‘Brighton isn’t like other cities’ – it’s Britain’s San Francisco, a party town since Regency times’

A Brightonian badge of honour

In 2009, a famous billboard from local newspaper The Argus declared Brighton to be “the most godless city in Britain”. If the headline was intended to shame or shock the inhabitants of the Sussex seaside resort, it backfired. For most Brightonians, it was a badge of honour.

After all, the 'godless' tag checks out - more than half the city (55.2pc) declared no religion in the 2021 Census - and it's just one of several 'mosts' it boasts.

Brighton, famously, is also the UK's queerest city: in the same Census, 10.73pc of residents identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or another non-hetero orientation, around 1pc had a gender identity different from their sex registered at birth, with a further 0.35pc identifying as non-binary.

In all of these respects, Brighton has the highest proportions in England and Wales. This is reflected in the city's vibrant LGBTQ+ culture, and its status as the nation's gay capital, Britain's very own San Francisco. Its Pride event, held in August, is the biggest outside of London (Mariah Carey is headlining this year).

Brighton is also by far Britain's most vegan-friendly city: a survey by LNER found 7.9 vegan restaurants and 8.3 vegan takeaways per 100,000 people.

For the south of England, it's also an unusually left-leaning city (and yes, it is a city, following a decree in 2000). Brighton has always worn its progressive politics on its sleeve. Extinction Rebellion roundels on walls and Palestinian flags in windows are common sights, and the sign for Cromwell Street has Irish tricolours stuck on each letter of the offending surname.

Last August, when racists tried to stage a rally outside a refugee centre, only four turned up, and needed police protection when 2,000 counter-protesters thronged the streets chanting “refugees are welcome here”.

During the UK's years of Tory rule, the city held out, like the Gaulish village in French comic series Asterix, as a defiant stronghold of green and red amid a sea of deepest blue (for years, Brighton Pavilion was the UK's only Green-held seat, with Labour seats on either side), causing some Brightonians to jokingly rebrand it The People's Republic Of Brighton & Hove.

Brighton, in short, isn't like other cities. It's a liberal-minded haven for non-conformists, dissidents and outsiders, people who have been traditionally excluded elsewhere. It is so welcoming of eccentricity and difference, in fact, that it's hard to imagine what you'd need to do in order to be shunned for being too strange. (I've been here since 2007 and I still haven't managed it.)

There are those who find Brighton a bit too pleased with its own exceptionalism – The Fall's Mark E Smith once said “You can't put yourself in an enclave like that” - and who roll their eyes at the hippies and crusties.

There is some truth to the stereotype of Brighton being full of white guys with dreadlocks, wearing knitted Peruvian hats and tie-dyed harem pants, practicing their fire-juggling on The Level while their mate plays Redemption Song on an acoustic guitar.

They're harmless enough, as long as you don't get them talking about vaccinations or mobile phone masts.

But nothing can stop Brighton's biggest selling point: it's a party town. Ever since Regency times, it's been the place to which Londoners escape for disreputable behaviour and dirty weekends, to much pearl-clutching and tutting from more genteel nearby resorts like Worthing and Eastbourne – which view B&H as shabby and trashy. (Which it is, a little. That's part of the fun.)

Every Friday and Saturday, you'll see the fun-hungry visitors streaming out of the railway station towards a T-shaped zone formed by West St and the Seafront offering the most mainstream forms of hedonism: Marbella with worse weather. If that's not your vibe, however, there are countless alternatives. Brighton is brimming with independent shops and restaurants, and hip, forward-thinking clubs and music venues.

Basically, if you can't find places to go or things to do in Brighton, you aren't trying. Here are a few of my personal favourites...

Where to eat in Brighton

Compared to the average seaside resort, Brighton is a bona fide foodie paradise.

