Events

What's On in and around Brighton & Hove

See Brighton's 2011 outdoor events >>>

Diary of Brighton Events 2011 

May

Brighton Festival. See:

www.brightonfestival.org
www.brightonfestivalfringe.org.uk

Throughout May (mainly weekends) – Artists 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. – Various Venues  

30 April – Monday 02 May – Foodies Festival – Food & drink event – Hove Lawns 

Sunday 01– Stonewall Equality Walk – Charity Sponsored Walk – City Centre/seafront 

Sunday 01 – HCVS London to Brighton Run – Golden Jubilee HCVS Run – Madeira Drive 

Thursday 05 – David Guetta - With pyro, an incredible light show and gigantic robots, this is a party like no other! – Brighton Centre  

Saturday 07 – Children’s Parade – Fittingly, this year's Children's Parade - one of Brighton Festival's most enduring spectacles - takes as its theme 'The Rights of the Child – City Centre/Madeira Drive 

Saturday 07 – Sunday 29 – Brighton Festival –This May, Brighton and Hove comes alive with a powerful and exciting programme of cultural events in celebration of this year’s Guest Director - Aung San Suu Kyi and her passionate plight for peace in Burma  – Various Venues 

Saturday 07 – Monday 30 – 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 – Various Venues 

Sunday 08 – MG Run – London to Brighton MG rally – Madeira Drive 

Wednesday 11 – Sunday 22 – International Circus – Festival Circus – Preston Park 

Thursday 12 – Mike and the Mechanics - The ‘Hit The Road Tour 2011’ will bring all these hits and more back to life alongside the debut live performances of new tracks from ‘The Road’ – Brighton Centre  

Thursday 12 – Saturday 14 – The Great Escape – Music festival showcasing 300 new, local, national and international bands in 34 different venues over three days. 

Sunday 15 – Heroes Run – Dressing up as their favourite super heroes, over 1,000 participants run, jog or walk 10k or 5k along Hove Seafront 

Sunday 15 – London to Brighton Mini Run – Mini rally finishing point – Madeira Drive 

Sunday 15– Mackerel Fayre – Annual blessing of the nets – Fishing Museum – Seafront 

Friday 20 – Monday 23 – Funfair – Victoria Rec, Portslade 

Saturday 21 – Olly Murs - Olly Murs will embark on a full UK & Ireland headline tour in 2011 – Brighton Centre  

Sunday 22 – St Ann’s Well Gardens Friends Spring Celebration – Community festival – St Ann’s Well Gardens 

Friday 27 – The Royal Escape – Around 100 boats compete in this cross country channel event celebrating the Escape of Charles II from Cromwell – Just off Brighton Pier 

Friday 27 – Monday 30 – Funfair – Hove Promenade 

Saturday 28 May – The Wiggles – Celebrating their 20^th birthday the show will be jam packed with audience favourites – Brighton Centre  

Saturday 28 – Sunday 29 – Kite Festival – Annual Kite Festival – Stanmer Park 

Sunday 29 – London to Brighton 2CV Rally – Annual 2CV rally & display – Hove Park 

Sunday 29 – John Bishop Live – Multi-award winning comedian – Brighton Centre  

Monday 30 – Hove Lions Carnival – Annual Family Carnival – Hove Park 

Monday 30 – Duran Duran – After a long absence from the live performance arena in the UK, British rock legends are back – Brighton Centre  

June 

Sunday 05 - Springwatch Festival – Celebrating and promoting local wildlife and wild-life friendly living. In 2010 the Festival welcomed 15,000 people to Stanmer Park 

Sunday 05 – Classic Car Run – Annual London to Brighton Run – Madeira Drive 

Sunday 12 – Hanover Day – Community Festival – Hanover District 

Sunday 12 – Concours D’Elegance – Classic Car Display – Stanmer Park 

TBC – Brighton Fashion Week – With the legendary Fashion Week catwalk show, great parties and a fashion emporium showcasing up and coming designers, shopping discounts and much more – Various venues  

Friday 17 Martlets Midnight Walk – Annual Charity Night Walk – City Centre  

Saturday 18 – Sunday 26 – Brighton Japan Festival - A 9-day celebration of Japanese food and culture including an Anime festival, creative workshops, installation art, and authentic cuisine – Various Venues 

Sunday 19 – London to Brighton Bike Ride - The annual 54 mile bike ride from the capital in aid of the British Heart Foundation. The UK’s largest charity bike ride with 27,000 riders – Finishes at Madeira Drive 

Sunday 19 – Snooker Legends - An evening of Snooker, laughter & Nostalgia with Jimmy White, Dennis Taylor, John Parrott, John Virgo, Cliff Thorburn & Michaela Tabb – Brighton Centre  

Monday 20 – Tuesday 21 – Midnight Tango – Vincent & Flavia are back! A breathtaking evening brining all the drama, sensuality & elegance of this most exciting of dance forms to life – Brighton Centre 

Wednesday 22 – Britain’s Got Talent - Britain’s Got Talent Live returns this summer for its fourth national tour! – Brighton Centre 

Saturday 25 – Take Part Festival – Annual sports festival – Preston Park 

Sunday 26 – Michael Ball – Britain’s leading musical theatre star & multi-platinum recording artist will perform with a brand new show ‘Heroes’ – Brighton Centre  

Sunday 26 – Elton John in Concert - Elton will be making a triumphant return to Sussex where he sold out the County Ground Sussex back in 2006 – County Cricket Ground 

July 

Saturday 2 – Sunday 3 (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 – Hove Lawns 

Saturday 02 – Here and Now – Headlined for the first time by Boy George – Brighton Centre  

Saturday 02 – Sunday 03 – Race For Life – Annual Cancer Research 5KM run – Stanmer Park 

