View source for Brighton

{{short description|Seaside resort on the south coast of England}}
{{About|the seaside resort in England}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Brighton
| other_name         = 
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image | border = infobox | | perrow = 1/3/2/1 | total_width = 270 | align = center
| image1 = At_Brighton,_East_Sussex_2024_019.jpg
| caption1 = Brighton skyline
| image2 = Brighton_i360_during_Full_Ascent_(January_2017)_(5).JPG
| caption2 = [[Brighton i360]]
| image3 = Brighton royal pavilion Qmin.jpg
| caption3 = [[Royal Pavilion]]
| image4 = Brighton_Clock_Tower_(6046809909).jpg
| caption4 = [[Clock Tower, Brighton|Clock Tower]]
| image5 = Fountain at Brighton Marina - geograph.org.uk - 3090979.jpg
| caption5 = [[Brighton Marina]]
| image6 = Brighton_Sea_Life_Centre_(formerly_Aquarium),_Madeira_Drive,_Brighton_(NHLE_Code_1381698)_(September_2018)_(2).JPG
| caption6 = [[Sea Life Brighton]]
| image7 = Palace Pier, Brighton (NHLE Code 1381700) (September 2018).JPG
| caption7 = [[Brighton Palace Pier]]
}}
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = 
| image_map          = 
| pushpin_map        = East Sussex#England#UK#Europe
| pushpin_relief     = 1
| pushpin_map_caption = Location within East Sussex##Location within England##Location within the United Kingdom
| mapsize            = 
| map_caption        = 
| coordinates        = {{Coord|50|49|15|N|00|08|15|W|region:GB|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Sovereign state]]
| subdivision_name   = [[United Kingdom]]
| subdivision_type1  = {{nowrap|[[Countries of the United Kingdom|Constituent country]]}}
| subdivision_type2  = [[Regions of England|Region]]
| subdivision_type3  = {{nowrap|[[Ceremonial counties of England|Ceremonial county]]}}
| subdivision_type4  = [[Historic counties of England|Historic county]]
| subdivision_type5  = Unitary authority
| subdivision_type6  = Admin HQ
| subdivision_name1  = [[England]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[South East England]]
| subdivision_name3  = [[East Sussex]]
| subdivision_name4  = [[Sussex]]
| subdivision_name5  = [[Brighton and Hove]]
| subdivision_name6  = [[Hove Town Hall]]
| established_title  = Town charter
| established_date   = 1313
| established_title2 = Incorporated
| established_date2  = 1854
| established_title3 = Unitary authority
| established_date3  = 1997
| government_type    = [[Unitary authority]]
| leader_title       = Governing body
| leader_name        = [[Brighton and Hove City Council]]
| area_total_km2     = {{formatnum:{{English district area|GSS=E06000043}}|R}}
| population_total   = {{English district population|GSS=E06000043}} ([[List of English districts by population|ranked {{English district rank|GSS=E06000043}}]]) ([[Brighton and Hove]] pop.)
| population_as_of   = {{English statistics year}}
| population_density_km2 = {{English district density|GSS=E06000043}}
| population_blank1_title = Ethnicity
| population_blank1  = 
| population_demonym = Brightonian
| timezone1          = GMT
| utc_offset1        = 0
| postal_code_type   = [[List of postcode areas in the United Kingdom|Postcode area]]
| postal_code        = [[BN postcode area|BN]]
| area_code          = 01273
| website            = {{nowrap|{{URL|https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk}}}}
| established_title4 = City status
| established_date4  = 2000
| leader_title2      = Leader
| leader_name2       = Bella Sankey ([[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]])
| leader_title3      = Mayor
| leader_name3       = Amanda Grimshaw<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.brightonandhovenews.org/2025/05/22/new-mayor-of-brighton-and-hove-takes-over/ | title=New mayor of Brighton and Hove takes over | date=22 May 2025 }}</ref>
| leader_title4      = [[List of MPs elected in the 2024 United Kingdom general election|MPs]]
| leader_name4       = [[Chris Ward (British politician)|Chris Ward]] ([[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]], [[Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven (UK Parliament constituency)|Kemptown and Peacehaven]])<br />[[Siân Berry]] ([[Green Party of England and Wales|Green]], [[Brighton Pavilion (UK Parliament constituency)|Pavilion]])
| timezone_DST       = BST
| utc_offset_DST     = +1
| blank_name         = [[ISO 3166-2:GB|ISO 3166-2]]
| blank_info         = GB-BNH
| blank1_name        = [[ONS coding system|ONS code]]
| blank1_info        = 00ML (ONS)<br /> E06000043 (GSS)
| blank2_name        = [[British national grid reference system|OS grid reference]]
| blank2_info        = {{gbmappingsmall|TQ315065}}
| blank3_name        = [[Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics|NUTS]] 3
| blank3_info        = UKJ21
| blank4_name        = Police
| blank4_info        = [[Sussex Police|Sussex]]
| blank5_name        = Fire
| blank5_info        = [[East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service|East Sussex]]
| blank6_name        = Ambulance
| blank6_info        = [[South East Coast Ambulance Service|South East Coast]]
}}
'''Brighton''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|r|aɪ|t|ən|audio=LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Brighton.wav}} {{respell|BRY|tən}}) is a [[seaside resort]] in the unitary authority area of [[Brighton and Hove]], in [[East Sussex]], England, {{convert|47|mi}} south of [[London]].<ref>OS Explorer map 122: Brighton and Hove. Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing date: 2009. {{ISBN|978-0319240816}}</ref> Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the [[Bronze Age Britain|Bronze Age]], [[Roman conquest of Britain|Roman]] and [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] periods. The ancient settlement of "Brighthelmstone" was documented in the ''[[Domesday Book]]'' (1086). The town's importance grew in the [[Middle Ages]] as the Old Town developed, but it languished in the [[early modern period]], affected by foreign attacks, storms, a suffering economy and a declining population. Brighton began to attract more visitors following improved road transport to [[London]] and becoming a boarding point for boats travelling to [[France]]. The town also developed in popularity as a health resort for [[sea bathing]] as a purported cure for illnesses.

In the [[Georgian era]], Brighton developed as a highly fashionable seaside resort, encouraged by the patronage of the Prince Regent, later King [[George IV]], who spent much time in the town and constructed the [[Royal Pavilion]] in the [[Regency era]]. Brighton continued to grow as a major centre of tourism following the arrival of the railways in 1841, becoming a popular destination for day-trippers from London. Many of the major attractions were built in the [[Victorian era]], including the [[Grand Brighton Hotel|Grand Hotel]], the [[Hilton Brighton Metropole]], the [[Brighton Palace Pier|Palace Pier]] and the [[West Pier]]. The town continued to grow into the 20th century, expanding to incorporate more areas into the town's boundaries before joining [[Borough of Hove|Hove]] to form the [[unitary authority]] of Brighton and Hove in 1997, which was granted [[City status in the United Kingdom|city status]] in 2000.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/press-release/city-deal-beginning-a-great-city-region |title=City Deal; The beginning of a great city region |publisher=Brighton and Hove City Council |access-date=14 September 2015 |archive-date=6 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106135245/http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/press-release/city-deal-beginning-a-great-city-region |url-status=live}}</ref> Today, Brighton and Hove [[Districts of England|district]] has a resident population of about {{English district population|GSS=E06000043}} and the wider [[Brighton and Hove built-up area|Brighton and Hove conurbation]] has a population of 474,485 (2011 census).{{NoteTag|For statistical purposes, Brighton and Hove are grouped together. The larger conurbation also includes [[Worthing]] and [[Littlehampton]].}}

Brighton's location has made it a popular destination for tourists, renowned for its diverse communities, shopping areas, large and vibrant cultural, music and arts scene, and [[LGBT community of Brighton and Hove|its large LGBT population]], leading to its recognition as the "unofficial gay capital of the UK". As of the 2021 census, 10.7% of the population of Brighton and Hove over the age of 18 identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual, the highest percentage in the entire UK.<ref name="metro.co.uk"/> Brighton has been called the UK's "[[Hip (slang)|hippest]] city",<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/may/19/brighton-britains-coolest-city |title=Is Brighton Britain's hippest city? |first=Alexis |last=Petridis |website=The Guardian |date=19 May 2010 |access-date=10 August 2015 |archive-date=11 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150711104544/http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/may/19/brighton-britains-coolest-city |url-status=live}}</ref> as well as "the happiest place to live in the UK".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.sky.com/story/606579/brighton-the-happiest-place-in-the-uk |title=Brighton: 'The Happiest Place In The UK' |publisher=Sky News |access-date=10 August 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150711065112/http://news.sky.com/story/606579/brighton-the-happiest-place-in-the-uk |archive-date=11 July 2015}}</ref>
{{toc limit|3}}

==Toponymy==
The earliest attestation of Brighton's name is ''Bristelmestune'', recorded in the ''[[Domesday Book]]''. Although more than 40 variations have been documented, ''Brighthelmstone'' (or ''Brighthelmston'') was the standard rendering between the 14th and 18th centuries.<ref name="VCH56961">{{cite web |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/Sussex/vol7/pp244-263 |title=A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 7 – The Rape of Lewes. The Borough of Brighton |editor-last=Salzman |editor-first=L. F. |editor-link=Louis Francis Salzman |year=1940 |department=[[Victoria County History]] of Sussex |website=British History Online |pages=244–263 |access-date=27 September 2011 |archive-date=17 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200817205211/https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/sussex/vol7/pp244-263 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NEB44">{{Harvnb|Collis|2010|p=44.}}</ref>

''Brighton'' was originally an informal shortened form, first seen in 1660; it gradually supplanted the longer name and was in general use from the late 18th century, although ''Brighthelmstone'' remained the town's official name until 1810.<ref name="NEB44"/> The name is of [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] origin. Most scholars believe that it derives from ''Beorthelm'' + {{lang|ang|tūn}}—the [[homestead (buildings)|homestead]] of [[Beorhthelm (disambiguation)|Beorthelm]]<!--intentional link to DAB page-->, a common Old English name associated with villages elsewhere in England.<ref name="NEB44"/> The {{lang|ang|tūn}} element is common in Sussex, especially on the coast, although it occurs infrequently in combination with a personal name.<ref name="HistAtlas32–33">{{Harvnb|Leslie|Short|1999|pp=32–33.}}</ref> An alternative etymology taken from the Old English words for 'stony valley' is sometimes given but has less acceptance.<ref name="NEB44"/> ''Brighthelm'' gives its name to, among other things, a church,<ref name="NEB39">{{Harvnb|Collis|2010|p=39.}}</ref> a pub in Brighton,<ref name="JDW-Brighthelm">{{cite web |url=http://www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/home/pubs/the-bright-helm |title=The Bright Helm |year=2009–2013 |publisher=[[J D Wetherspoon]] plc |access-date=23 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224105810/http://www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/home/pubs/the-bright-helm |archive-date=24 December 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> some halls of residence at the [[University of Sussex]].<ref name="UniSx-Brighthelm">{{cite web |url=http://www.sussex.ac.uk/residentialservices/residences/oncampus/brighthelm |title=Brighthelm |publisher=[[University of Sussex]] |year=2013 |access-date=23 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224112400/http://www.sussex.ac.uk/residentialservices/residences/oncampus/brighthelm |archive-date=24 December 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Writing in 1950, historian Antony Dale noted that unnamed [[antiquarian|antiquaries]] had suggested an Old English word {{lang|ang|brist}} or {{lang|ang|briz}}, meaning 'divided', could have contributed the first part of the historic name Brighthelmstone. The town was originally split in half by the [[Wellesbourne, Brighton|Wellesbourne]], a [[winterbourne (stream)|winterbourne]] which was [[culvert]]ed and buried in the 18th century.<ref name="DaleH&A10+34">{{Harvnb|Dale|1950|pp=10, 34.}}</ref>

