Brighton City Guide Beach Pavilion Marina Restaurants Pier Festival Theatre Art Gallery

Brighton Tourist Information

Situated less than an hour from London by train and road, Brighton today has a bohemian edge and is popular with Londoners for shopping day trips. Brighton's cultural scene is second to none and one of the best in the UK. Numerous art galleries are here alongside the acclaimed Theatre Royal and a huge choice of restaurants including plenty of organic and vegetarian fare. Brighton is famed for its choice of independent shops around the historic Brighton Lanes and North Laine and also offers one of the UK's best nightlife scenes including its world famous gay scene. Big live music venues are here including the Brighton Centre and Brighton Dome alongside the best of the UK's gay and dance clubs. Famous resident Fat Boy Slim's annual Brighton Beach party sells out early! Add to this a choice of cinemas including the Duke of York's Picturehouse, main host for the annual Brighton Film Festival, plus a year round calendar of Festivals including Brighton Pride, the Brighton Festival and Fringe Festival, Brighton Comedy Festival and Brighton Food and Drink Festival and you have a superb mix of entertainment which sees Brighton as one of the UK's most popular holiday destinations.

In high Summer Brighton is a beach resort to rank with the best and is blessed with one of the warmest climates in the UK, situated as it is on the warm South East coast. Families will find plenty to please in Brighton including Brighton Pier, the Sealife Centre, a choice of family funfair amuseuments along the beach near the pier and Madeira Drive plus a host of family entertainment including family restaurants, bowling and a cinema at Brighton Marina.

Brighton Visitor Information Centre, Royal Pavilion Shop, Royal Pavilion, 4-5 Pavilion Buildings, Brighton, BN1 1EE. Tel. 0906 711 2255.

Open Mon-Sat 1000-1700, Summer Sundays & Bank Holidays 1000-1600. The visitor centre is fully accessible inclusive of easy-open doors, ramped access and low level counters plus induction loops, minicom text phone and information available on audio or in Braille.

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Brighton Shopping & Restaurants

The Brighton Shopping and Eating Out experience is up with the best of the world's city breaks including Barcelona, Edinburgh and Lisbon. Brighton's shopping edge is in its huge variety from the outstanding choice of fine antique, designer boutique and arts and crafts shops in the historic Lanes to the bohemian extravaganza of the North Laine area where you're guaranteed to find the best of the UK's independent vintage and off the wall boutique shops all selling at good value prices. Hundreds of unique independent shops await in Brighton, a shopping browser's paradise. For all your favourite high street retail names head to Churchill Square and the shopping centre in the heart of Brighton city centre or for factory shop prices on designer names look to Brighton Marina's good choice of shopping outlets. Gay shops can be found aplenty in the heart of the gay village around Kemp Town's St James's Street.

With Brighton's first class shopping experience comes the city's equally superb dining choice across its many restaurants, bars, deli, cafes and public houses. Vegetarian and vegan restaurant choice is particularly good in Brighton but you'll find every possible dining experience you can think of in the city around restaurant, cafe and bar hotspots North Laine, The Lanes, Kemp Town and St James's Street, the Seven Dials area, fresh fish restaurants on the Kings Road Seafront and a great choice of gourmet fish restaurants and family dining at Brighton Marina.

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Brighton Nightlife, Brighton Pride & Gay Scene

Brighton's reputation for fun and party times stretches back to the Regency period. Jane Austen's characters were always disappearing off to Brighton, and who could blame them - Brighton today as then has a kicking nightlife scene and a Gay club and resident Gay scene to beat all. Essentially the Gay Capital of the South with outstanding Brighton and Hove Pride Festivals and a host of gay shops, bars, clubs and gay friendly and gay owned accommodation, Brighton's gay village centres around stunning Regency Kemp Town. In Brighton you'll find some of the best Gay Clubs and Club nights in the UK, many with a long and established history.

The best of British live music is on offer in the city across popular live music venues like Concorde 2, Freebutt and the Engine Room as well as bigger rock and pop concerts at the Brighton Dome and Centre. The annual Great Escape Music Festival in Brighton during May sees live acts performing across 25 live music venues around Brighton and Hove and Fatboy Slim's Beach Boutique party in September sees huge crowds flocking to Brighton.

Brighton's celebrated and internationally famous Pride Summer Festival Week runs annually from the end of July into early August. Consistently voted the top Pride event in the UK by Gay Times, inclusive in events is the famous Brighton Pride Carnival Parade and Park Event.

A dazzling programme of events and activities takes place through Brighton Pride week in the summer including dog shows, club nights, theatre and street parties often on St James's Street in the heart of the gay village. Brighton's Pride has long roots dating back to 1992, but Brighton's lesbian, gay and bisexual history as the Gay Capital of the South stretches much further back to the early 19th century when huge numbers of soliders were garrisoned at Brighton during the Napoleonic Wars. The superb 'Brighton Our Story' weblink right explores in-depth Brighton's Queer History from the early 1800s through to todays Community Comes of Age and the huge success of Brighton Pride and the celebrated gay scene in the city.

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