🐦 No Pavilion Ice Rink For '26, Harry Styles Cover Launch Party & 70mph Coastal Gale Warning!

Hello Brighton, Hello Hove!

With October flying by, half-term is upon us, and the city is steadily gearing up for Halloween season! Beyond the pumpkin carving and half-term madness, we've got a fantastic lineup of events to dive into this week; from Brian Epstein’s hidden Beatles network being revealed at The Old Market and atmospheric Halloween arrangements by New Note Orchestra, to a deep-dive community symposium on our city's transatlantic slave trade past.

Let’s jump straight into it.

Here Is What's Squawking This Week

🛣️ DfT figures flag 17% of local main roads needing urgent repairs.
🏗️ Old Steine transformation completes with £30m Valley Gardens overhaul.
🌳 £1.6m heritage restoration begins on historic Royal Pavilion Gardens.
🚫 City bans gambling, payday loan, and fossil fuel ads on council assets.
⚖️ Mystery legal challenge halts selective landlord licensing rollout.

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⛸️ Brighton ice rink cancelled for 2026 to protect Pavilion Gardens

Brighton and Hove City Council has confirmed there will be no public ice rink in the city this Christmas following warnings that the setup would severely disrupt scheduled garden restorations. Tourism has assured residents that the popular festive attraction will return in 2027 to a brand-new, permanent home in the Old Steine.
→ read more on Brighton and Hove News

🛣️ Government figures reveal Brighton's main roads are worst in England

New Department for Transport data shows 17 per cent of A roads in Brighton and Hove are classed in red condition, requiring urgent maintenance. Council leaders defended the city's highways record by pointing out that a recent switch in survey methodology artificially inflated local numbers compared to national averages.
→ read more on Brighton and Hove News

🏗️ Final phase of £30m Valley Gardens transformation project completes

The third and final phase of Brighton's Valley Gardens project officially opened with the ceremonial switch-on of the Victoria Fountain at Old Steine. The completed works deliver a redesigned public transport corridor, 500 metres of separated cycle lanes, widened pedestrian pavements, and 35 newly planted trees.
→ read more on The Argus

🌳 Restoration of Royal Pavilion Gardens set to begin next month

Work to restore the historic Royal Pavilion Gardens will start in November following a £1.6 million funding boost from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England. The project will reinstate Regency-era planting and install historic-style perimeter railings to preserve the Grade I listed landmark.
→ read more on Brighton and Hove News

🚫 Council bans gambling, payday loan, and fossil fuel advertising

Brighton and Hove City Council’s cabinet has updated its city-wide advertising policy to ban promotions for gambling, payday loans, weapons, and fossil fuel production on municipal assets. The council will simultaneously pilot commercial advertising space on select hoardings, scaffolding, and road signs to raise revenue.
→ read more on Brighton and Hove News

⚖️ Mystery legal challenge halts Central Hove and Regency landlord licensing

A legal challenge has forced the council to pause the rollout of a new selective landlord licensing scheme in Regency and Central Hove just days before implementation. Town hall officials confirmed that consultations are on hold to review next steps, but declined to disclose details about the claimant or the grounds for the action.
→ read more on Brighton and Hove News

📊 Council budget deficit hits 25-year high of £24m

Brighton and Hove City Council is facing a projected £24 million general revenue overspend driven by spiralling costs in adult social care and temporary housing. Cabinet leads confirmed the council will likely request up to £30 million in exceptional financial support from the government to bridge the gap and achieve a balanced budget.
→ read more on Brighton and Hove News

Also in the news:

🌬️ Yellow weather warning issued as 70mph winds head for coast: The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for wind covering Brighton and Hove, with a deep low-pressure system expected to bring 50–60mph gusts, heavy rain, and coastal spray.
→ read more on Brighton and Hove News

🌱 Hollingbury resident launches petition to protect front gardens: A local campaigner is urging the council to discourage paving over front gardens and promote urban greening to fight flash flooding and heatwaves.
→ read more on Brighton and Hove News

🍲 City centre restaurant handed one-star food hygiene rating: Thai restaurant Chilli on Prince Albert Street has been instructed to make major improvements after failing food safety management standards.
→ read more on The Argus

🖼️ Art gallery remains long-term ambition for Black Rock: Council leaders reaffirmed that building an internationally recognised visual art gallery remains the permanent vision for the Black Rock site alongside temporary sport leases.
→ read more on Brighton and Hove News

🍽️ Chomp Brighton

⏰ Free School Holiday Lunch Clubs
📍 Locations Across Brighton & Hove

With the school half term looming next week, the pressure on family budgets and daily routines can suddenly feel a whole lot heavier. That is where this incredible initiative steps in as such a warm, welcoming lifeline. Started back in 2013, the project was created to tackle food insecurity and social isolation by offering free, nutritious hot meals and a creative space for kids to play and parents to connect.