Brighton has several nicknames. Poet [[Horace Smith (poet)|Horace Smith]] called it "The Queen of Watering Places",<ref name="Antram3">{{Harvnb|Antram|Morrice|2008|p=3.}}</ref> and "Old Ocean's Bauble".<ref name="EncB16">{{Harvnb|Carder|1990|loc=§. 16.}}</ref> Novelist [[William Makepeace Thackeray]] referred to "Doctor Brighton", calling the town "one of the best of Physicians". "London-by-the-Sea" is well-known, reflecting Brighton's popularity with Londoners as a day-trip resort, a commuter dormitory and a desirable destination for those wanting to move out of the metropolis. "The Queen of Slaughtering Places", a pun on Smith's description, became popular when the [[Brighton trunk murders]] came to the public's attention in the 1930s.<ref name="EncB16"/> The mid-19th-century nickname "School Town" referred to the remarkable number of boarding, charity and church schools in the town at the time.<ref name="Sampson56">{{Harvnb|Sampson|1994|p=56.}}</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of Brighton}}
{{see also|Timeline of Brighton}}
The first settlement in the Brighton area was [[Whitehawk Camp]], a [[Neolithic]] encampment on [[Whitehawk Hill]] which has been dated to between 3500 BC and 2700 BC.<ref name="EncB17">{{Harvnb|Carder|1990|loc=§. 17.}}</ref> It is one of six [[causewayed enclosure]]s in Sussex. Archaeologists have only partially explored it, but have found numerous [[Tumulus|burial mounds]], tools and bones, suggesting it was a place of some importance.<ref name="BHCC-WhitehawkCamp">{{cite web |title=Whitehawk Camp |url=http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/leisure-and-libraries/parks-and-green-spaces/whitehawk-camp |publisher=Brighton and Hove City Council |access-date=7 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141011164312/http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/leisure-and-libraries/parks-and-green-spaces/whitehawk-camp |archive-date=11 October 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> There was also a [[Bronze Age]] settlement at [[Coldean]]. [[Britons (Celtic people)|Brythonic]] [[Celts]] arrived in Britain in the 7th century BC,<ref name="EncB17" /> and an important Brythonic settlement existed at [[Hollingbury Castle]] on Hollingbury Hill. This Celtic [[Iron Age]] encampment dates from the 3rd or 2nd century BC and is circumscribed by substantial earthwork outer walls with a diameter of {{circa}} {{cvt|1000|ft|m}}. [[Cissbury Ring]], roughly {{cvt|10|mi|km}} from Hollingbury, is suggested to have been the tribal "capital".<ref>{{cite web |title=Information derived from National Trust |url=http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-global/w-localtoyou/w-south_east/w-south_east-countryside/w-south_east-places-west_sussex/w-south_east-places-west_sussex-cissbury.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091026021250/http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-global/w-localtoyou/w-south_east/w-south_east-countryside/w-south_east-places-west_sussex/w-south_east-places-west_sussex-cissbury.htm |archive-date=26 October 2009}}</ref>

Later, there was a [[Roman villa]] at [[Preston Village, Brighton|Preston Village]], a [[London to Brighton Way|Roman road]] from London ran nearby, and much physical evidence of Roman occupation has been discovered locally.<ref name="EncB17"/> From the 1st century AD, the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] built a number of villas in Brighton and [[Romano-British culture|Romano-British]] Brythonic Celts formed farming settlements in the area.<ref>''Current Archaeology'', 13 March 2014, {{cite web |url=http://www.archaeology.co.uk/digging/fieldwork/rocky-clump-2.htm |title=Archived Document |access-date=27 April 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131115063755/http://www.archaeology.co.uk/digging/fieldwork/rocky-clump-2.htm |archive-date=15 November 2013}}. Retrieved 27 April 2014.</ref> After the Romans left in the early 4th century AD, the Brighton area returned to the control of the native Celts. [[Anglo-Saxons]] then invaded in the late 5th century AD, and the region became part of the [[Kingdom of Sussex]], founded in 477 AD by [[Ælle of Sussex|king Ælle]].<ref name="ASC">''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'' (Parker MS) ([https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/657 E-text)] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929150833/http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/657 |date=29 September 2007}}</ref>

[[Anthony Seldon]] identified five phases of development in pre-20th century Brighton.<ref name="Seldon-Ch2">{{Harvnb|Seldon|2002|loc=Ch. 2.}}</ref> The village of ''Bristelmestune'' was founded by these Anglo-Saxon invaders, probably in the early Saxon period. They were attracted by the easy access for boats, sheltered areas of raised land for building and better conditions compared to the damp, cold and misty [[Weald]] to the north.<ref name="Musgrave21">{{Harvnb|Musgrave|1981|p=21.}}</ref> By the time of the [[Domesday Book|Domesday survey]] in 1086 it was a fishing and agricultural settlement, a rent of 4,000 [[herring]] was established, and its population was about 400.<ref name="VCH56961"/><ref name="EncB17"/> By the 14th century there was a [[parish church]], a market and rudimentary law enforcement (the first town constable was elected in 1285).<ref name="Seldon32">{{Harvnb|Seldon|2002|p=32.}}</ref> Sacked and burnt by French invaders in the early 16th century—the earliest depiction of Brighton, a painting of {{circa}} 1520, shows Admiral [[Prégent de Bidoux|Pregent de Bidoux's]] attack of June 1514—the town recovered strongly based on a thriving [[mackerel]]-fishing industry.<ref name="Seldon33"/> The grid of streets in the Old Town (the present [[The Lanes|Lanes]] area) were well developed and the town grew quickly: the population rose from {{circa}} 1,500 in 1600 to {{circa}} 4,000 in the 1640s.<ref name="EncB17"/> By that time Brighton was Sussex's most populous and important town.<ref name="Seldon33">{{Harvnb|Seldon|2002|p=33.}}</ref>

Over the next few decades, though, events severely affected its local and national standing, such that by 1730 "it was a forlorn town decidedly down on its luck".<ref name="Seldon33"/> More foreign attacks, storms (especially the devastating [[Great Storm of 1703]]), a declining fishing industry, and the emergence of nearby [[Shoreham-by-Sea|Shoreham]] as a significant port caused its economy to suffer.<ref name="Seldon33" /> By 1708 other parishes in Sussex were charged rates to alleviate poverty in Brighton, and [[Daniel Defoe]] wrote that the expected £8,000 cost of providing sea defences was "more than the whole town was worth". The population declined to 2,000 in the early 18th century.<ref name="EncB17" />

From the 1730s, Brighton entered its second phase of development—one which brought a rapid improvement in its fortunes. The contemporary fad for drinking and bathing in seawater as [[hydrotherapy|a purported cure]] for illnesses was enthusiastically encouraged by [[Richard Russell (doctor)|Richard Russell]] from nearby [[Lewes]]. He sent many patients to "take the cure" in the sea at Brighton, published a popular treatise{{NoteTag|''De Tabe Glandulari, sive, De usu aquæ marinæ in morbis glandularum dissertatio'' (1750); translated into English in 1753 as ''Glandular Diseases, or a Dissertation on the Use of Sea Water in the Affections of the Glands''.<ref name="ODNB">{{cite ODNB |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/56302?docPos=4 |title=Oxford DNB article: Russell, Richard |last=Farrant |first=John H. |date=September 2011 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/56302 |access-date=13 February 2012}}</ref>}} on the subject, and moved to the town soon afterwards (the [[Royal Albion Hotel|Royal Albion]], one of Brighton's early hotels, occupies the site of his house).<ref name="Seldon34">{{Harvnb|Seldon|2002|p=34.}}</ref> Others were already visiting the town for recreational purposes before Russell became famous, and his actions coincided with other developments which made Brighton more attractive to visitors. From the 1760s it was a boarding point for boats travelling to France; road transport to London was improved<ref name="Seldon34–35">{{Harvnb|Seldon|2002|pp=34–35.}}</ref> when the main road via [[Crawley]] was [[Toll road|turnpiked]] in 1770;<ref name="Gwynne98">{{Harvnb|Gwynne|1990|p=98.}}</ref> and spas and indoor baths were opened by other entrepreneurial physicians such as [[Sake Dean Mahomed]] and [[Anthony Relhan]] (who also wrote the town's first guidebook).<ref name="Seldon34–35" />
[[File:Brighton West front by Pugin 1824 edited.jpg|thumb|[[Royal Pavilion]] by [[Augustus Pugin]], 1824]]
[[File:Brighton, the front and the chain pier seen in the distance.jpg|thumb|right|''Brighton, The Front and the [[Royal Suspension Chain Pier|Chain Pier]] Seen in the Distance'' by Frederick William Woledge, 1840]]

From 1780, the development of the [[Georgian architecture|Georgian terraces]] had started, and the fishing village developed as the fashionable resort of Brighton. The growth of the town was further encouraged by the patronage of the Prince Regent (later [[George IV of the United Kingdom|King George IV]]) after his first visit in 1783.<ref name="EncB71">{{Harvnb|Carder|1990|loc=§. 71.}}</ref> He spent much of his leisure time in the town and constructed the [[Royal Pavilion]] during the early part of his [[Regency era|Regency]]. In this period the modern form of the name Brighton came into common use.<ref name="PlaceNames">{{Harvnb|Mawer|Stenton|Gover|1930|p=291.}}</ref> A permanent military presence was established in the city with the completion of [[Preston Barracks]] in 1793.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk/page_id__6198.aspx |title=Preston Barracks, Lewes Road |publisher=My Brighton & Hove |access-date=22 September 2016 |archive-date=23 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923104332/http://www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk/page_id__6198.aspx |url-status=live}}</ref> It was rebuilt in 1830.

