🐦 Peter Kay Live, Boardwalk Lights Finally On & 27 Ideas Including A Winter Pride!

Hello Brighton & Hove!

Last Thursday, while the whole city was out chasing bonfire smoke, I followed my nose to a different kind: the smoke curling off the binchotan coals at the brilliant Bonsai Plant Kitchen. 😁 Now the fireworks are packed away, I'm settling into the calmer side of November.

I also grabbed a few minutes with Richard, the man behind Ember House, as he and Jennifer race to open on Portland Road next Monday. Elsewhere, there's a £2m Ovingdean house with its own indoor pool to swoon over, a Christmas appeal where a fiver buys a poorly child an advent calendar, and a week stuffed with comedy, gigs, theatre, and much, much more.

Right, kettle on. Let's see what the week has in store.

Here Is What's Squawking This Week

🍽️ 59 Sussex venues are dishing out NEWvember deals.
🥊 Eight comics go head-to-head, and the crowd picks a winner.
📸 Half-term camera fines cancelled, with refunds on the way.
🧶 A wool web and cupcakes celebrate Care Leavers Month.
💔 Shakespeare's lovers hit their 40s and try couples therapy.

Fancy reaching 10,000+ Brightonians? Just reply to this email to ask about the options.

🧳 Councillors pitch 27 ideas to turn day trippers into overnight guests

We get more than 11 million visitors a year who spend almost £900 million, yet most head home by bedtime, and overnight stays are falling. Ideas on the table include a winter fringe, a winter Pride, food and heritage trails and a bid to host the UK Sauna Association's festival, with the report now heading to cabinet.
→ read more on Brighton and Hove News

💡 Madeira Drive boardwalk lights finally switch on after four years

Installed back in 2022, the lights at Black Rock were connected by UK Power Networks on 4 Nov following a campaign by Kemp Town Lib Dem spokesman Robert Brown. He says the job is only half done, though, as the stretch from the Marina still lacks proper lighting.
→ read more on Brighton and Hove News

🅿️ Free parking at Brighton Marina is about to end

Ticket machines have appeared in the multistorey, with berth holders and eligible staff the only ones still parking for free while talks continue over a deal for David Lloyd members. There's no start date or tariff yet, but bosses promise prices will be "the most competitive in Brighton", and Asda's separate car park still offers up to 2 hours free.
→ read more on Brighton and Hove News

🚌 Traders vow nightly protests as Western Road red route lines go down

Dozens of protesters turned out last week as workers painted loading bays for the £200,000 scheme, which bans stopping at all times and comes into force this month. Traders say too few bays and almost no rear access will make some deliveries near impossible, while Buswatch insists it's vital, with buses from Hove to Churchill Square now taking 15% longer than a decade ago.
→ read more on Brighton and Hove News

📸 Council forgets to switch off school streets cameras over half term

The pilot cameras kept snapping away during the October break, landing drivers with fines for restrictions that only apply in term time. The council has apologised, cancelled every affected ticket and says anyone who's already paid will get their money back.
→ read more on Brighton and Hove News

🚗 Another central car park looks set to vanish for good

The 81 spaces under St James' House on Chapel Street have been out of use since July 2024, and the council says rebuilding them beneath the replacement flats would cost too much. It joins Carlton Hill, Norton Road and potentially the King Alfred on the list of disappearing car parks, with cabinet deciding on Thu 12 Nov whether to start the closure process.
→ read more on Brighton and Hove News

🎤 Tributes paid to Portslade's Everlasting Love singer Steve Ellis

The Love Affair frontman, who recorded the 1968 number one aged just 17 and lived in Drove Crescent for many years, died peacefully on 30 Oct at the age of 76. Paul Weller led the tributes to "our dear mate", while blues musician Norman Beaker remembered a great voice and a legend of the mod movement.
→ read more on Brighton and Hove News

Also in the news:

🍽️ NEWvember deals land at 59 venues across Sussex: Running until Sun 22 Nov, restaurants, pubs and bars are serving up offers from Twisted Lime's £5 Pornstar Martini to The Salt Room's £35 feast.
→ read more on The Argus

➡️ Eaton Villas made permanently one way: The eastbound restriction between Goldstone Villas and Denmark Villas, trialled under an experimental order since March, is now here to stay after the window for objections closed in September.
→ read more on The Argus

🛗 Petition calls for Madeira lift to be restored: More than 600 people have backed the campaign to revive the 1890 lift, closed since 2023, but it needs 1,250 signatures by Thu 12 Nov to earn a full council debate.
→ read more on Brighton and Hove News