What makes their work so special is how far it reaches beyond just serving lunch. Alongside their holiday clubs hosted across Brighton and Hove, they run after-school programs, food education, wellbeing initiatives, and enriching days out. Everything they do centres on building community, easing isolation, and empowering families with practical skills and confidence in a completely judgment-free environment. If you or someone you know could use a little extra support and a friendly table during the upcoming break, you can register and book a place for free.

🔗 Book upcoming half-term sessions

🍽️ Curio cafe and wine bar

I popped into this brilliant neighbourhood café bar down in Preston Circus, and it has easily become one of my new favourite haunts. By day, it is a relaxed spot for coffee from The Milk Shed and artisan pastries by The Flour Pot. By night, the place completely transforms with cocktails, small plates, and an incredible selection of wines on tap and by the glass.

They serve up delicious small plates from local partners Curing Rebels, and if you are looking for a midweek treat, they are running a Taco & Tequila Night this week on Thursday, featuring £5 tacos and 2 margaritas for £16. Whether you are dropping in for a morning caffeine fix or settling in for evening drinks and music, it is a proper local gem. Best of all, if you fall in love with a bottle, you can purchase the wine to take home or order it directly through their online shop.

📍 1 Clyde Road, Brighton, BN1 4NN
🕒 8am to 3pm (Mon to Tue), 8am to 10pm (Wed to Thu), 8am to 11pm (Fri to Sat), 9am to 6pm (Sun)
🔗 Check them out

🏠 The Frank Lloyd Wright Inspired Residence

An architectural tour de force spanning over 5,500 sq ft, this contemporary 5-bedroom detached home was designed by John Turner Associates with inspiration from Frank Lloyd Wright. Positioned directly across the road from Hove seafront, the light-filled layout features marble flooring, Italian Lualdi doors, and a statement Roundhouse kitchen with a separate prep kitchen. Engineering highlights include twin air-source heat pumps, triple glazing, and Control4 automation with Lutron lighting, as well as a passenger lift and dedicated music room, gym, and study. Outside, private electric gates open onto mature gardens designed by Nick Dexter, with an outdoor fireplace and a double garage.

Dear Santa… 😁

📍 Princes Crescent, Hove, BN3
💰 Offers in the region of £4,000,000
🔗 View on Rightmove

Tue

🎸 Inside the World of The Beatles with Gary Kemp and Simon Halfon | 7pm, Tue @ The Old Market-A deep dive into Brian Epstein's personal address book, uncovering the hidden cultural network, artists, and power brokers surrounding the band at their 1967 peak. More Info

🎙️ Phil Ellis: Soppy Stern | 8pm, Tue @ Komedia
Unpredictable physical comedy and offbeat observational humour from the Taskmaster star and Malcolm Hardee Award winner. More Info

🌙 Cosy Lates Vinyl Listening Party | 5pm, Tue @ Bella Union Vinyl Shop
An evening of full-album vinyl playbacks featuring Air’s classic releases, accompanied by special in-store discounts, drinks, and a relaxed space to unwind. More Info

Wed

🕺 Harry Styles Rolling Stone UK - Cover Launch Party | 4:30pm, Wed @ Bison Beach Bar-A launch celebration for the new magazine cover, featuring friendship bracelet-making, a fan quiz, themed food and drinks, and photo ops. ++ The first 5 guests will receive a Cover Story Brighton goody bag. More Info

🎙️ Larry Dean: Hellbent | 7:30pm, Wed @ Brighton Dome
The three-time Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee and 'Live at the Apollo' star brings his brand-new stand-up show packed with sharp observational humour and heart. More Info

🎙️ Maisie Adam: Whatsherface | 7:30pm, Wed @ Brighton Dome (Concert Hall)-The Taskmaster and 'A League Of Their Own' star returns to the stage with her trademark quick wit, firecracker gags, and high-energy stand-up. More Info

🏛️ Brighton and Hove City’s Transatlantic Slave Trade Past | 4pm, Wed @ Sallis Benney Theatre (University of Brighton)-A community symposium bringing together international scholars and local leaders to examine the city's historical links to empire, colonial investments, and transatlantic slavery. More Info

🌌 Professor Brian Cox: Emergence | 7:30pm, Wed & Thu @ Brighton Centre
The renowned physicist presents his most ambitious live show yet, blending cosmology, biology, and philosophy with state-of-the-art LED visual displays and soundscapes. More Info