Tuesday 05 – The Big Toddle – Charity Children’s walk – Preston Park 

Saturday 09 – Shakedown Music Festival - New music festival in Brighton featuring chart-topping acts – Stanmer Park 

Sunday 10 – Capital to Coast Bike Ride – Charity Bike Ride – Hove Lawns 

Wednesday 13 – Sun Fun Day – U3A Fun Day – Stanmer Park 

Friday 15 – Sunday 17 – Soundwaves Festival – New music produced by some of the UK’s established stars and hot new talents form the world of contemporary, music, sound art, electronica, dance and visual art – Various Venues  

Sunday 17 – The Script – A special one off show at Brighton Centre 

Saturday 23 – Sunday 24 – Bungee on the Beach – Sponsored bungee jump – Hove Lawns 

Sunday 24 – Brighton Carnival – Annual Carnival – Madeira Drive 

August 

Saturday 06 – 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. 

Monday 08 – Saturday 13 – Brighton Pride – The biggest and best 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 on the 13th. 

Thursday 18 – Tuesday 30 – Zippos Circus – Annual Summer Circus – Hove No 1 Lawn 

Saturday 20 – Sunday 21(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 

Thursday 01 – Friday 30 (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 – Various Venues  

Thursday 01 – Tuesday 06 – Lee Evans - Lee will be playing to more fans than ever on this record-breaking tour of the UK and Ireland – Brighton Centre  

Saturday 10 (TBC) – National Speed Trials – 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 – Madeira Drive 

Saturday 10 – Sunday 11 – Big Sussex Market – Food and Drink Market – New Road  

Sunday 11 (TBC) – Ace Cafι Reunion – 40,000 motorbikes descend on Brighton’s seafront in celebration of biking and the original Ace Cafι on London’s North Circular Road – Madeira Drive  

Sunday 11 – Monday 12 – Alan Carr – Alan Carr is back on stage with a brand new live stand-up show ‘Spexy Beast’ – Brighton Centre 

Friday 16 – Sunday 18 (TBC) – Brighton Art Fair – 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 – Brighton Dome  

Saturday 17 – Sunday – Fiery Foods Festival – Chilli Food and Drink Festival – Victoria Gardens  

Thursday 22 September – Saturday 01 October – Funfair – The Level  

October 

Saturday 01 – Brighton Breeze – Annual VW Run – Madeira Drive 

Sunday 02 – Landrover Run – London to Brighton Landrover Run – Madeira Drive 

Sunday 02 – Cancer Research 10K Run – Annual charity Run – Hove Lawns/seafront 

Thursday 06 – Thursday 27 (TBC) – Brighton Comedy Festival – 2011 marks the 10^th anniversary of the Brighton Comedy Festival. Previous acts have included Jimmy Carr, Julian Clary, Stewart Lee and Sean Lock – Brighton Dome 

Sunday 09 – Brightona 2011 – Annual Motorcycle Event – Madeira Drive 

Tuesday 25 – The Specials – In concert – Brighton Centre  

Saturday 29 (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 – Various Venues 

November 

Saturday 05 – Family Fireworks Spectacular – Family fireworks display – Nevill Rec Ground 

Saturday 05 – Future Car Challenge – Motoring challenge for hybrid, electric and low emission cars – Madeira Drive 

Sunday 6 – London to Brighton Veteran Car Run – This annual event commemorates the Emancipation Run of 14 November 1896. Today, this run attracts hundreds of vehicles from the UK and abroad as well as thousands of spectators – Madeira Drive  

Wednesday 9 – Bill Bailey – Dandelion Mind - Featuring Bill’s trademark musical interludes, observations and stories of the road – Brighton Centre 

Sunday 13 – The Damned - To commemorate 35 years of the Damned the band perform a 2 hour set, performing the band's debut album in its entirety – Brighton Centre  

Thursday 17 – Sunday 20 (TBC) – MADE Brighton – MADE11 returns to the beautiful Corn Exchange in the heart of Brighton offering the public the opportunity to buy original and exceptional design and craft from the best local and national makers – Brighton Dome 

Friday 18 – A Question of Sport Live - To meet unprecedented demand, the UK’s longest running and most popular sports quiz will embark upon a 22-date UK tour – Brighton Centre  

Saturday 19 – Stephen Merchant Live – Stephen is about to embark on his first ever stand-up comedy tour Stephen Merchant Live: Hello Ladies… – Brighton Centre 

Sunday 20 – Brooks 10km Run – Competitive running race – Madeira Drive/Seafront 

Sunday 20 – John Barrowman – The Best of John Barrowman' is to be released in September just before this world class performer goes on tour – Brighton Centre 

Mid Nov – Early Dec (dates TBC) – CINECITY Film Festival – CineCity Film Festival is the south coast’s major celebration of film, featuring premiers and previews, artists’ cinema and installations, treasures from the archive and retrospectives, talks and special events – Duke of York’s Picture House  

Saturday 26 – The Magic of Motown – Get ready for the smash hit concert show from the states – The Brighton Centre 

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 simply to enjoy a mince pie and mulled wine! – Various Venues 

Saturday 10 – Jools Holland - The legendary artist Shane MacGowan has been confirmed as Jools’ very special guest, creating a unique collaboration every night of the tour that is not to be missed – Brighton Centre 

Wednesday 21 – Burning the Clocks “Winter Solstice Parade – The people of Brighton and 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 thousand of participants and spectators – Madeira Drive 

Please note:

·         All events in italics are provisional – please check dates before travelling to a specific event 

Care has been taken to ensure that the information on this list was correct at the time of going to press. Issued with the compliments of the Visitors Information Centre, Royal Pavilion Shop, Pavilion Buildings, Brighton, BN1 1EE, Tel 0300 3000088