In Inspiration

Cram more fun into festival season this May with our round up of events for £10 or less! 

With Brighton Festival, Brighton Fringe and Artist Open Houses just around the corner, it’s time to start planning your diary, but with so many amazing events to see, festival season can become costly. Enter our top tips for shows which are either free or under £10, meaning you can get even more festival fun!

The Children’s Parade: 3 May

Brighton Festival kicks off with a riotous display of colour and fun, the perfect way to get into the festival vibe for free! Schools across the city come together to think about our future. What do we want to change, what do we want to cherish, and what do we want to chuck. How do we change the world and create a New Dawn? A parade of ideas for a better day.

Cost: Free

Family fun at the SpiegelGardens: 3 May 

The fun doesn't stop with the end of the parade, take the family to enjoy and celebrate in style to kick off Brighton Fringe. After the parade, it's time for a fun-filled afternoon of free activities, all outside under the beautiful SpiegelGardens canopy. The SpiegelPub will be open for a refreshing drink in the sunshine or a well-deserved sit-down after the Children’s Parade!

Cost: Free 

Revealing St James Street: 3 & 4 May, various performances

This is looking to be a hot ticket this May, take part to discover what makes St James’s Street so fabulously unique! Drag icons Alfie Ordinary, Alex Fincher, and Billie Gold have dug deep into the history books and listened to all the juicy gossip, to create a walking tour of the places and spaces that make up the beating heart of queer Brighton & Hove.

Cost: £10 per ticket

Beside the Sea: 3 – 26 May

Forget your typical gallery, this is an exhibition that can only be seen from the top deck of a bus. Photographers Martin Parr and JJ Waller come together with this groundbreaking exhibition of super-sized photographs fixed flat to the roofs of many of the city’s bus shelters.

Cost: Free, but you need to buy a bus ticket, singles from £3

Comedy Shorts: 11 – 15 May

Tickle your fancy for free with Tom Short's "Comedy Shorts" a dynamic and fast-paced showcase. This smorgasborg of comedic ability features a curated selection of the festival's top comedic talents, each delivering five-minute segments of their acts. The perfect way to discover new comedy for free.  

Cost: Free

Funny Women - The Glitter Project: 12 May 

If you would rather learn how to be the one on stage making others laugh this is the perfect way to dip your toe in the comedy pool. These events are part of The Glitter Project – A Safe Place, a series of Mentoring Meetups and Open Mic events funded by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, and take place in partnership with Komedia, under the direction of regional producer Kate McGann.

Cost: Free

LIV Sapphic Shakespeare: 13 – 15 May 

Liv loves Rio (who is really Vi) who works for a duke who pursues Liv for political gain as Vi realises her feelings for Liv...Lady Liv mourns the death of her brother while navigating the pressures of succession amidst the relentless pursuit of a cruel Duke who sends endless messengers to her. In the graveyard, our two heroes grow closer...

Cost: Tickets only £10

Without Walls: 17 - 18 May (Brighton), 24 – 25 May (Crawley)

These newly commissioned outdoor shows take place at various locations across Brighton and Crawley. Free, family-friendly and accessible, the events include traditional and contemporary dance, an interactive water installation, trapeze, puppetry and physical theatre and explore themes such as climate change, the natural world and the power of human connection.

Cost: Free

Walk, Wander, Dream: 22 - 26 May 

A fusion of walking, yoga inspired movement, live music and sensory explorations. Yoga and wellbeing practitioner Parmjit Sagoo and internationally-renowned musician Arun Ghosh guide participants, with pauses to look towards horizons, finding space to let thoughts wander, to imagine and dream.

Cost: Tickets £10

Table Tennis Day: 26 May 

Returning to Brighton Festival after huge success last year, is this full day of table tennis for the whole family from Brighton Table Tennis Club. 20 tables, music and food set up inside Brighton Dome Corn Exchange. Come and grab a bat and play with friends and family of all ages or against members of Brighton Table Tennis Club and Paralympic medal winners Will Bayley and Bly Twomey.

Cost: Free

Hello Birds: 26 May 

Join Bran the Gardener and their friend Tor as they greet the birds that visit the Garden. A sensory story show for 0-36 months with puppets, keyword signing and baby safe props. The story follows a day in the life of the birds in our gardens. Using sound, colour, texture and small puppets the storyteller introduces the audience to a host of garden birds and the children can help feed the birds, build soft nests and sing the wake up and nighttime songs. 

Cost: £8

Art Yard Sale: 1 June

The Art Yard Sale is a yearly event at the Brighton Fringe, showcasing the work of up to 30 of the best contemporary artists. Expect live art demonstrations, limited edition prints, and original works available for purchase. It's a unique opportunity to buy art directly from your favourite artists and discover something special that you'll treasure forever. On the day, there will be exclusive works and limited editions available at special prices.

Cost: Tickets are free,but need to be booked in advance.

Artist Open Houses: Weeekends Throughout May 

The Artist Open Houses offer festival–goers the chance to meet the artists and to view locally made, seriously good arts and crafts. The festival is also an inclusive, community event, embracing artists of all ages, at all stages of their careers, including recent graduates and school and college students. AOH welcomes artists from all areas of the community, especially those who may otherwise be excluded from the mainstream art world. 

Cost: Free

Need more tips on grabbing a festival bargain? Brighton Festival sometimes have Festival Standby tickets for only £10 on some performances, you must book in person at the box office just before the event, check their website for more information. 

Brighton Fringe offer a 2-4-1 offer for Friends of the Fringe, memberships start at just £35, but membership offers a great saving over the whole Brighton Fringe season.

However you festival this May make it fun and fabulous! Not in the city in May? Our Festivals Page is full of year-round ideas to Brighton up your calendar! 

Caroline

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