[[File:Brighton aquarium photochrom.jpg|thumb|[[Photochrom]] of Brighton aquarium, 1890–1900]]
The population increased rapidly throughout the 19th century from 7,339 in 1801 to 46,661 in 1841,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Knight |first1=Charles |title=The National Cyclopaedia of Useful Knowledge |date=1847 |volume=III |page=809}}</ref> and by 1901 the population had reached more than 120,000.<ref name="EncB127">{{Harvnb|Carder|1990|loc=§. 127.}}</ref> The arrival of the [[London and Brighton Railway]] in 1841 brought Brighton within the reach of day-trippers from London. Many of the major attractions were built during the [[Victorian era]], such as the [[Grand Brighton Hotel|Grand Hotel]] (1864), the [[West Pier]] (1866), and the [[Brighton Palace Pier|Palace Pier]] (1899). Prior to either of these structures, the famous [[Royal Suspension Chain Pier]] was built, to the designs of Captain Samuel Brown. It lasted from 1823 to 1896 and is featured in paintings by both [[J. M. W. Turner|Turner]] and [[John Constable|Constable]].<ref name="EncB34">{{Harvnb|Carder|1990|loc=§. 34.}}</ref>

Due to the boundary changes, the land area of Brighton expanded from <span style="white-space:nowrap">1,640&nbsp;acres&nbsp;(7&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>)</span> in 1854 to <span style="white-space:nowrap">14,347&nbsp;acres&nbsp;(58&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>)</span> in 1952.<ref>{{harvnb|Carder|1990|p=13}}</ref> New housing estates were established in the acquired areas, including [[Moulsecoomb]], [[Bevendean]], [[Coldean]] and [[Whitehawk]]. The major expansion of 1928 also incorporated the villages of [[Patcham]], [[Ovingdean]] and [[Rottingdean]], and much council housing was built in parts of [[Woodingdean]] after the Second World War. By the 1970s, the town had acquired a reputation as a retirement destination, with an elderly population.<ref name="BBRH51">{{Harvnb|Brighton Borough Council|1985|p=51.}}</ref> However, this was reversed in the 1990s, as Brighton regained the fashionable status it held in the 18th and 19th centuries.

In 1997, the town of Brighton and its neighbouring town Hove were joined to form the [[unitary authority]] of [[Brighton and Hove]], which was granted [[city status in the United Kingdom|city status]] by Queen [[Elizabeth II]] as part of the [[millennium]] celebrations in 2000.<ref name="NEB73">{{Harvnb|Collis|2010|p=73.}}</ref>

==Demography==
{{See also|Brighton and Hove#Census|Brighton and Hove built-up area}}

{{As of|2017}}, the [[Brighton and Hove]] district, of which Brighton is the largest area, has an estimated resident population of {{English district population|GSS=E06000043}} residents.<ref>{{cite web |title=Labour Market Profile - Brighton and Hove |url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/lmp/la/1946157280/report.aspx |website=Nomis |publisher=[[Office for National Statistics]] |access-date=3 October 2018 |language=en |archive-date=3 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003062014/https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/lmp/la/1946157280/report.aspx |url-status=live}}</ref> It is [[List of English districts by population|ranked the {{English district rank|GSS=E06000043}}]] most populous district in England. Compared to the national average, Brighton has fewer children and old residents but a large proportion of adults aged 20–44.<ref>{{cite web |title=Brighton & Hove City Snapshot |url=https://www.bhconnected.org.uk/sites/bhconnected/files/City%20Snapshot%20Report%20of%20Statistics%202014%202.pdf |publisher=[[Brighton and Hove City Council]] |access-date=3 October 2018 |year=2014 |archive-date=7 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180807040346/https://www.bhconnected.org.uk/sites/bhconnected/files/City%20Snapshot%20Report%20of%20Statistics%202014%202.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

Brighton has long had an [[LGBT community of Brighton and Hove|LGBT-friendly history]]. In a 2014 estimate, 11–15 per&nbsp;cent of the city's population aged 16 or over is thought to be lesbian, gay or bisexual.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bhconnected.org.uk/sites/bhconnected/files/City%20Snapshot%20Report%20of%20Statistics%202014%202.pdf |title=Brighton and Hove City Snapshot |access-date=23 March 2016 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303215608/http://www.bhconnected.org.uk/sites/bhconnected/files/City%20Snapshot%20Report%20of%20Statistics%202014%202.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> The city also had the highest percentage of same-sex households in the UK in 2004<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/3456635.stm |title=Brighton 'has most gay couples' |website=BBC News |date=3 February 2004 |access-date=11 July 2015 |archive-date=11 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911100035/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/3456635.stm |url-status=live}}</ref> and the largest number of civil partnership registrations outside London in 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob2/civil-partnership-statistics--united-kingdom/2013/stb-civil-partnerships-2013.html?format=print |title=Civil Partnerships in the UK, 2013 – ONS |access-date=10 August 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924130241/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob2/civil-partnership-statistics--united-kingdom/2013/stb-civil-partnerships-2013.html?format=print |archive-date=24 September 2015}}</ref> The 2021 census, which was the first to measure sexual orientation, recorded that 11% of people identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual; higher than the national and regional averages which were 3%.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sexual orientation in Brighton & Hove |url=https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/joint-strategic-needs-assessment-jsna/population-and-population-groups/sexual-orientation-brighton-hove |access-date=2025-11-16 |website=Brighton and Hove City Council |language=en}}</ref>

===Religion===
Brighton is identified as one of the least religious places in the UK, based upon analysis of the 2011 census which revealed that 42 per cent of the population profess [[Irreligion in the United Kingdom|no religion]], far higher than the national average of 25 per&nbsp;cent.<ref name="religion">{{cite web |title=2011 UK Population Census: Religion |url=https://new.brighton-hove.gov.uk/sites/default/files/migrated/article/inline/2.%20%20Census%202011%20City%20Data_0.pdf |publisher=[[Brighton and Hove City Council]] |page=20 |date=2011 |access-date=23 June 2020 |archive-date=27 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627013800/https://new.brighton-hove.gov.uk/sites/default/files/migrated/article/inline/2.%20%20Census%202011%20City%20Data_0.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>{{update inline|reason=to reflect the 2021 census|date=February 2024}} Brighton has been described as the UK's most "Godless" city.<ref>{{cite news |title=Brighton and Hove is country's most Godless city |url=https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/10102833.brighton-and-hove-is-countrys-most-godless-city/ |access-date=21 June 2020 |work=[[The Argus (Brighton)|The Argus]] |date=12 December 2012 |language=en-GB |archive-date=27 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727052544/https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/10102833.brighton-and-hove-is-countrys-most-godless-city/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The largest religion is [[Christianity]], with 43 per&nbsp;cent reporting an affiliation. The second-largest religion is [[Islam]], with 2.2 per&nbsp;cent, which is lower than the national average.<ref name="religion"/>

As part of the [[Jedi census phenomenon]] in 2001, 2.6 per&nbsp;cent claimed their religion was 'Jedi Knight', the largest percentage in the country.<ref>{{cite web |last=Haines |first=Lester |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/01/28/brighton_tops_uk_jedi_league/ |title=Brighton Tops Jedi League |website=The Register |date=28 January 2004 |access-date=10 May 2013 |archive-date=17 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117081519/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/01/28/brighton_tops_uk_jedi_league/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Homelessness===
{{See also|Homelessness in the United Kingdom}}
In December 2021, new data released by [[Shelter (charity)|Shelter]], revealed that "one in 78 people in Brighton and Hove are homeless".<ref>One in 78 people homeless in B&H:[https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/19771287.one-78-people-brighton-hove-homeless-shelter-data-reveals/ Shelter report] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211214125946/https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/19771287.one-78-people-brighton-hove-homeless-shelter-data-reveals/ |date=14 December 2021 }}</ref> The report also records the city as having the third highest rate of homelessness in England, with [[London]] claiming the top spot followed by [[Luton]].<ref>Shelter, homelessness in England report: [https://england.shelter.org.uk/professional_resources/policy_and_research/policy_library/homelessness_in_england_2021 Homelessness in England] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211210135242/https://england.shelter.org.uk/professional_resources/policy_and_research/policy_library/homelessness_in_england_2021 |date=10 December 2021 }}</ref> 
In a previous charity report issued in November 2016, three areas in Brighton & Hove, East Brighton, Queen's Park, and Moulsecoomb & Bevendean ranked in the top ten per cent nationally for deprivation.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.hastingsobserver.co.uk/news/politics/levels-of-deprivation-across-sussex-revealed-by-charity-report-1-7672973 |work=[[Hastings & St. Leonards Observer]] |title=Levels of deprivation across Sussex revealed by charity report |date=10 November 2016 |access-date=25 January 2017 |archive-date=3 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203050131/http://www.hastingsobserver.co.uk/news/politics/levels-of-deprivation-across-sussex-revealed-by-charity-report-1-7672973 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Brighton 2019, Castle Square - homelessness, tents.jpg|thumb|[[Rough sleeper]]s' tents in Brighton's Castle Square]]
Although deprivation in Brighton is distributed across the city, it is more concentrated in some areas.<ref>{{Cite news |last=O'Hara |first=Mary |last2=O’Hara |first2=Mary |date=2007-09-12 |title=Weathering the storm |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2007/sep/12/guardiansocietysupplement.communities |access-date=2025-09-18 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> The highest concentration is in the Whitehawk, Moulsecoomb, and Hollingbury areas but is also found around the St. James's Street and Eastern Road areas.<ref>[https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/17736227.residents-slam-sickening-spread-of-drugs-in-kemp-town/ "Residents slam 'sickening' spread of drugs in Kemp Town"]  The Argus, 28 June 2019. {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629105855/https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/17736227.residents-slam-sickening-spread-of-drugs-in-kemp-town/ |date=29 June 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bhconnected.org.uk/sites/bhconnected/files/BHC%20(16)%2002%20Briefing%20pack.pdf |title=Conference Survey Statistics |publisher=Brighton and Hove Connected |date=26 April 2016 |access-date=25 August 2017 |archive-date=2 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202051936/http://www.bhconnected.org.uk/sites/bhconnected/files/BHC%20(16)%2002%20Briefing%20pack.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> A 2015 government statistic showed that the area around Brighton's Palace Pier roundabout and to the east towards St James's Street in [[Kemptown, Brighton|Kemptown]] is the seventh-worst [[Quality of life|living environment]] in England.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/13805645.display |work=The Argus |title=New study shows Brighton and Hove has some of the most deprived areas in the country |date=6 October 2015 |access-date=26 January 2017 |archive-date=2 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202075533/http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/13805645.display/ |url-status=live}}</ref> On 19 January 2017, Brighton council announced they were looking at certain initiatives to try to alleviate some of the increasing homelessness seen on Brighton's streets and were hoping to open the first in-house temporary housing for homeless people in the city.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brightonandhovenews.org/2017/01/19/council-to-open-first-in-house-temporary-housing-for-homeless-people |website=Brighton and Hove News |title=Council to open first in-house temporary housing for homeless people |date=19 January 2017 |access-date=27 August 2017 |archive-date=12 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812210304/http://www.brightonandhovenews.org/2017/01/19/council-to-open-first-in-house-temporary-housing-for-homeless-people/ |url-status=live}}</ref> 
Homelessness figures released by [[Crisis (charity)|Crisis]] in December 2018 reported a record high in the UK, with figures in [[Sussex]], including Brighton and Hove, reported as being "high".<ref>Peter Lindsey (22 December 2018) [https://web.archive.org/web/20181228082846/https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/17316709.crisis-as-homelessness-reaches-record-high/ Crisis as Homelessness Reaches Record High] ''[[The Argus (Brighton)|The Argus]]''</ref><ref>''Brighton Argus'', 30 January 2019, article by Karen Goodwin: Concerns over growing homeless camps in city centre: https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/17395759.concerns-over-growing-homeless-camps-in-city-centre/ {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190130220913/https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/17395759.concerns-over-growing-homeless-camps-in-city-centre/ |date=30 January 2019}}</ref>

