Enjoy Magical May in Brighton & Hove!
There’s plenty on offer in Brighton & Hove this May as the city gears up for the summer season.
As well as the popular Brighton Festival, Fringe and Artists Open Houses, residents and visitors can enjoy a range of events in our museums, libraries, parks and open spaces – many of them free to join.
Running from 4 to 26 May, Brighton Festival is the city’s annual multi-arts festival, offering music, theatre, dance, circus, art, film, literature, debate, outdoor and family events at venues across the city.
The three week celebration of ‘Hope, Wonder, Magic and Fun’ kicks off with the Children’s Parade on Saturday 4 May when hundreds of children will join the lively procession with a theme of Dream Again.
Families can also enjoy a free, interactive installation, ‘100 Miles Of String’ at the Royal Pavilion Garden, until 26 May, or step into the weird and wonderful world of award-winning visual artist and quantum physicist, Dr Libby Heaney in her free interactive exhibition, Ooze Machines, hosted at Phoenix Art Space.
There’s also a free exhibition by children’s booksellers at The Book Nook, celebrating the wealth of children’s book illustrators in the local area.
Spiegeltent
Brighton Spiegeltent offers a range of events, from contemporary circus and alternative cabaret to dance events of every flavour, interactive shows and music gigs including legendary club nights & DJs.
Artists Open Houses
Enjoy exploring the Artists Open Houses which are returning to Brighton & Hove for the 42nd year.
More than 100 artists’ homes and studios across the city, will be open at weekends throughout May. Several venues are also showing work in their gardens, providing a great day out viewing art indoors and out.
Brighton Fringe
Brighton Fringe invites visitors to Find Your Fringe, with events listed under Find Your Funny, Find Your Escape or Find Your Weird and more!
Running from 5 May to 4 June, showcasing local, national and international creative performers, the festival is committed to helping the arts flourish and anyone can register to put on an event.
Healthy lifestyles
May is National Walking Month and, with the weather finally getting warmer, there’s plenty of opportunities to get out and about in the great outdoors with free activities and events organised by the council’s Healthy Lifestyles team.
Play your part in protecting and supporting nature in your area by filling in the Sussex Nature Recovery survey this Bank Holiday weekend. Tell us what’s important to you, your favourite places to experience nature, the wildlife you love to see, and whether you’ve noticed any changes (good or bad) to habitats and species.
Visit the Sunday Market at One Garden in Stanmer Park on 5 May, or sign up for a free Reptile and amphibian safari – part of the Wilding Waterhall project.
Paddling pools
The paddling pool season begins from Saturday 4 May until mid-September. Ater features and paddling pools are available at:
- Saunders Park paddling pool
- The Level water feature
- Kings Road paddling pool
- Hove Lagoon paddling pool
- Peter Pan's splash pad
Information about paddling pools.
Museums
Don’t miss the chance to see a gem of the art world with National Treasures: Rembrandt in Brighton, featuring Rembrandt’s renowned self-portrait at the age of 34, from 10 May at Brighton Museum. The exhibition is part of the National Gallery’s 200th anniversary celebrations to simultaneously exhibit artistic national treasures in museums and galleries across the UK.
‘Matisse: Drawing with Scissors’ - featuring the iconic The Snail & Blue Nudes. opens on 4 May at Hove Museum of Creativity.
The exhibition features 35 posthumous prints of the artist’s famous cut-outs, including The Snail and Blue Nudes, that he produced in the last four years of his life when confined to his bed.
Hove Museum Garden will also see the unveiling of the Hove Constellation Plinth on 26 May at 3pm - all are invited (weather permitting.) The sculpture, created by artist Jonathan Wright in 2018 as part of a community project run by Hove Civic society, celebrates Hove and its history past and present.
ABBA 50
ABBA 50 celebrations continue in the city with the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery exhibition running until August. Visitors can delve into the history of the band’s triumph at the Dome with photographs, film, memories and memorabilia, and discover more about the week that catapulted the band to fame.
On 25 and 26 May, ABBA fabs can also enjoy ‘Voulez Vous’ - Immersive painting at Atelier by the Sea. Attendees are encouraged to dress up, or just wear something Abbaesque and learn how to paint whilst listening to ABBA songs. Sessions at 10.30am to 4.30pm.