Best of them all is TheWitchEZ (thewitchez.co.uk). Located in a 18th century cottage in the Lanes and run by Polish couple Ewelina and Zan, TheWitchEZ specialises in Central and Eastern European dishes such as pierogi and rosti, and its cosy, candle-lit atmosphere is enhanced by gothic décor (cat skeletons, effigies of witches), vintage jazz sounds and silent films like Nosferatu projected onto the walls.

For quality French food in a pub setting, head to Seven Dials for The French Horn (@thefrenchhornpub), whose Parisian owner and chef Sandrine serves an incredible raclette.

At the lower end of the price scale, the best old-school fish and chip restaurant is Bardsley's off London Road (bardsleys-fishandchips.co.uk; with an array of Max Miller memorabilia). The most imaginative, meanwhile, is No Catch (nocatch.co), the entirely plant-based chippy on the seafront whose 'tofish' is uncanny.

And for a high-end vegan experience, Bonsai Plant Kitchen (bonsaiplantkitchen.co.uk) has rightly won awards for its meat-free menu of Asian fusion food.

A little further out, the family-run Pizza 500 (@pizza500ltd), set up in a former car repair workshop, is the most authentic Italian in town and always worth the journey.

The best pubs in Brighton

The pub culture of Brighton is legendary. Although it can't quite justify the claim of having a pub for every day of the year (it has 340), a survey in 2020 found that Brighton has the highest concentration of pubs in the UK, with 11 per square mile.

Many of them are to be found in North Laine, just downhill from the station. Perhaps the finest is The Great Eastern (@thegreateasternbrighton). With its candles and fairy lights, dark wooden fixtures and fittings, dozens of different whiskeys, blues and country sounds and general Americana vibes, the Eastern is the sort of place where random interesting conversations are struck up, and friendships are made.

Also in North Laine is The Heart And Hand (@heartandhand.brighton), the only Brighton pub to make it into the list of Britain's 50 best boozers in Robin Turner and Paul Moody's Rough Pub Guide. With a great vinyl jukebox and a wonderfully grumpy ginger cat called Bailey who has his own Instagram page, it's pretty much perfect.

The city centre's best-kept-secret is The Basketmakers (basket-makers-brighton.co.uk), where patrons can leave handwritten notes for strangers in the old tobacco tins screwed to the wall.

On a side street in Hove, The Farm Tavern (thefarmhove.com) has had a successful rock/alternative makeover – the fact that its Sunday roasts are called Sabbath Roasts speaks volumes.

Other popular alternative boozers include OG (Original Goth) hangout The Caroline Of Brunswick, the steampunk-flavoured Yellow Book, and the Punk-slanted Pipeline.

On the edge of the gay village of Kemp Town, The Actors (actors.pub) functions as a sort of LGBTQ+ social centre as much as a pub, serves a decent pizza, and has a radio station upstairs.

Nearby, Bar Broadway (barbroadway.com), which shows songs from the musicals on its many screens, is where many a messy night ends.

Brighton’s best bars and clubs

The Bee's Mouth (@thebeesmouth) is Brighton's nearest thing to a New Orleans-style dive bar: an ever-descending labyrinth with red velvet furnishings, an actual church pulpit, and the words 'NICE ARMPITS' on the wall in big wooden letters, the sheer randomness of which is eclipsed only by the toilet cubicles wallpapered with pictures of Steve Buscemi.

This is the place for cherry-flavoured Belgian beers in paper-wrapped bottles, and spirits you've never heard of.

In terms of fancy cocktail bars, Valentino's (barvalentino.co.uk) up a discreet staircase like a 1920s speakeasy, has gorgeous Art Nouveau décor and a great balcony for people-watching.

And the Plotting Parlour (theplottingparlour.uk) is cooler and classier than it has any right to be, so close to the chaos of the Pier and the beach.