At a meeting of the full B&H Council on 25 March 2021, Brighton and Hove became the first UK City to adopt the [[Homeless Bill of Rights]].<ref>B&H Homeless Bill of Rights:[https://homelessrights.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/BrightonHomelessBillofRights.pdf Homeless Bill of Rights] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211214125946/https://homelessrights.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/BrightonHomelessBillofRights.pdf |date=14 December 2021 }}</ref>
The bill was passed by 31 votes to 11, with 7 abstentions.<ref>B&H Homeless Bill of Rights (article):https://criticallegalthinking.com/2021/04/06/brighton-and-hoves-homeless-bill-of-rights/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211214125947/https://criticallegalthinking.com/2021/04/06/brighton-and-hoves-homeless-bill-of-rights/ |date=14 December 2021 }}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:Undercliff Walk, Rottingdean - geograph.org.uk - 298484.jpg|thumb|right|To the east of Brighton, chalk cliffs protected by a sea-wall rise from the beach.]]
[[File:A23 closed by floods, November 2000 - geograph.org.uk - 1656937.jpg|thumb|right|The underground Wellesbourne can rise to the surface during heavy rain, as in November 2000, when it flooded the London Road in Preston village.]]

Brighton lies between the [[South Downs]] and the [[English Channel]] to the north and south, respectively. The Sussex coast forms a wide, shallow bay between the [[headland]]s of [[Selsey Bill]] and [[Beachy Head]]; Brighton developed near the centre of this bay around a [[Winterbourne (stream)|seasonal river]], the [[Wellesbourne, Brighton|Wellesbourne]] (or Whalesbone), which flowed from the South Downs above [[Patcham]].<ref name="VCH56961"/><ref name="EncB15">{{Harvnb|Carder|1990|loc=§. 15.}}</ref> This emptied into the English Channel at the beach near the East Cliff, forming "the natural drainage point for Brighton".<ref name="NEB246">{{Harvnb|Collis|2010|p=246.}}</ref>

Behind the estuary was a stagnant pond called the Pool or Poole, so named since the medieval era.{{NoteTag|The name was documented as ''Poole'' in 1296 and 1497.<ref name="NEB246"/>}} This was built over with houses and shops from 1793, when the Wellesbourne was [[culvert]]ed to prevent flooding,<ref name="NEB246"/><ref name="BTBP95">{{Harvnb|Dale|1976|p=95.}}</ref> and only the name of the road (Pool Valley, originally Pool Lane)<ref name="BTBP8">{{Harvnb|Dale|1976|p=8.}}</ref> marks its site. [[9 Pool Valley, Brighton|One original house]] survives from the time of the pool's enclosure.<ref name="VCH56961"/> Behind Pool Valley is [[Old Steine]] (historically ''The Steyne''), originally a flat and marshy area where fishermen dried their nets. The Wellesbourne occasionally reappears during times of prolonged heavy rain; author [[Mark Antony Lower]] referred to an early 19th-century drawing of the [[Royal Pavilion]] showing "quite a pool of water across the Steyne".<ref name="Lower248">{{Harvnb|Lower|1864|p=248.}}</ref>

Despite 16th-century writer [[Andrew Boorde]]'s claim that "Bryght-Hempston [is] among the noble ports and havens of the realm",<ref name="Lower247">{{Harvnb|Lower|1864|p=247.}}</ref> Brighton never developed as a significant port: rather, it was considered as part of [[Shoreham-by-Sea|Shoreham]]. Nevertheless, the descriptions "Port of Brighthelmston" or "Port of Brighton" were sometimes used between the 14th and 19th centuries, as for example in 1766 when its notional limits were defined for customs purposes.<ref name="EncB128">{{Harvnb|Carder|1990|loc=§. 128.}}</ref>

The East Cliff runs for several miles from Pool Valley towards [[Rottingdean]] and [[Saltdean]], reaching {{cvt|80|ft|m|order=flip}} above sea level. The soil beneath it, a mixture of [[alluvium]] and clay with some flint and chalk [[rubble]], has experienced erosion for many years.<ref name="EncB56">{{Harvnb|Carder|1990|loc=§. 56.}}</ref> The cliff itself, like the rest of Brighton's soil, is chalk.<ref name="VCH56961"/> Below this are thin layers of [[Greensand#Upper Greensand|Upper]] and [[Greensand (geology)|Lower Greensand]] separated by a thicker band of [[Gault|Gault clay]].<ref name="HistAtlas3">{{Harvnb|Leslie|Short|1999|p=3.}}</ref> The land slopes upwards gradually from south to north towards the top of the Downs.

Main transport links developed along the floor of the Wellesbourne valley, from which the land climbs steeply—particularly on the east side. The earliest settlement was by the beach at the bottom of the valley,<ref name="EncB15"/> which was partly protected from erosion by an underwater [[sandbar]]. Changes in sea level affected the foreshore several times: {{cvt|40|acre|ha}} disappeared in the first half of the 14th century,<ref name="EncB43">{{Harvnb|Carder|1990|loc=§. 43.}}</ref> and the [[Great Storm of 1703]] caused widespread destruction. The first sea defences were erected in 1723,<ref name="EncB43"/> and a century later a long sea wall was built.<ref name="EncB56"/>

{{wide image|Brighton Seafront vom Pier.JPG|800px|Brighton seafront from the [[Brighton Palace Pier|Palace Pier]]}}

===Climate===
{{See also|Climate of the United Kingdom}}
Brighton has a [[Temperateness|temperate]] climate: its [[Köppen climate classification#Group C: Temperate/mesothermal climates|Köppen climate classification]] is ''Cfb''. It is characterised by cool summers and cool winters with frequent cloudy and rainy periods.<ref name="EncB40">{{Harvnb|Carder|1990|loc=§. 40.}}</ref> Average rainfall levels increase as the land rises: the 1958–1990 mean was {{cvt|740|mm|in}} on the seafront and about {{cvt|1000|mm|in}} at the top of the South Downs above Brighton.<ref name="EncB40"/> Storms caused serious damage in [[Great Storm of 1703|1703]], 1806, 1824, 1836, 1848, 1850, 1896, 1910 and [[Great Storm of 1987|1987]]. Heavy snow is rare, but particularly severe falls were recorded in 1881 and 1967.<ref name="EncB40"/>
{{Weather box
|location=Brighton
|metric first=Yes
|single line=Yes
|Jan high C=8.0
|Feb high C=8.6
|Mar high C=10.6
|Apr high C=13.5
|May high C=16.5
|Jun high C=19.4
|Jul high C=21.2
|Aug high C=21.2
|Sep high C=19.4
|Oct high C=15.9
|Nov high C=11.6
|Dec high C=8.8
|year high C=14.6
|Jan low C=3.9
|Feb low C=3.1
|Mar low C=3.8
|Apr low C=5.3
|May low C=8.6
|Jun low C=11.2
|Jul low C=13.3
|Aug low C=13.3
|Sep low C=11.1
|Oct low C=9.1
|Nov low C=5.9
|Dec low C=3.7
|year low C=7.7
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm=74
|Feb precipitation mm=57
|Mar precipitation mm=42
|Apr precipitation mm=34
|May precipitation mm=45
|Jun precipitation mm=39
|Jul precipitation mm=50
|Aug precipitation mm=55
|Sep precipitation mm=47
|Oct precipitation mm=77
|Nov precipitation mm=86
|Dec precipitation mm=75
|year precipitation mm=680
|source 1=WeatherOnline<ref>{{cite web |title=WeatherOnline |url=https://www.weatheronline.co.uk/weather/maps/city?LANG=en&PLZ=_____&PLZN=_____&WMO=03876&CONT=ukuk&R=0&LEVEL=162&REGION=0003&LAND=UK&MOD=tab&ART=PRE&NOREGION=1 |website=Brighton City Airport Climate Averages (2020-2025) |access-date=29 September 2025}}</ref>}}
{|class="wikitable"
|+Average sea temperature<ref>[http://www.seatemperature.org/europe/united-kingdom/brighton-january.htm Brighton average sea temperature] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706102403/http://www.seatemperature.org/europe/united-kingdom/brighton-january.htm |date=6 July 2015 }} – seatemperature.org</ref>
|-
!'''Jan'''
!'''Feb'''
!'''Mar'''
!'''Apr'''
!'''May'''
!'''Jun'''
!'''Jul'''
!'''Aug'''
!'''Sep'''
!'''Oct'''
!'''Nov'''
!'''Dec'''
!'''Year'''
|-
|style="background:#9ff; color:black;"|{{cvt|9.2|°C|°F}}
|style="background:#9ff; color:black;"|{{cvt|8.7|°C|°F}}
|style="background:#9ff; color:black;"|{{cvt|8.2|°C|°F}}
|style="background:#9ff; color:black;"|{{cvt|9.6|°C|°F}}
|style="background:#9fc; color:black;"|{{cvt|11.4|°C|°F}}
|style="background:#cf9; color:black;"|{{cvt|13.6|°C|°F}}
|style="background:#ff9; color:black;"|{{cvt|15.4|°C|°F}}
|style="background:#ff9; color:black;"|{{cvt|16.9|°C|°F}}
|style="background:#ff6; color:black;"|{{cvt|17.3|°C|°F}}
|style="background:#ff9; color:black;"|{{cvt|16.3|°C|°F}}
|style="background:#cf9; color:black;"|{{cvt|14.7|°C|°F}}
|style="background:#9fc; color:black;"|{{cvt|12.0|°C|°F}}
|style="background:#9fc; color:black;"|{{cvt|12.8|°C|°F}}
|}

===Boundaries and areas===
{|class="wikitable" align=right
|-
! Date from
! Parish area<ref name="NEB34–35">{{Harvnb|Collis|2010|pp=34–35.}}</ref>
|-
|{{circa}} 11th century
|{{cvt|1640|acre|ha}}
|-
|31 October 1873
|{{cvt|1640|acre|ha}}
|-
|1 October 1923
|{{cvt|1640|acre|ha}}
|-
|1 April 1928
|{{cvt|12503|acre|ha}}
|-
|1 April 1952
|{{cvt|14347|acre|ha}}
|-
|31 March 1972
|{{cvt|15041|acre|ha}}
|-
|1 April 1993
|{{cvt|15140|acre|ha}}
|-
|1 April 1997{{NoteTag|Area of the unitary authority of Brighton and Hove<ref name="NEB35" />}}
|{{cvt|21632|acre|ha}}
|}
At the time of the [[Domesday Book|Domesday survey]] in 1086, Brighton was in the [[Rape of Lewes]] and the [[Hundred (county division)#England|Hundred]] of Welesmere. The new Hundred of Whalesbone, which covered the parishes of Brighton, [[West Blatchington]], [[Preston Village, Brighton|Preston]] and [[Hove]], was formed in 1296. Parishes moved in and out several times, and by 1801 only Brighton and [[West Blatchington]] were included in the Hundred.<ref name="VCH56959">{{cite web |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/Sussex/vol7/p241 |title=A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 7 – The Rape of Lewes. The hundred of Whalesbone |editor-last=Salzman |editor-first=L.F. |editor-link=Louis Francis Salzman |year=1940 |website=[[Victoria County History]] of Sussex |publisher=British History Online |page=241 |access-date=27 September 2011 |archive-date=26 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926032607/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/sussex/vol7/p241 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In its original form, Brighton parish covered about {{cvt|1640|acre|ha}} between the English Channel, Hove, Preston, [[Ovingdean]] and [[Rottingdean]]. The borough (but not the civil parish) was first extended from 31 October 1873, when {{cvt|905|acre|ha}} was annexed from Preston civil parish. In 1894 the part outside the borough became Preston Rural civil parish and Preston civil parish continued in the borough. On 1 April 1889 Brighton became a county borough.

