Brighton (UK) : Tourist Information
Normally associated with its beach and vibrant night life, Brighton has a cultural face that is hard to ignore. Culture vultures will find more than enough to keep them occupied on a visit to one of Britain’s culture capitals.
The royal patronage of the Prince Regent helped establish Brighton’s reputation for stunning architecture. He was the inspiration for John Nash’s wonderfully eccentric design of the Royal Pavilion and a stroll down many of the city’s streets and terraces reveal Regency designs. Brunswick Town and Kemp Town are inspired by Bath and London and when the Prince reigned Brighton was a royal court second only to London. When Queen Victoria started her reign, the architecture in Brighton changed and Victorian churches sprang up along with formidable sea front hotels.
More than fifty festivals grace the streets of Brighton each year and expose its residents and eager festival goers to art, theatre, music, film and comedy. The biggest and most popular is the Brighton Festival. In 2010 Brian Eno took control of the artistic direction and raised the attendance and the bar for future directors. In 2006 a Fringe Festival split from this main event and invited anyone and everyone to put on a show in what is becoming a rapidly growing festival. Artists get a chance to showcase their work thanks to various festivals in the calendar where Brighton is full of the creative muse.
With far more museums than should be possible for its size, there is a collection in Brighton for everyone. Photography lovers are delighted by the North Laine Photography Gallery and nature lovers flock to The Booth Museum of Natural History. Various art galleries are dotted around the city, with the biggest being the state-of-the-art Brighton Museum and Art Gallery. There is a Toy and Model Museum and even a Fishing Museum.
The Brighton Centre on the beach front welcomes the latest bands and the Theatre Royal Brighton is a venue for top class West End productions, sometimes even before they go to London. Brighton Dome plays host to an eclectic mix of acts and productions and it isn’t unusual to see the latest stand-up comedian one night and a Shakespearean tragedy the next.
Film buffs visiting Brighton shouldn’t miss a chance to see an independent film at the Duke of York’s Picturehouse, the oldest working cinema in the country. The Cine-City festival is held in Brighton annually and bears testament to the city’s long association with film making. Brighton Rock and Quadrophenia both filmed segments here and film makers once set up studios in the city.
Be it art, film, theatre or architecture, Brighton has enough to satisfy the most ardent culture lover.
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