📷 Traffic cameras to fine drivers at 5 problem junctions: Cabinet is expected to back the £95,000 scheme on Thu 12 Nov, enforcing turn bans and access rules at spots including London Road, Ditchling Road and West Street in Rottingdean.
→ read more on Brighton and Hove News

🏫 Council criticised over school admissions ruling: Parents weren't told directly that the schools adjudicator had found parts of the September 2027 admissions rules unclear, a ruling that landed just 9 days before the secondary application deadline.
→ read more on Brighton and Hove News

🧸 Ofsted suspends Happy Valley Pre School: Inspectors suspended the Heath Hill Avenue nursery's registration on 2 Nov after a safeguarding complaint, saying children "may be at risk of harm".
→ read more on Brighton and Hove News

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🎠 Rockinghorse Children's Charity

⏰ Christmas Appeal now on, plus the Santa Dash on Sat 5 Dec
📍 Freedom Works, Bart's House, Black Lion Street, BN1 1ND

Christmas in hospital should still feel like Christmas, and that's the whole idea behind this festive appeal. The charity supports sick babies, children and young people across Sussex, making sure no child in hospital misses out, with advent calendars, presents, ward parties, visits from Santa and Christmas Day meals for families spending the big day at a bedside.

A little goes a long way. £5 buys an advent calendar, £25 a present, £50 a parent's Christmas dinner on the ward, and £200 brings donkeys to visit the hospital. New, unwrapped presents for ages 0 to 18 are welcome too.

Fancy earning your mince pies? The Santa Dash is a flat 5k along the seafront from Hove Lawns on Sat 5 Dec at 10:30am. £25 gets you in, Santa suit and medal included, and the money raised goes to the charity.

🔗 Donate, give a gift or sign up to help

🍱 Bonsai Plant Kitchen (my review)

I spent Bonfire Night on Baker Street, having finally run out of excuses after hearing glowing things about this place from every direction. Short version: it blew my mind. I'm pescatarian rather than vegan, yet I didn't miss a thing on a menu that's entirely plant-based, cooked by chef and co-founder Dominic Sherriff over binchotan coals. You taste that smoke from the first coal-fired edamame pods with furikake. The tempura "prawns" with Thai green curry mayo and lime earned the slow, silent nod I save for the good stuff, then came the grill: a Malaysian "beef" satay skewer with sunflower seeds, oyster mushroom skewers with lemongrass chilli oil and a bowl of sambal butter rice, because you simply have to.

Words never quite do flavour justice, but the freshness and sheer imagination in the seasoning explain why it's a multi-award winner. A lychee ice tea kept everything bright, and pudding was a chai-spiced crème caramel, with £1 from each going to Together Co, which supports lonely people across the city. Which makes that sweet even sweeter. See what I did there? Early birds, there's a £15 bento with a drink, Mon to Thu, 5pm to 6pm.

📍 44/45 Baker Street, Brighton, BN1 4JN
🕒 5pm-9:30pm (Mon-Thu, Sun), 12pm-2pm and 5pm-10:30pm (Fri), 12pm-10:30pm (Sat)
🔗 Check them out

🏠 The Valley View Spa House

Every one of the 6 double bedrooms comes with a sea view, and that's before you've even found the spa. There's an 8m indoor pool with a swimjet, a separate spa pool, and a fully kitted gym, all overlooking the valley to the sea, the Downs, and a church dating back to the 12th century. The dining room seats around 30 dinner guests, the living room hides a cinema projector, and you arrive through iron gates handmade by a blacksmith. Further down the garden is a detached studio with its own wood burner above one of 2 double garages, plus a playhouse with a mezzanine loft, so even the children get their own penthouse.

📍 Longhill Road, Ovingdean, BN2
💰 £2,000,000
🔗 View on Rightmove

Tue

🦧 Stand Up for Animals | 7:30pm, Tue @ Komedia
An evening of top stand-up comedy in support of Orangutan Caring Week, bringing laughs to Komedia in aid of animal conservation. More Info

🎲 Juliette Burton Presents Multiverse in Progress | 7:45pm, Tue @ Caroline of Brunswick-A delightfully chaotic work-in-progress comedy night packing interactive games, theatrical experiments, and wild pop-culture obsessions. More Info

Wed

🎸 The Proclaimers | 7:30pm, Wed @ Brighton Dome (Concert Hall)
Craig and Charlie Reid bring their energetic blend of pop, folk, and punk to Brighton, performing iconic anthems alongside tracks from their 13th studio album, with support from Amelia Coburn. More Info