On 1 October 1923, {{cvt|94|acre|ha}} were added to Brighton borough and to Preston civil parish from Patcham parish: Brighton Corporation was developing the [[Moulsecoomb]] [[Council house|estate]] there at the time. On 1 April 1928, Brighton civil parish was extended to include Preston civil parish. On the same date the borough grew by nearly five times by adding Ovingdean and Rottingdean parishes in their entirety and parts of [[Falmer]], Patcham and West Blatchington; it also exchanged small parts with Hove municipal borough. All the areas added to the borough became part of Brighton civil parish.<ref name="NEB34">{{Harvnb|Collis|2010|p=34.}}</ref> From 1 April 1952, more of Falmer and part of the adjacent [[Stanmer]] parish were added; 20 years later, land and marine territory associated with the new [[Brighton Marina]] development also became part of Brighton. Except for a small addition of rural land in 1993 (from [[Pyecombe]] parish), Brighton Borough's boundaries remained the same until it was joined to Hove Borough in 1997 to form the [[Unitary authorities of England|unitary authority]] of Brighton and Hove.<ref name="NEB35">{{Harvnb|Collis|2010|p=35.}}</ref>

The old boundary between Brighton and Hove is most clearly seen on the seafront, where the King Edward Peace Statue (1912) straddles the border, and in a [[Alley|twitten]] called Boundary Passage which runs northwards from Western Road to Montpelier Place.<ref name="AboutBtn57">{{Harvnb|Dale|1986|p=57.}}</ref> There is a [[Listed building|Grade II-listed]] parish boundary marker stone in this passageway.<ref name="NHLE-1380005">{{National Heritage List for England|desc=Boundary Stone Approximately 40 Metres North of Western Road, Boundary Passage, Brighton|num=1380005|grade=II |access-date=19 August 2013}}</ref> Between Western Road and the seafront, the boundary runs up Little Western Street (pavement on eastern side, in Brighton), but it is not visible.<ref name="AboutBtn57"/> Northwards from Western Road, it runs to the west of Norfolk Road, Norfolk Terrace, Windlesham Road and Windlesham Gardens in the [[Montpelier, Brighton|Montpelier]] area, then along the south side of Davigdor Road to [[Seven Dials, Brighton|Seven Dials]]. From there it runs along the west side of Dyke Road as far as Withdean Road in [[Withdean]], at which point it crosses Dyke Road so that the section north of that is part of Hove parish. The boundary continues to follow Dyke Road towards [[Devil's Dyke, Sussex|Devil's Dyke]] on the South Downs.<ref name="B&HMap-1960">{{cite map |publisher=G.I. Barnett Publishers & Cartographers |title=Barnett's Official Street Plan: Brighton and Hove |year=1960 |scale=1:15840 |cartography=[[Ordnance Survey]] |section=G9,G8,H7,G7,G6,F6,F5,E4,D3,C3 |location=Ilford}}</ref>

{{Geographic Location
|title=Neighbouring districts and places
|Northwest=[[Hove, England|Hove]]
|North=[[Gatwick Airport]]
|Northeast=[[East Sussex]]
|West=[[Worthing, England|Worthing]]
|Centre=Brighton
|East=[[Eastbourne]]
|Southwest=[[Isle of Wight]]
|South=[[English Channel]]
|Southeast=[[France]]
}}

==Governance and politics==
{{see also|Public services in Brighton and Hove}}
Brighton is covered by two constituencies in the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]]: [[Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven (UK Parliament constituency)|Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven]] and [[Brighton Pavilion (UK Parliament constituency)|Brighton Pavilion]]. In the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024 general election]], Brighton Kemptown elected [[Chris Ward (British politician)|Chris Ward]], [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]];<ref>{{cite news |title=Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven results |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/E14001129 |access-date=8 July 2024}}</ref>  Brighton Pavilion elected [[Siân Berry]], [[Green Party of England and Wales|Green Party]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Brighton Pavilion |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/E14001130 |access-date=8 July 2024}}</ref>

There are 21 wards in the city of Brighton and Hove, of which 12 are in Brighton. Regency, St Peter's & North Laine, Preston Park, Withdean, Patcham, Hollingdean & Stanmer and Hanover & Elm Grove are part of the Brighton Pavilion constituency; Moulsecoomb & Bevendean, Queen's Park, East Brighton, Woodingdean and Rottingdean Coastal are covered by the Brighton Kemptown constituency.<ref name="BHCC-Wards">{{cite web |url=http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/sites/brighton-hove.gov.uk/files/Councillor%20Ward%20Map_aug2013.pdf |title=Ward Map |date=August 2013 |publisher=Brighton and Hove City Council |access-date=6 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106220119/http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/sites/brighton-hove.gov.uk/files/Councillor%20Ward%20Map_aug2013.pdf |archive-date=6 January 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The newly created Borough of Brighton consisted of six wards in 1854: St Nicholas, St Peter, Pier, Park, Pavilion and West. When the territory was extended to include part of [[Preston Village, Brighton|Preston]] parish in 1873, the new area became a seventh ward named Preston. The seven were split into 14 in 1894: Hanover, Kemp Town (renamed King's Cliff in 1908), Lewes Road, Montpelier, Pavilion, Pier, Preston, Preston Park, Queen's Park, Regency, St John, St Nicholas, St Peter, and West. Preston ward was extended in 1923 to incorporate the area taken into the borough from Patcham parish in 1923 for the construction of the Moulsecoomb estate, and in 1928 the ward was divided into four: Hollingbury, Moulsecoomb, Preston and Preston Park. Elm Grove and Patcham wards were created at the same time, bringing the total to 19. There were further changes in 1952, 1955 and 1983, at which time there were 16 wards.<ref name="EncB47">{{Harvnb|Carder|1990|loc=§47.}}</ref> This situation continued until 1 April 1997, when Hove and its wards became part of the new [[unitary authority]] of [[Brighton and Hove]].<ref name="NEB156">{{Harvnb|Collis|2010|p=156.}}</ref>

[[File:Brighton Town Hall (IoE Code 479446).jpg|thumb|right|Brighton Town Hall dates from 1830.]]
[[Brighton Town Hall, England|Brighton Town Hall]] occupies a large site in [[the Lanes]]. Medieval Brighthelmston had a town hall, although it was called the Townhouse and functioned more like a market hall. A later building (1727) known as the Town Hall was principally used as a [[workhouse]]. Work on the first purpose-built town hall began in 1830; [[Thomas Read Kemp]] laid the first stone, and Thomas Cooper designed it on behalf of the Brighton Town Commissioners (of which he was a member). Brighton Corporation spent £40,000 to extend it in 1897–99 to the [[Classical architecture|Classical]] design of Brighton Borough Surveyor Francis May. Despite this, the building was too small for municipal requirements by the mid-20th century, and extra council buildings were built in locations throughout Brighton Borough Council's existence: the most recent, Bartholomew House and Priory House next to the town hall, were finished in 1987.<ref name="NEB341–342">{{Harvnb|Collis|2010|pp=341–342.}}</ref><ref name="Antram72">{{Harvnb|Antram|Morrice|2008|p=72.}}</ref> The town hall ceased to be responsible solely for Brighton's affairs when Brighton and Hove were united in 1997, but it is still used by Brighton & Hove City Council—particularly for weddings and civil partnerships.<ref name="BHCC-TownHall">{{cite web |url=http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/community-and-life-events/births-deaths-and-marriages/ceremonies-brighton-town-hall |title=Ceremonies in Brighton Town Hall |year=2013 |publisher=Brighton & Hove City Council |access-date=23 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224115106/http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/community-and-life-events/births-deaths-and-marriages/ceremonies-brighton-town-hall |archive-date=24 December 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The presence of a British subsidiary of the United States arms company [[EDO Corporation]] on the Home Farm Industrial Estate in [[Moulsecoomb]] has been the cause of protests since 2004. The premises were significantly damaged in January 2009 when protesters broke in.<ref name="NEB205">{{Harvnb|Collis|2010|p=205.}}</ref>

==Economy==
In 1985, the Borough Council described three "myths" about Brighton's economy. Common beliefs were that most of the working population commuted to London every day; that tourism provided most of Brighton's jobs and income; or that the borough's residents were "composed entirely of wealthy theatricals and retired business people" rather than workers.<ref name="BBRH51"/> Brighton has been an important centre for commerce and employment since the 18th century. It is home to several major companies, some of which employ thousands of people locally; as a retail centre it is of regional importance; creative, digital and new media businesses are increasingly significant; and, although Brighton was never a major industrial centre, its [[Brighton railway works|railway works]] contributed to Britain's rail industry in the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly in the manufacture of steam locomotives.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-12-27 |title=Brighton Locomotive Works / Brighton Works |url=https://www.brightontoymuseum.co.uk/index/Category:Brighton_Locomotive_Works |access-date=2025-09-19 |website=The Brighton Toy and Model Index |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Since the amalgamation of Brighton and Hove, economic and retail data has been produced at a citywide level only. Examples of statistics include: Brighton and Hove's tourism industry contributes £380m to the economy and employs 20,000 people directly or indirectly; the city has 9,600 registered companies; and a 2001 report identified it as one of five "supercities for the future".<ref name="NEB113">{{Harvnb|Collis|2010|p=113.}}</ref> In the past couple of years tourists to Brighton and Hove have fallen in numbers. Over 2016, day visitors to Brighton and Hove dropped by an average of 2,400 per day.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theargus.co.uk/business/14794028.Day_visitors_to_Brighton_and_Hove_fall_by_a_million |location=Brighton |work=[[The Argus (Brighton)|The Argus]] |title=Day visitors to Brighton and Hove fall by a million |date=11 October 2016 |access-date=11 August 2017 |archive-date=11 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170811143741/http://www.theargus.co.uk/business/14794028.Day_visitors_to_Brighton_and_Hove_fall_by_a_million/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-37619384 |work=[[BBC News]] |title=Drop in day visitors to Brighton and Hove |date=11 October 2016 |access-date=21 July 2018 |archive-date=31 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181031194250/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-37619384 |url-status=live}}</ref> In August 2017, new figures for the year showed Brighton's tourism had fallen by a further 1 per cent on the previous year.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/15465791.New_figures_reveal_visitor_numbers_are_down_so_has_Brighton_lost_some_sparkle_/ |work=The Argus |title=New figures reveal visitor numbers are down so has Brighton lost some sparkle? |date=10 August 2017 |access-date=11 August 2017 |archive-date=11 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170811144409/http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/15465791.New_figures_reveal_visitor_numbers_are_down_so_has_Brighton_lost_some_sparkle_/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Commerce and industry===
[[File:Brighton Centre, Kings Road, Brighton (from SE) (April 2013).JPG|thumb|Events at the Brighton Centre are important to Brighton's economy.]]

