Life in Brighton
Welcome to Brighton. Beach life reigns supreme here. Sunbathing, BBQs and dips in the sea are a rite of passage for any new resident. Creativity is in Brighton’s bones.
The city is a hive of activity all year round but especially in the spring and summer, with Brighton Pride, Brighton Rocks International Film Festival, The Great Escape, Brighton Fringe and other festivals drawing musicians, creatives and industry professionals to the city.
Ask the average passer-by on the street, and they’ll describe this city as creative, progressive, historic yet contemporary, and a magnet for international tourism. This makes Brighton a mecca for creatives from all backgrounds. With its electric atmosphere, living in Brighton is unlike living anywhere else. From mini-golfing on the beach to catching a film at the UK’s oldest purpose-built cinema, the Duke of York’s Picturehouse, there’s always something to keep you busy, come rain or shine.
But, don’t just take our word for it. Hear from Ells Sivakumaran, our Event Management graduate, and her six reasons to live in Brighton.
This city has more music-based businesses per square mile than any other city in the UK, including music venues, clubs, recording studios, rehearsal spaces, radio stations, promotions companies, record labels, publishing houses, management companies, tour management and event production agencies.
And artists such as Rag’n’Bone Man, Royal Blood, ArrDee, Bonobo and BIMM Music Institute graduates, James Bay and Black Honey have all walked Brighton’s streets, played their Brighton venues and gone on to conquer the global music scene.
Of course, Brighton isn’t short of live music and venues. Green Door Store, The Prince Albert, Hope & Ruin, The Folklore Rooms and The Rossi Bar are firm favourites amongst students and smaller touring artists. Dead Wax Social play host to The Offie Mag Social, who offer free pints, great music and a local Sussex pub game known as Toads. More significant artists typically appear at Concorde 2, Brighton Dome and The Old Market. If you fancy checking out what Brighton offers in experimental music, check out The Rose Hill. Head to The Hand In Hand and Casablancas if you’re into jazz.
For a night out with great music, Patterns, Green Door Store, East Street Tap, and Chalk serve some consistently fun nights. And if you’re more into dance music, you’ll enjoy places like The Arch and Volks. Club Revenge is a great LGBTQ+ venue near the pier and Bar Broadway round the corner can get pretty lively too.
If there’s one thing Brighton does better than pretty much anywhere else, it’s pubs. Our favourites include The Basketmakers Arms, The Constant Service, The Signalman, The Brighton Tavern, and Park Crescent. These are all really cosy and vibey pubs with a great selection of drinks.
Brighton Festivals
Brighton and Hove is a City of festivals with an eclectic annual programme of events, including Paddle Round the Pier, Brighton Pride, and Burning of the Clocks.
The main month for festivals in Brighton is May, as the Brighton Festival, Brighton Fringe, Artists Open Houses and The Great Escape take place in the city centre, along with Brighton’s outdoor pop-up pub, Spiegeltent. Love Supreme also takes place on the South Downs. Festival season in this seaside city is the perfect way to discover new music in Brighton – and from around the globe.
There is such a variety of cuisines and places for all budgets. Whether you want a big meal or a light bite, there will be something for you, no matter your dietary requirements.
Happy Maki does giant sushi rolls stuffed with various veg, think Japanese burrito. It’s all vegan; if you’re not vegan, don’t let that put you off because it’s delicious, and it’s ‘pay what you want’. La Choza does impressive burritos and great cocktails. It’s a diddy little place, but it’s cool, charming and delicious. Just don’t refer to guacamole as ‘guac’. They don’t like that.
Brighton is also a great one for pizzas too. Take your pick from Big Slice Pizza Co., VIP Pizza, Fatto a Mano, Pizza Me or Franco Manca. They all make amazing pizzas with vegan options available.
Coffee-wise, you can’t go wrong. Everywhere is super cosy, has excellent coffee and food, and lots of them are also great places to get your head down for your assignments. There’s Pelicano, Bond St Coffee, Black Mocha, Dandy, The Trading Post, and Flour Pot Bakery, most of which have lovely outdoor seating for the summer months.
Brighton is known as an excellent city for shopping and at the centre of it all is Churchill Square. This sprawling modern mall is a retail heaven for students, locals and tourists alike, with late opening hours every Thursday and NUS discounts. It even hosts a Freshers’ event for new students each year with loads of great deals to stock up on all sorts of essentials.
You’re also bound to enjoy The North Laine and South Lanes. These are a big hit for students, with all sorts of independent boutiques and thrift stores. Beyond Retro is our go-to come festival season, and it also hosts amazing gigs during The Great Escape Festival. Also, Snoopers Paradise is… well… a snooper’s paradise! They’ve got tonnes of retro clothes, antiques, records and collectables; an all-around exciting place.
Spending days at the beach when you live in Brighton is an unwritten law, but nothing beats days in parks such as Queen’s Park, home to many swans and geese. There’s also Preston Park, which is excellent for dog spotting. Check out Woodvale Cemetery for a peaceful walk and the Downs at the top of Bear Road for a stunning city view.
Bike
Brighton is a super cyclist-friendly city with bike lanes and bike storage all over the city. It’s also part of the National Cycle Network and has an official cycle route along the seafront.
You can rent city bikes through the BTN BikeShare App, which costs 3p per minute. If you live a short distance from one of our colleges, it might be the most cost-effective way to travel.
Bus
Buses are everywhere in Brighton (which makes getting around super easy). There’s a handy app to plan your route as well. The ‘Brunswick Place’ bus stop on Western Road is directly outside our main college at BIMM West and is serviced by buses all over the city.
Taxi
There’s no shortage of taxis and taxi ranks in the city centre. The main ones are at Brighton Train Station, East Street, Queen’s Square and Hove Town Hall. Other businesses, such as Uber and Free Now, are also available.
Train
If you’re living outside the city, it’s easily accessible from either Brighton or Hove mainline station. Trains also frequently run to and from London Victoria and London Bridge.
Plane
Gatwick Airport is only 45 minutes away from Brighton by car or train. Gatwick Express also runs to and from the airport straight to the station. London Stansted and London Heathrow airports are also accessible by train and by National Express.
Any Questions?
For any questions regarding Brighton student life or if you’d like more information on how to apply to BIMM Music Institute Brighton please contact our Enquiries Team on 01273 840 346 or email [email protected].