📢 Cody Dahler: The State of This! | 7:30pm, Wed @ Theatre Royal Brighton
A blisteringly funny, no-holds-barred dissection of modern British politics, broken public services, and absurd headlines from a viral satirical powerhouse. More Info

Thu

🕶️ The Chicago Blues Brothers | 7:30pm, Thu @ Theatre Royal Brighton
A high-energy, two-hour rhythm-and-blues tribute celebrating classic American music from Motown to Nashville, with laughs, live brass, and all the hits. More Info

🧶 Care Leavers Month Celebration | 4pm, Thu @ Jubilee Library
Real stories, two book launches, a jigsaw of belonging and a wool web passed hand to hand, supervised by a friendly spider and fuelled by cupcakes. More Info

🎸 The Great Escape First Fifty | Various Times, Thu @ 7 East London Venues
Catch 50 of next year's acts early, from Compost Compost Compost to Esmeralda Road and Bathing Suits, with plenty of venue hopping. Worth the train. More Info

🪔 Dishoom Permit Room Diwali | 7pm, Thu @ Royal Pavilion
Celebrate the festival of lights inside the iconic landmark with cocktail receptions in the Music Room, live performances, and an opulent banquet. More Info

🎲 Scrabble Night | 5pm, Thu @ Bella Union Vinyl Shop
Triple word scores, chill vinyl and barista drinks on tap. Boards for the first 4 groups, then it's BYOB: bring your own board. More Info

💔 Juliet & Romeo | 7:30pm, Thu-Sat @ Brighton Dome (Corn Exchange)
A darkly comic and heartfelt blend of dance and theatre that imagines Shakespeare’s famous lovers surviving into their 40s to hilariously battle mid-life crises in couples therapy. More Info

🎭 Nation | 8pm, Thu-Sat @ Brighton Dome (Studio Theatre)
Following its Edinburgh Fringe acclaim, YESYESNONO and Sam Ward present a dark, compelling fable about the political power of storytelling, imagination, and community. More Info

🎧 Goldie | 6pm, Thu @ Chalk
A masterclass in UK underground culture as a drum & bass titan delivers an explosive, no-frills set of heavyweight beats and pioneering jungle anthems. More Info

🎂 8th Birthday Bash & Makers Market | 5:30pm, Thu @ Harriet's of Hove
Eight candles, makers' tastings, drinks, nibbles, and Christmas-gifting discounts, all announced on a gloriously human black-and-white poster after an AI misadventure. More Info

💿 U2: 'Carnaval de Luz' Listening Event | 6:45pm, Thu @ Resident Music
An exclusive in-store playback of the brand-new album, featuring free goodie bags, including tote bags and button packs, for early attendees. More Info

Fri

🎨 Fabian Perez: Exhibition & Artist Appearance | 6pm, Fri @ Clarendon Fine Art-Meet the celebrated figurative artist as he unveils a unique centrepiece artwork alongside drinks, a live DJ, and a new collection of atmospheric originals and limited editions. Free entry. More Info

📚 Cover Story Pop Up | 3pm, Fri @ Pink Moon
Browse hundreds of rare indie magazines, collectable art editions, and niche print titles spanning fashion, design, and culture. Free entry. More Info

🎤 Filthy Fridays With Angela Barnes | 8pm, Fri @ The Old Market, Hove
A packed night of razor-sharp stand-up and hilarious true stories in aid of local Sussex NHS hospitals. More Info

🥊 Laugh To The Death | 7:30pm, Fri @ Caroline of Brunswick
Eight local comedians battle head-to-head across four rounds where the audience picks the winner, featuring a prize draw for a signed Brighton & Hove Albion shirt. More Info

🎤 Peter Kay | 8pm, Fri @ Brighton Centre
The comedy icon brings his massively popular brand of observational humour and arena-filling cheeriness to Brighton. More Info

A tight one last week! 33.93% of you knew the Mazda Fountain was named after a line of electric light bulbs made by Thomson-Houston, who gave it to the town in 1930. The car and camera film votes were just 2 votes apart. Read more on the council's website and in The Argus.

This week, we are looking at William Hill's, the department store that began in 1839 as a single shop at 58 Western Road and grew to fill 55-59. The block has since been turned into flats and shops, but glance down outside the Starbucks on Lansdowne Place and you'll find the last trace of it: the store's old mosaic, still set in the pavement.