Brighton's largest [[private sector]] employer is [[American Express]], whose European headquarters are at John Street.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theargus.co.uk/communitypages/central_brighton/news/9915514.American_Express_ready_to_move_into_new_office |work=The Argus |title=American Express ready to move into new office |date=6 September 2012 |access-date=27 December 2016 |archive-date=17 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161117231854/http://www.theargus.co.uk/communitypages/central_brighton/news/9915514.American_Express_ready_to_move_into_new_office/ |url-status=live}}</ref> As of 2012, about 3,000 people work there.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theargus.co.uk/communitypages/central_brighton/news/9915514.American_Express_ready_to_move_into_new_office |work=The Argus |title=3,000 employees move to new Amex offices |date=6 September 2012 |access-date=27 December 2016 |archive-date=17 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161117231854/http://www.theargus.co.uk/communitypages/central_brighton/news/9915514.American_Express_ready_to_move_into_new_office/ |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Planning permission]] to demolish the old Amex offices and build a replacement was granted in 2009, and work started in March 2010. Other major employers include [[Lloyds Bank]], [[Legal & General]], [[Asda]] (which has hypermarkets at [[Hollingbury]] and [[Brighton Marina]]), [[Brighton & Hove (bus company)|Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company]] and call-centre operator Inkfish<!-- Don't wikilink this -->.<ref name="NEB113" /> In 2012, it was reported that about 1,500 of [[Gatwick Airport]]'s 21,000 workers lived in the city of Brighton and Hove.<ref name="Argus-11122012">{{cite news |url=http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/10100845.Thousands_of_jobs_at_Gatwick/ |title=Thousands of jobs at Gatwick |date=11 December 2012 |work=The Argus |access-date=23 December 2013 |archive-date=24 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224115327/http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/10100845.Thousands_of_jobs_at_Gatwick/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

Brighton is a popular destination for conferences, exhibitions and trade fairs, and has had a purpose-built conference centre—the [[Brighton Centre]]—since 1977. Direct income from the Brighton Centre's 160 events per year is £8&nbsp;million,{{NoteTag|2009 figures<ref name="NEB56" />}} and a further £50&nbsp;million is generated indirectly by visitors spending money during their stay. Events range from political party conferences to concerts.<ref name="NEB56">{{Harvnb|Collis|2010|p=56.}}</ref>

{{multiple image
| align             = right
| image1            = Sussex House Building, Hollingbury Industrial Estate, Brighton (December 2012).JPG
| width1            = 200
| alt1              = .
| caption1          = 
| image2            = Exion 27 Building, Hollingbury Industrial Estate, Brighton (December 2012).JPG
| width2            = 200
| alt2              = .
| caption2          = 
| footer            = The Hollingbury Industrial Estate has large industrial, commercial and retail buildings such as Sussex House (left) and Exion 27 (right).
}}

The Hollingbury Industrial Estate is one of the largest such facilities in Brighton; in its early days about 6,000 people were employed, principally in industrial jobs, but in the late 20th and early 21st centuries its focus has switched to commercial and retail development,<ref name="BB-990853">{{cite web |url=http://www.brightonbusiness.co.uk/htm/ni20110409.990853.htm |title=IKEA fails to get Hollingbury site |date=9 April 2011 |publisher=Brighton & Hove Economic Partnership |access-date=23 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923194551/http://www.brightonbusiness.co.uk/htm/ni20110409.990853.htm |archive-date=23 September 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> limiting Brighton's potential for industrial growth. Brighton Corporation laid out the estate on {{cvt|18|acre|ha}} of land around Crowhurst Road in 1950. By 1956, large-scale employment was provided at a bakery, a typewriter factory and a machine tools manufacturer among others. Most of the large factories closed during the recessions of the 1980s and 1990s, employment fell to 1,000, and structural changes started in the mid-1980s with a move towards small-scale industrial units (the Enterprise Estate was finished in October 1985) and then retail warehouses. [[Asda]]'s superstore opened in November 1987, [[MFI (retailer)|MFI]] followed two years later, and other retail units were built in the 1990s.<ref name="NEB149–150">{{Harvnb|Collis|2010|pp=149–150.}}</ref> Two large headquarters buildings were vacated in quick succession when British Bookshops left in March 2011<ref name="BB-451248">{{cite web |url=http://www.brightonbusiness.co.uk/htm/ni20110320.451248.htm |title=British Bookshops warehouse on the market |date=20 March 2011 |publisher=Brighton & Hove Economic Partnership |access-date=23 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923194549/http://www.brightonbusiness.co.uk/htm/ni20110320.451248.htm |archive-date=23 September 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[The Argus (Brighton)|''The Argus'']] newspaper moved out of its headquarters in 2012—although the [[Brighton & Hove (bus company)|Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company]] signed a contract to move its 1,250 employees into the latter building.<ref name="BB-398183">{{cite web |url=http://www.brightonbusiness.co.uk/htm/ni20120601.398183.htm |title=Hove bus garage move offers a real win-win prize |date=1 June 2012 |publisher=Brighton & Hove Economic Partnership |access-date=23 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120809035859/http://www.brightonbusiness.co.uk/htm/ni20120601.398183.htm |archive-date=9 August 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Brighton has a high density of businesses involved in the media sector, particularly digital or "[[new media]]", and since the 1990s has been referred to as "Silicon Beach".<ref name="TechCrunch-SB">{{cite web |url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/09/22/brightons-silicon-beach-tech-cluster-finally-breaks-shore/ |title=Brighton's Silicon Beach tech cluster finally breaks shore |last=Munford |first=Monty |website=TechCrunch |date=22 September 2011 |access-date=23 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131127203820/http://techcrunch.com/2011/09/22/brightons-silicon-beach-tech-cluster-finally-breaks-shore/ |archive-date=27 November 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> By 2007, over 250 [[new media]] business had been founded in Brighton. [[Brandwatch]] is a [[Social media measurement|social media monitoring company]] based in offices near Brighton station. Computer game design company [[Black Rock Studio]] was founded in 1998 and was taken over by [[Disney Interactive Studios]],<ref name="NEB113"/><ref name="TechCrunch-SB"/> who closed it down in 2011.<ref name="Eurogamer">{{cite web |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-07-01-split-second-dev-black-rock-to-close |title=Split/Second dev Black Rock to close |last=Purchese |first=Robert |website=[[Eurogamer]] |date=1 July 2011 |access-date=23 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224102430/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-07-01-split-second-dev-black-rock-to-close |archive-date=24 December 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Gamer Network, whose portfolio of websites relating to computer gaming (including [[Eurogamer]]) and creative industries was founded in 1999, is based in Brighton.<ref name="GamerNetwork">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamer-network.net/ |title=Gamer Network |year=2013 |access-date=23 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131124180055/http://www.gamer-network.net/ |archive-date=24 November 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

By the early 21st century, the market for office accommodation in the city was characterised by fluctuating demand and a lack of supply of high-quality buildings. As an example, the Trafalgar Place development ({{circa}} 1990), "now considered a prime office location", stood partly empty for a decade.<ref name="TBS-9.2.2">{{cite report |url=http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/sites/brighton-hove.gov.uk/files/downloads/ldf/Tall_Buildings_Study_Final.pdf |title=Brighton & Hove Tall Buildings Study |publisher=Brighton & Hove City Council (in association with Gillespies and GVA Grimley) |date=October 2003 |edition=Issue C |section=§. 9.2.2: Brighton Office Market |page=28 |access-date=22 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224112141/http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/sites/brighton-hove.gov.uk/files/downloads/ldf/Tall_Buildings_Study_Final.pdf |archive-date=24 December 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Exion 27 (built in 2001), a high-tech, energy-efficient office development at [[Hollingbury]], remained empty for several years and is still not in commercial use: it houses some administrative departments of the [[University of Brighton]]. It was Brighton's first ultramodern commercial property and was intended for mixed commercial and industrial use, but its completion coincided with a slump in demand for high-tech premises.<ref name="BB-772119">{{cite web |url=http://www.brightonbusiness.co.uk/htm/ni20040721.772119.htm |title=Change of Use for Exion 27 indicates planning flexibility? |date=21 July 2004 |publisher=Brighton & Hove Economic Partnership |access-date=23 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224095619/http://www.brightonbusiness.co.uk/htm/ni20040721.772119.htm |archive-date=24 December 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Argus-6703608">{{cite news |title=Exion won't be empty for much longer |url=http://www.theargus.co.uk/archive/2005/06/16/6703608.Exion_won_t_be_empty_for_much_longer/?ref=arc |work=The Argus |date=16 June 2005 |access-date=23 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219021922/http://www.theargus.co.uk/archive/2005/06/16/6703608.Exion_won_t_be_empty_for_much_longer/?ref=arc |archive-date=19 December 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Retail and shopping===
Brighton is well known for its high number of independent shops, which add to the character of the city.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Brighton Lanes – Shopping Review |url=https://www.cntraveler.com/shops/brighton/brighton-lanes |access-date=2023-05-19 |website=Condé Nast Traveler |language=en-US}}</ref>

Walking from Brighton station towards the seafront, first, is the [[North Laine]] area, stretching from Trafalgar Street, Kensington Gardens, Sydney Street, Gardner Street and Bond Street and is mostly pedestrianised. It is a retail, leisure and the residential area immediately north of the Lanes. Its name derives from the Anglo-Saxon "Laine" meaning "fields",{{citation needed|date=May 2023}} although the misnomer "North Lanes" is often used to describe the area. The North Laine contains a mix of businesses dominated by cafés, bars, theatres, and over 400 shops independent and avant-garde shops including an erotic shop and indoor flea markets.
[[File:The Lanes, Brighton - geograph.org.uk - 633351.jpg|thumb|The Lanes is a tourist attraction occupied by small independent shops.]]

[[The Lanes]] which is characterised by a labyrinth of narrow alleyways form a retail, leisure and residential area near the seafront, following the street pattern of the original fishing village. The Lanes contain predominantly clothing stores, jewellers, antique shops, restaurants and pubs.

