It’s a big weekend in the city. The Brighton Dome Comedy Festival opens, Crystal Palace come to the Amex, and a fresh batch of openings is worth leaving the house for. Here’s where we’d go.
Football: The Big One
Albion host Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday at 1pm. The M23 derby needs no introduction. If you’re not going, get to your local early, because the good seats will go by noon. Then start planning Thursday’s trip to Jablonec, home of Europe’s cheapest away-day pint.
Comedy
The Brighton Dome Comedy Festival, run with Komedia, starts today and lasts ten days. Stevie Martin brings Clout on Saturday, and Blindboy headlines on Sunday. Also on Sunday, Ghosts star Kiell Smith-Bynoe plays the Theatre Royal at 7.30pm, from £27.55. For something smaller, Juliette Burton’s ExperiMental is at Ironworks Studios on Saturday at 8pm.
Gigs
Alphabet has two strong nights: Bel Cobain on Friday (7pm, £20) and Daudi Matsiko on Sunday (7pm, £17.50). The pick for anyone of a certain age is Martin McAloon of Prefab Sprout performing Steve McQueen live at The Brunswick on Sunday, with doors at 7.30pm. Late-nighters should head to Concorde 2 for Kanine on Saturday, from 11pm to 4am. It’s a good weekend to back the city’s grassroots venues.
Eating and Drinking
OctoberBest is running across the month, with cut-price menus at independent restaurants, so check your favourite. In Kemptown, 3 Bros Munch has taken over the kitchen at the Sidewinder, and the first 30 mains come with a free pint and a side. Istanbull Katz, a wine house serving Turkish-inspired food, opens on Little East Street on Saturday. On Sunday, CK Bistro turns five and is giving away egg tarts all day, while On Air in Hove pairs Lost and Grounded beers with cheese from 2pm.
Markets and Browsing
The Big Gay Market is at Dalton’s on Saturday (11am–4pm, free), and the Curated Market fills Brighton Unitarian Church on the same day. Record hunters should get to the Shoreham Record Fair before noon on Saturday, when £1 entry comes with a free seven-inch. On Sunday morning, the antiques and vintage fair at Brighton Racecourse runs from 9.30am, at £5.
Brighton Local
Some of the best things this weekend are free. Fabrica’s sound installation One Song runs from midday to 6pm. Ukraine: Life Un/Broken, a photography exhibition, is open at Post in Hove on Saturday and Sunday, from 11am to 4pm. And Helm Gallery hosts The Forger’s Game, a talk and exhibition on art forgery, on Friday evening. If you need to clear your head after the derby, Devil’s Dyke is right on your doorstep.
Related Reading
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