Kingsway/A259
 _ Residents living south of Church Road / New Church Road
 and west of Grand Avenue will have access all day on to
 Kingsway but will have no access onto Church Road
 _ Residents living north of Church Road / New Church Road
 and west of Grand Avenue will have access all day on to
 Blatchington Road / Portland Road but will have no access
 onto Church Road / New Church Road

Travelling by car to the Royal Sussex County Hospital

For residents travelling from:
Hove / Portslade / Southwick / Shoreham / West Blatchington:
Between 7am and 4pm: Travel north onto Old Shoreham Road
and follow diversions. From 10.15am access across Preston
Circus will be possible Post 4pm: Travel to Hospital
uninterrupted

For residents travelling from:
Coldean / Bevendean / Moulsecoomb:
Pre 11.30m: Travel south along A270 and east via Bear Road,
Hartington Road or Elm Grove
Post 11.30am: Travel south along A270 to Edward Street

For residents travelling from:
Central Brighton (North Laine / Lanes):
Pre 11.30am: Travel to Queens Road and towards Seven Dials.
Access available across Preston Circus after 10.15am.
Access east available via Miller’s Road before 10.15am
Brighton and Hove NCP Car Parks – 0845 050 70 80
http://www.ncp.co.uk/brighton.html?city=Brighton
Spectators

Spectators watching the Start from within the park will be surrounded by runners until the last runner has looped the park (possibly till 9.45am). We advise one of the following:
1. Depart Preston Park by 8.30am and start walking south towards the City Centre and Seafront.
2. Watch the Start from the narrow strip of grass between the Start Corrals and the A23, and then head south using that strip, avoiding the flower beds.
3. Watch the Start from the pavement on western side of the A23 and then head south towards the City Centre and Seafront as a ’corridor’.

Entertainment on the Course
There will be a stage in Preston Park, playing music and broadcasting important information. There will also be 14 entertainment stages along the course showcasing a number of acts, bands and performers to help keep the runners motivated and to add to the atmosphere of the day. The Main Stage sponsored by Leaders Estate Agents is located at mile 15 in Grand Avenue, where there will be lots of great bands performing during the day.

Please note any local travel updates will be broadcast on Heart 102.4 and 103.5.
Race Day Information Desk

There will be an Information Point situated in the middle of Preston Park for any enquiries for runners participating in the race. A further information desk will be situated by Concorde II for any friends and families with general queries about the logistics of the day or runners.
The Finish
The race finishes in Madeira Drive, just east of the Brighton Pier.
Repatriation/Family Reunion
 
Beyond the charity village will be an area for your friends and family to congregate to
meet you, there will be A – Z signs visible; it would be wise to agree to meet at one of
these letters.

The Grand Hotel Mini Mile Races
There are four age categories: • 17 years and under • Under 15 years • Under 13 years • 8 to 11 years this linear race will Start near the Peace Statue in Hove and Finish near the Marathon Finish in Madeira Drive; using the closed roads of the Marathon medal.

Traffic Management Times
Bars and restaurants will be busy so it’s advisable to book in advance. More information about places to wine and dine can be found at www.drinkinbrighton.co.uk
If you need to travel around the City by taxi, you can call City Cabs on (01273) 205205
http://www.205205.com

We hope that you have a great stay in Brighton and enjoy all that the City has to offer.
Brighton Marathon Team

3 for 2 offer

Stay 3 nights – pay for 2 nights.

 

The Brighton Festival- www.brightonfestival.org

The Brighton Festival takes place every May durimng the two bank holidays It was founded in 1966, and is the largest multi-art form festival in England. 

It runs for about 21 days with over 200  various places that take part. This year we are expecting over half million people to attend.

During the festival you will come across Children's Parade, outdoor spectaculars often involving pyrotechnics, and a great deal of theatre, music, literature and visual arts in venues throughout the city, some of which are brought into this use exclusively for the festival. There are street dancers, stilt walkers, fire eaters and jugglers to be found on your travels.   

There are also many Open Houses, where artists and craftspeople literally open up their houses for the public to view or buy their work.

You can read more on -  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brighton_Festival

Brighton Festival - the biggest and boldest arts festival in the UK, Brighton Festival bursts out across the city, throughout May, in a creative cornucopia of world-class art and entertainment.

Brighton Fringe Festival - running alongside the Brighton Festival, the Fringe is Brighton's answer to the Edinburgh Fringe and offers the perfect complement of cabaret, comedy, classical concerts, club nights, theatre and exhibitions.

Artists Open Houses - taking place every May during the Brighton Festival, Brighton Artists Open Houses is the biggest free arts event in Britain, offering a fantastic opportunity to see artwork displayed in a domestic setting, as well as buy affordable work direct from local artists.

Charleston Festival - home and country meeting place for the writers, painters and intellectuals known as the Bloomsbury Group, Charleston Festival conjurs up an impressive array of literary and artistic heavyweights each year for a rousing mix of talks, discussions, films and workshops.

Brighton Great Escape - Europe's leading new music festival, the Great Escape showcases over 200 new local and international artists across 25 venues over 3 days. Past local performers made big include the Kooks and Pigeon Detectives.

Brighton Kite Festival - Watch the skies of Brighton come alive with stunning aerial displays and enjoy activities for all the family in beautiful Stanmer Park.

Dress to Excess 

 This major fashion exhibition celebrates the 200th anniversary of the Regency Act by looking at the life of George IV as prince, regent and king through fashions of the late Georgian period.

Men's and women's costumes are displayed throughout the palace exploring themes from George's life and the stylistic influences of the period.

A new exhibition space, the Prince Regent Gallery, is dedicated to King George IV and also shows items of dress he wore, from a beautifully printed banyan of the 1770s to his huge breeches worn towards the end of his life. The most spectacular item is King George's extravagant coronation robe, on loan from Madame Tussauds, Merlin Entertainments Group and not seen in public for 30 years.

This is only the second time a fashion exhibition has been held in the former royal palace & it brings to life not only the Royal Pavilion's architecture but its rich collections of furniture, textiles & decorative arts. Admission charges to Royal Pavilion apply – Royal Pavilion.

The Royal Pavilion is a short walk from the Brighton Marina House and we have special discount vouchers.   

Brighton's Vegan Fayre 2011

11 am - 7pm at The Hove Centre, 
Norton Road,
Hove BN3 4AH

Admission free

The VegfestUK for Brighton is today March 19th 2011 and promises to be a wonderful event, specially as the sun is out and the forecast is for some badly wanted good weather. 

The first was in 2009 and you can see the poster opposite.

Entry is free and all are welcome. We expect huge number of people and may are staying with us at Brighton Marina House Hotel.

There will be literally hundreds of stalls offering almost every thing a Vegan may wish for. This will include food, bodycare, fashion, accessories, merchandise and information. There will also be a great line up of talks, demos and entertainment.

The Brighton Vegan Fayre is also about great entertainment and having fun as much as anything. You will find things that suite almost every one. There will be a something to keep the children amused and a place for campaigners and on stage you will also find poets.

VegfestUK is the brainchild of Tim from Bristol, who has previously run 12 large vegan events in the UK over the last 8 years. His wealth of experience and seemingly endless enthusiasm and passion for all things vegan has seen him put together what he considers his best shows yet.

‘The best thing about VegestUK is it’s free to the public’ says Tim ‘and it’s also cheap enough for stallholders too. We think we’ve got the balance just right after years of trying different formulas and we are so looking forward to Brighton for our first VegfestUK event before the big weekend VegfestUK in Bristol May 27 – 29th .’