The many festivals of Brighton and Hove

Why do we talk so much about how great it is to live in and around Brighton & Hove? Why are properties snapped up so quickly? And why is BN3 the UK’s most popular postcode for young professionals? Quite simply, it’s because there really is something to do every day of the year in the city of Brighton & Hove. Not only is there a rich tapestry of art and culture on display at the city’s many museums and exhibition spaces throughout the year, but we’re also blessed with a huge variety of different festivals and major events, some of them world famous!

Here are a few of our favourite Brighton and Hove festivals and major events:

Brighton Marathon – April

The Brighton Marathon has quickly grown since its first race in 2010, to become a huge event with over 150,000 visitors lining the route on race day to cheer on colleagues, friends and relatives. The seafront roads shut down for the day to create the “Event Village” with a grandstand and live screen on the beach at the action-packed finish line.

Brighton Tattoo Convention - May

A very popular event showcasing some of the UK’s most talented tattoo artists, attracting thousands of visitors to the Brighton Centre exhibition halls. Visitors can leave with a permanent reminder of their day; and learn more about the trade.

Brighton Festival and Brighton Fringe - May

Throughout the entire month of May the city comes alive with all kinds of art and theatre in the UK’s biggest art festival. There are very many outdoor events, including the much loved Spiegeltent that hosts a gig every night throughout the festival and is the go-to venue for evening entertainment. Visitors can enjoy free outdoor theatre and random acts of street performance all around the city. If you want to see some beautiful homes and properties, the Artists’ Open Houses are a great way to have a nose around the different residential areas of Brighton and to appreciate local artistic talent.

The Great Escape – May

The Great Escape celebrates new music across the city’s many music venues large and small. Spanning over three days, a wristband allows visitors to dip in and out of dozens of intimate gigs at clubs and bars, all of which are within walking distance of each other. Steve Lamacq has referred to The Great Escape as “The Cannes of the music world” because it’s an opportunity to see raw talent before bands get big; previous line ups have included The Kooks and The XX.

Paddle Round the Pier – July

Every year, usually the first weekend in July, thousands gather for the free Paddle Round the Pier festival which celebrates beach life and raises money for charity with a hilarious homemade raft race around Brighton’s two piers; and some more competitive paddle board races. There’s live music, food and shopping too and the event is very popular with locals as it’s a great day to hang out on the beach.

Brighton Pride - August

Pride is probably the most anticipated event in Brighton’s annual calendar and the city’s workforce flock to their respective HR departments to book the Monday after Pride as annual leave, because it’s always one big party starting on Thursday with the main events on the Saturday. The colourful parade starts early in the morning through the city streets and Pride continues through the day and night with a festival at Preston Park, and various street parties and after parties at clubs and outdoorvenues including the specially created Pride Pleasure Gardens. This year The Pet Shop Boys were headlining the festival.

The British Beard and Moustache Championships – away for now

This very amusing event celebrates fantastic facial hair and Brighton was lucky enough to host the event for 3 years. For 2018 it’s going to be hosted in Blackpool, but we hope to see this homage to the hairy return to Brighton again soon.

Fiery Foods Festival – September

A haven for chilli lovers with a range of street food, artisan food producers and plenty of drink on offer; the Fiery Foods Festival is famous for its very gruesome chilli eating contest and the National Chilli Awards. Not for the faint hearted!

The Royal Pavilion Ice rink – November to January

Every year a magical ice-skating wonderland is created at the front of The Royal Pavilion. The opportunity for outdoor skating is very popular with groups of friends and great for an office night out filled with laughter watching the boss fall over. The rink is open throughout the day and has a dedicated area for small children. There is also a very highly commended pop-up restaurant each year to accompany the set-up and for keeping warm après-skate.

Burning the clocks – December

The family-friendly community driven Burning the Clocks event marks Winter Solstice (the shortest day of the year) with a beautiful parade of impressive paper lanterns of all shapes and sizes, made by local school children. The event finishes with a spectacular fire show and fireworks as the lanterns are burned on the beach.

Also cropping up on the horizon are several vintage fairs, car rallies, World War II Day, a huge food and drink festival, a cheese festival and even a prosecco festival.

If you are planning to move to Brighton and would like to know about our latest properties, email our Brighton & Hove City Office at brighon@oakleyproperty.com .