[[Churchill Square (Brighton and Hove)|Churchill Square]] is a shopping centre with a floor space of {{cvt|470000|ft2|m2}} and over 80 shops, several restaurants and 1,600 car-parking spaces.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.churchillsquare.co.uk/index.php?id=271 |title=Churchill Square Shopping Centre: Churchill Square Food |access-date=20 August 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041204134551/http://www.churchillsquare.co.uk/index.php?id=271 |archive-date=4 December 2004}}</ref> It was built in the 1960s as an open-air, multi-level pedestrianised shopping centre, but was rebuilt and enlarged in 1998 and is no longer open-air. Further retail areas include Western Road and London Road, the latter of which is undergoing extensive regeneration in the form of new housing and commercial properties.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/planning/major-projects-planning/london-road-regeneration |title=London Road Regeneration |website=Brighton and Hove City Council |access-date=7 April 2015 |archive-date=14 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150414023455/http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/planning/major-projects-planning/london-road-regeneration |url-status=live}}</ref>

There are two weekly flea market / bootfairs in Brighton on Sunday mornings, one at Brighton Marina on the top open-air level of the carpark, and another at [[Brighton Racecourse]].

==Landmarks==
{{Main|Buildings and architecture of Brighton and Hove|List of landmarks and buildings of Brighton and Hove|Grade I listed buildings in Brighton and Hove|Grade II* listed buildings in Brighton and Hove}}
[[File:Brighton Pier at dusk.jpg|thumb|Palace Pier at dusk]]
[[File:Clock Tower Brighton 2016-06-05.jpeg|thumb|upright|The Clock Tower in central Brighton]]
The [[Royal Pavilion]], a Grade I [[listed building]],<ref>{{NHLE|num=1000205|desc=THE ROYAL PAVILION, BRIGHTON, The City of Brighton and Hove |access-date=3 October 2018}}</ref> is a former royal palace built as a home for the [[George IV|Prince Regent]] during the early 19th century, under the direction of the architect [[John Nash (architect)|John Nash]]. It is notable for its [[Indo-Saracenic architecture|Indo-Saracenic]] architecture and Oriental interior. Other Indo-Saracenic buildings in Brighton include the [[Sassoon Mausoleum]], now, with the bodies reburied elsewhere, in use as a chic supper club.

The first of Brighton's three piers was the Chain Pier, which was destroyed in a storm in 1896. All that remains of the pier are small lumps of wood and stone, which are only visible at low tide. It was primarily intended as a landing stage for [[packet boat]]s to [[Dieppe]], France, but it also featured a small number of attractions including a [[camera obscura]].

[[Brighton Palace Pier|Brighton Marine Palace and Pier]] (long known as the Palace Pier) opened in 1899, it was meant to be a replacement for the Chain Pier, but became a pleasure pier instead. It features a [[Fair|funfair]], restaurants and arcade halls.<ref>{{cite web |title=Welcome to Brighton Palace Pier |url=http://www.brightonpier.co.uk |publisher=Brighton Pier |access-date=3 October 2018 |archive-date=3 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100103192203/http://www.brightonpier.co.uk/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[West Pier]] was built in 1866 and is one of only two Grade I listed piers in the United Kingdom; it has been closed since 1975. For some time it was under consideration for restoration, but two fires in 2003, and other setbacks, led to these plans being abandoned.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://worldwidewet.net/ |title=Pier Threatens To Unplug Rival |publisher=Worldwidewet.net |access-date=26 March 2013 |archive-date=21 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130121020704/http://www.worldwidewet.net/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Nevertheless, publicity material presented in question-and-answer form during the building of the [[British Airways i360|Brighton i360]] observation tower (see below) maintained that the building of the tower would not prove prejudicial to the eventual restoration of the pier.

The [[Brighton i360]], an observation tower located at the shore end of the West Pier, opened on 4 August 2016.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/08/04/residents-say-brighton-sea-views-ruined-by-eyesore-i360-tower-se/ |title=Residents say Brighton sea views 'ruined' by 'eyesore' i360 tower set to open today |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |first=Helena |last=Horton |date=4 August 2016 |access-date=23 January 2021 |archive-date=25 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125173800/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/08/04/residents-say-brighton-sea-views-ruined-by-eyesore-i360-tower-se/ |url-status=live}}</ref> At {{cvt|162|m|ft}} high, with a spacious glass viewing pod rising to {{cvt|138|m|ft}}, it is Britain's highest observation tower outside London – taller even than the [[London Eye]].<ref>{{cite web |title=How tall is Brighton i360? |work=British Airways i360 |url=http://britishairwaysi360.com/latest-news/faqs/tall-british-airways-i360/ |access-date=3 October 2018 |archive-date=3 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003100852/http://britishairwaysi360.com/latest-news/faqs/tall-british-airways-i360/ |url-status=live}}</ref> With a diameter of {{cvt|12.7|ft|m}}, it is also the thinnest tower in the world, with a height-to-width ratio of 41.15 to one.<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 February 2016 |title=City's i360 tower is world's thinnest |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-35593236 |access-date=14 April 2022 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

[[Clock Tower, Brighton|Brighton Clock Tower]], built in 1888 for [[Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria|Queen Victoria's jubilee]],<ref>{{cite book |last=Brighton Polytechnic. School of Architecture and Interior Design |title=A Guide to the Buildings of Brighton |year=1987 |publisher=McMillan Martin |location=Macclesfield |isbn=1-869865-03-0 |page=54}}</ref> stands at the intersection of Brighton's busiest thoroughfares.

[[Volk's Electric Railway]] runs along the inland edge of the beach from Palace Pier to [[Black Rock (Brighton and Hove)|Black Rock]] and [[Brighton Marina]]. It was created in 1883 and is the world's oldest operating [[Railway electrification system|electric railway]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.volkselectricrailway.co.uk |title=Home page of Volks Electric Railway Group |access-date=20 August 2007 |archive-date=25 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070825113042/http://www.volkselectricrailway.co.uk/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Grand Brighton Hotel|Grand Hotel]] was built in 1864. The [[Brighton hotel bombing]] occurred there. Its nighttime blue lighting is particularly prominent along the foreshore.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thevirginbackpacker.com/122/day-10-checking-out-southern-england-part-i.html |title=Blog post from The Virgin Backpacker |access-date=16 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101219023526/http://www.thevirginbackpacker.com/122/day-10-checking-out-southern-england-part-i.html |archive-date=19 December 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Churches and other places of worship===
{{Further|List of places of worship in Brighton and Hove}}
[[File:Church Of St Nicholas Of Myra April 2018 01.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|St Nicholas Church, Brighton's original [[parish church]] (April 2018)]]
[[St Nicholas Church, Brighton|St Nicholas Church]] may be the oldest building in Brighton (the [[Domesday Book]] records the presence of an Anglo-Saxon church, valued at [[pound sterling|£]]12)<ref name="Salzman 1940">{{cite book |last=Salzman |year=1940 |pages=244–263 |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/sussex/vol7/pp244-263 |title=The borough of Brighton |series=A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 7, the Rape of Lewes ed. L F Salzman |place=London |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513091940/https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/sussex/vol7/pp244-263 |archive-date=13 May 2016}}</ref> and is commonly known as "The Mother Church".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.regencybrighton.com/outabout/st_nicholas/ |title=St. Nicholas Church – Out & About – Regency Square Area Society |access-date=11 April 2007 |archive-date=20 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170620121409/http://regencybrighton.com/outabout/st_nicholas/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Other notable Anglican churches include the very tall (the highest church interior in Britain) brick-built [[St Bartholomew's Church, Brighton|St Bartholomew's]] (1874) designed by the architect Edmund Scott;<ref name=BRIGHT1>{{cite book |title=A Guide to the Buildings of Brighton |author1=Atkinson, Clive |author2=Matthews, David |author3=Savile, Andrew |author4=Tunna, Robert |author5=Weighill, Tim |author6=Macdonald, Ken |publisher=McMillan Martin Ltd |date=1990 |isbn=9781869865030 |pages=50–4G |chapter=Saint Bartholomew's Church – Anne Street – Description with dates and reference to the architect}}</ref> [[St Peter's Church, Brighton|St Peter's]] (1828); and [[St Martin's Church, Brighton|St Martin's]] (1875), noted for its ornate interior. Brighton's [[Quakers]] run the [[Brighton Friends Meeting House|Friends Meeting House]] in the Lanes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Brighton Quaker Meeting House |url=https://www.visitbrighton.com/things-to-do/brighton-quaker-meeting-house-p350751 |website=visitbrighton.com |publisher=Visit Brighton |access-date=9 January 2020 |archive-date=27 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727051652/https://www.visitbrighton.com/things-to-do/brighton-quaker-meeting-house-p350751 |url-status=live}}</ref> There is an active [[Brighton Unitarian Church|Unitarian community]] based in a Grade II listed building in New Road.<ref>{{cite web |title=About Our Venue |url=http://www.brightonunitarian.org.uk/about-our-venue.html |publisher=Brighton Unitarians |access-date=3 October 2018 |language=en |archive-date=3 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003220905/http://www.brightonunitarian.org.uk/about-our-venue.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> Brighton has six listed Roman Catholic churches; [[St John the Baptist's Church, Brighton|St John the Baptist's Church]] (1835) in Kemptown is the earliest surviving Roman Catholic church in the city.<ref>{{cite book |last=Dale |first=Antony |title=Brighton Churches |publisher=Routledge |location=London |year=1989 |isbn=0-415-00863-8 |page=186}}</ref>

Brighton and Hove has five synagogues: New Church Road Synagogue; Holland Road Synagogue; [[Brighton and Hove Progressive Synagogue]]; [[Brighton and Hove Reform Synagogue]]; and [[Middle Street Synagogue]]. The Middle Street Synagogue is a Grade II listed building built in 1874–75; it is being gradually restored by [[English Heritage]]. There are also several mosques<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brightonmosque.com/ |title=Al-Quds Mosque |publisher=Brightonmosque.com |access-date=10 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522214352/http://brightonmosque.com/ |archive-date=22 May 2013 |url-status=dead}}
:{{cite web |author=Al-Medinah Mosque |url=http://www.bhmf.org.uk/al-medinah-mosque-timetable |title=Al Medina mosque |website=bhmf.org.uk |access-date=10 May 2013 |archive-date=18 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130818155844/http://www.bhmf.org.uk/al-medinah-mosque-timetable |url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] centres.<ref>{{cite web |author=Welcome to the Brighton Buddhist Centre |url=http://www.brightonbuddhistcentre.co.uk/ |title=Brighton Buddhist Centre |publisher=Brighton Buddhist Centre |access-date=10 May 2013 |archive-date=2 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502144853/http://www.brightonbuddhistcentre.co.uk/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Beaches===
{{multiple image
| align             = right
| direction         = vertical
| image1            = Brighton Beach, looking from Palace Pier eastwards, East Sussex, England 19June2018 arp.jpg
| caption1          = Brighton Beach, looking from the Palace Pier eastwards. The spiral tower is a Zip line ride (June 2018).
| image2            = Naturist Beach - geograph.org.uk - 1117450.jpg
| caption2          = Cliff Beach, Britain's first [[Nude beach|naturist beach]]
}}