💄 Elouise Eftos: Australia's First Attractive Comedian | 7:30pm, Wed @ Brighton Dome (Studio Theatre)-The Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee rejects traditional self-deprecation in a sharp, glamorous stand-up show taking aim at beauty standards, ego, and modern romance. More Info

Thur

🎸 Nieve Ella | 6:30pm, Thu @ Resident Music
An intimate in-store performance celebrating candid indie-pop anthems centred on heartbreak, growing up, and raw self-discovery. More Info

🎭 Amy Matthews: Definitions of Toast | 8pm, Thu @ Komedia (Studio)
The BBC and ITVX stand-up comedian explores queerness, suppressed anger, and the support of loved ones on sobriety journeys in a witty, highly relatable show. More Info

🎙️ Laura Smyth: Born Aggy | 7:30pm, Thu @ Brighton Dome (Corn Exchange)
An exploration of why achieving success doesn't always stop life from being thoroughly irritating, packed with sharp observation and blunt East London humour. More Info

🎙️ Simon Amstell: I Love It Here | 7:30pm, Thu @ Brighton Dome (Concert Hall)-Introspective, brutally honest stand-up tackling self-acceptance, ego, and searching for peace in a chaotic world. More Info

🩰 Digital Dance Practice: Artist Talk | 4:30pm, Thu @ The Dance Space
Sydney-based dance artists Ella Watson-Heath and Ashleigh Veitch share insights into choreography, chroma-key technology, and the intersection of physical movement and digital identity. More Info

Fri

🐦 Bird Sounds Bath: Soak in the magic of nature’s song | 10am, Fri @ ACCA (Jane Attenborough Studio) A restorative, drop-in sound installation as part of the Dreamy Place festival, inviting visitors to rest and soak in the soothing recordings of Sussex birdsong. More Info

🎨 Stratum Private View | 6pm, Fri @ Brighton Fishing Museum
An opening evening for a group exhibition featuring 20 local creatives exploring themes of layers and hidden treasure through ceramics, sculpture, photography, and jewellery. More Info

🎙️ Dan Tiernan: Quartz and All | 7:30pm, Fri @ Brighton Dome (Studio Theatre)-The two-time Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee brings a chaotic, fresh hour about magic rocks, raw personal misadventures, and relentless self-deprecation. More Info

🎸 Mutations Festival | Fri–Sat @ Multiple Venues
Brighton's premier multi-venue festival returns to celebrate grassroots spaces, showcasing a massive lineup of breakthrough and established artists across Chalk, Patterns, Revenge, The Hope & Ruin, and more. More Info

🌟 Nova — Studio Vertigo | 11am, Fri–Sun @ Pavilion Square (Old Steine)
A monumental, glowing light-and-sound star installation featuring 56,000 apertures, smoke effects, and NASA-derived ambient soundscapes that transforms the new pedestrianised square. More Info

🎃 Everybody Scream! New Note Orchestra & Wham Jam Choir | 7:30pm, Fri @ The Old Market-A Samhain and Halloween collaboration featuring musicians from the London Philharmonic Orchestra performing atmospheric arrangements of songs by The Cure, Florence and the Machine, and Nick Cave. More Info

📚 An Evening with Katherine Ryan: Firstborn Daughter | 7:30pm, Fri @ Brighton Dome (Corn Exchange)-The comedian discusses her new book in an in-conversation event that explores family dynamics, birth-order expectations, and emotional caretaking. More Info

📰 Cover Story Magazine Pop Up | 3pm, Fri @ Pink Moon
A showcase from Cover Story Brighton featuring hundreds of independent titles, cult publications, and print releases spanning music, photography, art, and culture. More Info

🎶 Natural Frequency | 11am, Fri–Sun @ Jubilee Square
A site-specific, multi-speaker sound installation featuring works by Asian artists that combine traditional instruments, field recordings, and electronic soundscapes. More Info

🌿 Bones of Our Land – Tsz Wai Pun & Coşkun Güçlü | 12pm, Fri–Sun @ Gallery Lock In-A multimedia exhibition combining film, photography, and soil DNA analysis to explore the deep ecological history and restoration of Hong Kong's Tai Mo Shan hillside. More Info

Last week's Peace Statue trivia turned out to be a real head-to-head split! A leading 32.81% of voters guessed approx. 7 metres, while 29.69% correctly identified that the full memorial structure reaches approx. 9 metres. You can verify the statue's dimensions and history on the official Wikipedia Peace Statue Entry.

This week, we are looking at Queen’s Park's iconic Pepper Pot (originally known as the Pepper Box). Designed by Charles Barry in 1830, this unusual tower originally served as a pump room and water tower for Thomas Attree's villa. Over the last two centuries, it has served many strange roles, including an observation post during WWII, a scout headquarters, and an artist studio.