Be a Culture Vulture. Your Guide to Affordable Arts, Music and Theatre in Brighton

Our latest blog, Your Guide to Affordable Arts, Music and Theatre in Brighton is, we hope, well-timed.

If you’ve recently moved here for your degree you’ll want to explore, no doubt. This article will help you to make the most of our vibrant, thriving city without breaking the bank.

As a new student in Brighton, there are two things that you will quickly get to grips with:

1. Living here is fantastic. It’s a cultural mecca, and it positively bursts with fabulous venues boasting all types of high-standard creativity and imagination. From the well-known Brighton Fringe Festival, the elegant 216-year-old Threatre Royal to ad hoc street theatre, there is always something arty going on.

 

2. Living here is also expensive. Yes, we’re afraid so – but most likely, you already know that. Although it’s a vibrant student city, the happening mainstream entertainment life here comes at a cost that’s likely to eat into your student loan without trying too hard.

Amongst other elements, its location and easy access to London make it a pricey place to live and study. According to this website (https://www.universityliving.com/blog/student-finances/cost-of-living-in-brighton/), the average cost of living per student, excluding tuition fees is £1,120 per month – although this will vary according to your lifestyle.

So, how can you minimise your spending, whilst maximising your cultural social life? The answer is: relatively easily, which may surprise you. When putting this article together we came across more and more ideas to get your arty fix at a reasonable price (or even for free). So many in fact, that there isn’t room to list them all here. It was like turning over stones to find plenty of activity thriving under them.

So, we have barely touched the sides Do some digging around if you can, to find your own excellent cultural destinations and your preferred vibe. But, in the meantime here, as the saying goes, are the news headlines:

We’ve covered music venues, galleries, theatres and museums; all of them have websites, so don’t forget to check them out.

Music Venue

The Prince Albert – 48 Trafalgar Street, Brighton BN1 4ED

An extraordinary pub like no other. Just down from Brighton station, highly colourful and with an original work by Banksy on the outside – yes, really – this ultra-popular venue has an upstairs room that hosts all kinds and types of music. Hot, sweaty and crowded – sounds great, doesn’t it?

Green Door – 2-4 Trafalgar Arches, underneath Brighton Station BN1 4FQ

Just a short hop from The Prince Albert, this quirky place is home to original music of the underground variety. There’s also a monthly party called Sonic Switch to dance away the small hours. Great atmosphere, great music, too.

The Hope and Ruin – 1-12 Queens Rd, Brighton and Hove, Brighton BN1 3WA

A lively music venue and pub that fully supports the independent music scene in Brighton. Vegan food, with a re-claimed kind of atmosphere, there’s always something musical going on. Also, DJs and quizzes.

The Mesmerist – 1-3 Prince Albert St, Brighton BN1 1HE

Settled in the heart of the Lanes, The Mesmerist takes its inspiration from the style of an old-fashioned gin palace and regularly hosts live music and DJs, as well as regular nights of vintage classics. For central Brighton, the prices of drinks are reasonable, too.

Art Galleries

Fancy some outside art?

Take yourself down to the Brighton and Hove Camera Club’s free permanent outdoor photography exhibition on the seafront near the West Pier. These images knock anything you could ever take on a camera phone out of the park.

Fabrica – 40 Duke Street, BN1 1AG is also free. Fabrica is really rather stunning; you can’t mistake the fact that it’s been converted from a church and it’s a great place to while away a couple of hours. They also put on workshops, talks and screenings.

Another gallery without any admission charge is the Phoenix Art Gallery – 10-14 Waterloo Place, Brighton BN2 9NB. They host visiting artists, and there’s always something new to see. This place is ginormous: across six floors.

And, let’s not forget

Artists’ Open Houses. Fancy snooping around someone else’s house? Well, quite.

Twice a year, Brighton-based artists turn their homes into mini galleries, which they open to the public. Some even offer glasses of wine, so it would be rude not to. There’s an Open House trail which you can find via Google and budget allowing, you can buy stunning, one-off works of art to adorn your walls.

Theatres

Brighton Little Theatre – 9 Clarence Gardens Brighton BN1 2EG

The leading not-for-profit theatre in Brighton, they put on at least 10 plays a year. They’re all different, and all very good. And, if you fancy treading the boards or supporting them in other ways, they are looking for would-be actors and dedicated volunteers.

The Old Market – 11A Upper Market St, Hove BN3 1AS

Offering not just affordable theatre, The Old Market also has films, music, comedy, art exhibitions – everything. It’s one of Brighton and Hove’s jewels.

Free and Low-cost Museums

The Booth Museum of Natural History – 104 Dyke Road, Brighton BN1 5AA

Free entry. With its grand, imposing entrance and well-preserved Victorian architecture, this museum is a little bit further to travel but worth the trip. As long as you’re not squeamish about our ancestors’ obsession with stuffed animals, you will love it. It also features lots of fossils, skeletons and botany.

Brighton Museum and Art Gallery – Royal Pavilion Gardens, Brighton BN1 1EE   

Okay, it’s not free but if you’re a student it’s only £6.75. This place is outstanding. Full of 20^th Century art and artefacts, it features exhibits not only from and about Brighton, but also from all over the world.

It also has a café for a restorative cup of tea.

Brighton Toy Museum – 55 Trafalgar Street, Brighton BN1 4EB

For children of all ages, Brighton Toy and Model Museum houses a collection of toys and models to make everyone’s eyes light up with joy. We kid you not: immaculate train sets, teddy bears by Steiff, Victorian dolls houses, loads of Dinky and Corgi toys…quite literally, we don’t make things like this anymore. Enjoy more than 10,000 exhibits. £5 entry for students.

Brighton Fishing Museum – 201 Kings Road Arches, BN1 1NB

Did you know that Brighton’s seafaring industry stretches back centuries?  And that it developed into the seaside resort we know today due to its growth as a fishing village?

You can learn all about this, and much more besides, in this lovely, free-entry museum right on the seafront. There are boats, fishing artefacts, and archive and contemporary films that show just how tough things were for those making a living from the sea.

In addition, there’s audio of fishing folks singing and talking – in a traditional Sussex accent, which sounds a little bit West Country.

Your Guide to Affordable Arts, Music and Theatre in Brighton

So, have we inspired you to get out there to explore? We hope so.

If you’re one of the 35,000 students who have made Brighton your home, even for a short time: you are extremely welcome. The city of Brighton and Hove has an enviable international reputation as a centre of creativity. You may even find yourself joining the thousands of post-graduates who simply never leave.

And with a cultural life as rich as this, who could blame you?