Venues ranging from elaborate show tents, church basements and sports fields to pubs, underground nightclubs and even Brighton's Old Police Cells Museum will be filled with alternative entertainment of all sorts. Events will also be taking place in three of Brighton's colorful beach huts and a renovated bus station too.
Health warnings
Brighton being the free-spirited, anything goes sort of place that it is, the organizers of the Fringe have thoughtfully provided a key to the nature of the entertainments on their official website. Visitors of a conservative or nervous sensibility needn't worry. Symbols indicate when shows are suitable for families, feature flashing lights, adult humor, swearing, nudity and so forth.Some of 2009 Highlights
As usual, any list is bound to be arbitrary but here is a short list of some of the highlights:- Fringe City Pavilion Gardens, Jubilee Square and New Road are transformed every Saturday throughout the festival. Free performances - music, dance, comedy, theatre - give audiences a sampling of what’s on offer around Brighton.
- Fringe Street A one-day, all day street theatre festival, May 23, with acts from all over the world. In 2008, top street theatre performers from as far away as Australia, New Zealand, USA, and Canada brought circus skills, comedy characters and acrobatics to the festival.
- An exhibition of work by Sir Peter Blake, designer of the Beatles' Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover, held in a specially designed London double-decker bus, sponsored by artrepublic.
- The Parlure Spiegeltent, a 1930s European show tent adorned with stained glass, cut mirrors, velvet and, so they promise, gorgeous staff. It will be hosting adult cabaret, music, dancing, magic, comedy and family entertainment on the Old Steine, a broad central mall leading down toward the Brighton Pier. Among the shows there, look out for the Interstella Circus Show with its Invisible Circus.
- Show tunes and glamor from The Ladyboys of Bangkok .
- Musical Swap Bop Bring along three items of clothing and one random object and be prepared to bop until you swap.
- Four Headphone parties at the Speigeltent and the famous Silent Disco closing party at Brighton's Concord 2 nightclub.
- Guilty Pleasures Feel good pop - also known as the best of bad music - with DJ Sean Rowley. Go on, you know you hum along to ABBA.
- A huge selection of stand-up and comedy shows. The Laughing Horse Comedy Club is setting up at the Quadrant Pub where free gigs will be scattered among the ticketed events. Check out comedy events Upstairs at Three and Ten and at Brighton's famous comedy club, Komedia.
- Frying Nemo The fantastical, comical and "true" adventures of Captain Nemo. Related by the cap'n himself, above the shark tank at the Brighton Sea Life Centre