The longest-running and best-loved club night in town is Spellbound. Styling itself as “the 80s night for people who hate 80s nights”, it's been packing 'em in monthly at Komedia (komedia.co.uk) for 16 years with a soundtrack of Goth, Post-Punk, New Romantic, Alternative Rock, New Wave, Synthpop and Ska classics from 1979-1989, for a crowd whose age ranges from those who remember it all first time around to young 'uns discovering it afresh.

Full disclosure: I'm one of the DJs, and I'll be bringing it to The Sugar Club in Dublin on April 11, after a Q&A about my book Curepedia – An A-Z Of The Cure.

Also highly recommended for the more mature clubber is Just Lust, down an iron spiral staircase in The Rossi Bar (@therossibar), where DJ Jimmy Lager of indie band The Others spins a vinyl-only set of Punk, Soul, New Wave and whatever else he's got in his box.

For venues and gigs, bookmark the Brighton Centre and the Dome, adjacent to the Pavilion. Lower down the size scale, Concorde 2 and Chalk always have a healthy gig calendar, while the grass roots circuit is supported by The Hope And Ruin and, with its famous mural of dead rock legends, the punkier Prince Albert.

The gorgeous, Grade II-listed Hippodrome will be rejoining them soon: the derelict Victorian theatre, where the Beatles and the Stones once played, is being restored and is expected to reopen in May 2026.

What to see in Brighton

Whatever your view of the British monarchy, the Royal Pavilion is a Brighton icon. Built for George IV (son of the mad one) as a discreet retreat for seaside misbehaviour, it's an incredible building, from the onion-domed, Taj Mahal-esque exterior to the lavish Orientalism of the interior (look out for the mirrored dragon chandelier in the dining hall).

If you're a Mod, Quadrophenia locations are abundant, such as the Grand Hotel where Sting works as a bellboy (it also has other historical connotations which we won't go into here), or the alley where Phil Daniels has a knee-trembler with Leslie Ash. It smells of wee, but it's free.

Also free is the much-photographed rusting skeleton of the West Pier, which burned down not once but twice in suspicious circumstances. Overlooking the latter is the i360, Europe's tallest moving observation tower which resembles a sci-fi doughnut on a stick and offers spectacular views of the coastline, especially at sunset.

A cheaper way of seeing the sights is Volk's Electric Railway, the world's oldest service of its kind, which offers a charming bone-rattling ride along the seafront between April and September.

Where to shop in Brighton

Unless you're looking for vintage jewellery and truffle-flavoured fudge, veer away from the overhyped and twee Lanes and head inland to North Laine the pedestrianised Kensington Gardens.

Halfway along, Resident Records (resident-music.com) is a Brighton institution, with frequent in-store events from name acts. Directly across the road, Snoopers' Paradise (snoopersparadise.co.uk) is a treasure trove where you'll find a saucy Victorian postcard, an elegant 1920s walking cane, a kitschy 1960s lampshade and tacky 1980s Barbie Doll all in the same stall. The combination of which more-or-less sums up the city.

Where to stay in Brighton

Hotel Pelirocco (hotelpelirocco.co.uk), celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, is still the hippest place to stay. Set in a Georgian terrace overlooking the seafront on Regency Square, its 19 rooms are each individually themed around an aspect of popular culture: the current line-up includes David Bowie, Star Wars, Bettie Page, Motown, Leigh Bowery and Moulin Rouge.

The Peli's cocktail bar, a great place to hang out even if you're not a guest, makes it a popular stop-off for touring bands. DJs of the calibre of Don Letts have been known to play, and the hotel's 2003 compilation album helped break the then-unknown Scissor Sisters in the UK.

If self-catering is your preference, look up the compact but outrageously stylish Chapel Townhouse, with its cast-iron clawfoot bathtub, stained glass windows, big neon cross, and a chandelier made of wine glasses. It's on Airbnb.

Simon Price will be at The Sugar Club in Dublin on Friday, April 11, to talk about Curepedia – An A-Z Of The Cure, followed by his Alternative 80s club night, Spellbound. Book here.