Brighton has a {{cvt|5.4|mi|km|adj=on}} expanse of [[shingle beach]],<ref name="EncB43"/> part of the unbroken {{cvt|8|mi|km|adj=on}} section within the city limits.{{NoteTag|Until the extension of Brighton's boundaries to include Rottingdean and Saltdean in 1928, the coastline between the Hove and Rottingdean parish boundaries measured {{cvt|2.2|mi|km}}.<ref name="EncB43" />}} A flat sandy foreshore is exposed at low tide.<ref name="EncB43" /> The seafront is home to many restaurants, sports facilities, amusement arcades, nightclubs and bars.<ref name="BHCC-Seafront">{{cite web |title=The Seafront |url=http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/leisure-and-libraries/seafront |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141011170553/http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/leisure-and-libraries/seafront |archive-date=11 October 2014 |access-date=7 October 2014 |publisher=Brighton and Hove City Council}}</ref> At Black Rock, to the east of Brighton, a vegetated shingle wildlife habitat has been created. A 600m long boardwalk runs through the wildlife site.<ref>{{Cite web |last=sarahjones |date=2022-04-14 |title=New vegetated shingle habitat at Black Rock |url=https://thelivingcoast.org.uk/new-vegetated-shingle-habitat-at-black-rock |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=The Living Coast |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-10 |title=This is what the bizarre 'wave' design on Brighton seafront is |url=https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/19983171.bizarre-wave-design-brighton-seafront/ |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=The Argus |language=en}}</ref> The Palace Pier section of the beach has been awarded [[Blue Flag beach|blue flag status]].<ref name="BlueFlag">{{cite web |year=2014 |title=Palace Pier Beach (Brighton) |url=http://www.thebeachguide.co.uk/south-east-england/east-sussex/palace-pier-brighton.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141011055436/http://www.thebeachguide.co.uk/south-east-england/east-sussex/palace-pier-brighton.htm |archive-date=11 October 2014 |access-date=7 October 2014 |publisher=UK Beach Guide}}</ref>

The city council owns all the beaches, which are divided into named sections by [[groyne]]s—the first of which were completed in 1724. Eastwards from the Hove boundary, the names are Boundary, Norfolk, Bedford, Metropole, Grand (referring to the four hotels with those names), Centre, King's, Old Ship, Volk's, Albion, Palace Pier, Aquarium, Athina (where the [[MS Athina B|MS ''Athina B'']] ran aground), Paston, Banjo, Duke's, Cliff, Crescent and Black Rock. Cliff Beach is a [[Nude beach|nudist beach]].<ref name="visi_Brig">{{cite web |title=Brighton Naturist Beach |website=VisitBrighton |publisher=Brighton and Hove City Council |access-date=29 September 2015 |url=http://www.visitbrighton.com/things-to-do/brighton-naturist-beach-p628201 |archive-date=30 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930092306/http://www.visitbrighton.com/things-to-do/brighton-naturist-beach-p628201 |url-status=live}}</ref> Beyond Black Rock, the cliffs (part of the [[Brighton to Newhaven Cliffs]] [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]]) rise to more than {{cvt|100|ft|m}} and there are three small beaches at Ovingdean Gap, Rottingdean Gap and Saltdean Gap. All are connected by the Undercliff Walk,<ref name="EncB43"/> which has been affected by several cliff falls since 2000.<ref name="BHCC-Cliffs">{{cite web |title=The Cliffs between Black Rock and Saltdean |url=http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/environment/coastal-defence/cliffs-between-black-rock-and-saltdean |publisher=Brighton and Hove City Council |access-date=7 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006000806/http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/environment/coastal-defence/cliffs-between-black-rock-and-saltdean |archive-date=6 October 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Part of the beach adjoining Madeira Drive, to the east of the city centre, was redeveloped opened to the public in March 2007, with a playground, mini-golf, beach saunas and beach volleyball courts.

On the sea wall of Madeira Drive is Madeira Terrace, a Grade 2* listed, 865-metre-long stretch of seafront arches. The Terrace structure has degraded, deemed unsafe, and been closed to the public since 2014. The Terrace is being restored, with a number of plans submitted.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Madeira Terrace restoration |url=https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/madeira-terrace-restoration |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=www.brighton-hove.gov.uk |language=en}}</ref> In front of the Terrace has been built a new national outdoor swimming centre, including a 50m swimming pool with an adjoining complex of shops, and bars.

Since the demolition in 1978 of the Black Rock open-air [[Lido (swimming pool)|lido]] at the eastern end of Brighton's seafront, the area has been developed and now features one of Europe's largest [[Brighton Marina|marinas]]. However, the site of the pool itself remains empty except for a skate park and graffiti wall. Since 2003 a series of developments have been proposed including housing, a [[Hotel rating|five-star hotel]] with a [[winter garden]], and an 11,000-seat sports arena.<ref name="NEB29">{{Harvnb|Collis|2010|p=29.}}</ref>

===Liz Williams Butterfly Haven===
[[File:Small_Blue_butterfly_in_the_Liz_Williams_Butterfly_Haven.jpg|thumb|Small blue butterfly in the Liz Williams Butterfly Haven on a horseshoe vetch flower]]
The Liz Williams Butterfly haven ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 309 072}}) is a purpose-built area that has been created to attract and provide a habitat for butterflies. It is situated between [[Dorothy Stringer School|Dorothy Stringer]] and [[Varndean College]], north of Stringer Way. It was the brainchild of Dan Danahar with funding from the [[BBC]], in conjunction with the [[National Lottery (United Kingdom)|National Lottery]], through the Breathing Places scheme.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Dan |first=Danahar |title=The Dorothy Stringer High School Butterfly Haven |url=https://www.sussex-butterflies.org.uk/features/archives/2011-butterfly-haven.php |url-status=live |access-date=5 October 2021 |website=Butterfly Conservation - Sussex Branch |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200810050214/https://www.sussex-butterflies.org.uk/features/archives/2011-butterfly-haven.php |archive-date=10 August 2020}}</ref> This site was created between 2006 and 2007, and by September 2008 the late Liz Williams, botanist, had recorded 97 wildflower species and 10 species of grass. This was an order of magnitude increase in the floral diversity of the site within one year. As a tribute to her work, the site has been renamed the Liz Williams Butterfly Haven in 2011.<ref name=":1" /> Since its creation up to 2021 twenty-seven species of butterfly have been recorded here including [[Adonis blue]], [[chalkhill blue]], [[green hairstreak]], [[Dingy skipper|dingy]] and [[Carterocephalus palaemon|chequered skipper]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 February 2021 |title=Butterflies as agents of change within a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve |url=https://www.earthoptimism.cambridgeconservation.org/stories-of-hope/saving-species/butterflies-as-agents-of-change/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 October 2021 |website=Earth Optimism: Cambridge Conservation Initiative |language=en-GB |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305094406/https://www.earthoptimism.cambridgeconservation.org/stories-of-hope/saving-species/butterflies-as-agents-of-change/ |archive-date=5 March 2021}}</ref>

===The Woodvale Cemeteries===
{{main|Cemeteries and crematoria in Brighton and Hove}}
Woodvale ({{Gbmappingsmall|TQ 326 056}}) is actually five linked cemeteries that cover the western side of Race Hill. The cemeteries are east of [[Lewes Road, Brighton|Lewes Road]] and either side of Bear Road. Their cultural significance and importance to wildlife to the city were described evocatively by the Sussex field naturalist, [[David Bangs]] (p.&nbsp;303).<blockquote>"They are a profoundly peaceful place of little woods and glades, sunny banks and shady paths. They have become, in the last 150 years, reservoirs for much of the wildlife of the surrounding countryside. Some of the big [[beech]] trees down in Woodvale are as old as the cemeteries. The marbles, limestones, and granites of the memorials are a detective story for geologists. [[European green woodpecker|Yaffles]] call across the trees. The rare [[greater horseshoe bat]] has hibernated in the funerary buildings. [[Badger]]s pit the mossy turf in their search for earthworms, and violet and [[Celandine poppies|celandine]] cheer the turf in early spring."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bangs |first=Dave |title=A freedom to roam Guide to the Brighton Downs : from Shoreham to Newhaven and Beeding to Lewes |date=2008 |publisher=David Bangs |isbn=978-0-9548638-1-4 |location=Brighton |oclc=701098669}}</ref></blockquote>

===Other landmarks===
Brighton is the home of the UK's first [[Walk of Fame]], which celebrates the many rich and famous people associated with the city.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.walkoffame.co.uk/#/brighton/4551372459 |title=WALK OF FAME |access-date=10 August 2015 |archive-date=27 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427173934/http://www.walkoffame.co.uk/#/brighton/4551372459 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Culture==

===Cafes and restaurants===
Brighton is characterised by small dining establishments and independent coffeehouses. Brighton has about 250 restaurants.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sussex.ac.uk/international/whysussex/brighton |title=Sussex University: ''Why Sussex'' |website=Sussex.ac.uk |access-date=10 May 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130503145310/http://www.sussex.ac.uk/international/whysussex/brighton |archive-date=3 May 2013}}</ref> It is known for having many vegan and vegetarian restaurants, and a 2022 analysis found the city has the highest density of vegan restaurants in the UK.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-19 |title=A guide to Brighton, Britain's most progressive seaside resort |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/guide-to-brighton-uk-beach-town |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231020155746/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/guide-to-brighton-uk-beach-town |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 October 2023 |access-date=2023-11-11 |website=Travel |language=en}}</ref>

===Media===
Brighton has a local television channel, Latest TV, which broadcasts local news and entertainment.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/11441905.what-brighton-and-hoves-very-own-tv-channel-latest-tv-has-to-offer/ |title= What Brighton and Hove's very own TV channel Latest TV has to offer|first= Ruari|last= Barratt|date=30 August 2014 |website=The Argus|accessdate=1 December 2023}}</ref>

Local radio stations are [[BBC Radio Sussex]], [[Heart South]], [[Capital Brighton]], [[Radio Reverb]] and [[Gaydio]] {{ndash}} a radio station for the city's LGTBQ+ community.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.resourcecentre.org.uk/information/local-media-contacts |title=Local media contacts in Brighton and Hove |access-date=19 September 2024}}</ref>

The local newspaper that serves the city is ''[[The Argus (Brighton)|The Argus]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britishpapers.co.uk/england-se/brighton-argus/|title=The Argus|date=24 December 2013|website=British Papers|accessdate=19 September 2024}}</ref>

===Cinema===
{{Main list|List of films set in Brighton}}
[[File:Brighton Odeon Kingswest Cinema, Junction of Kings Road and West Street, Brighton (from SW) (April 2013).JPG|thumb|right|Odeon Kingswest on Brighton seafront opened in 1973.]]

Brighton featured in a number of popular movies including ''[[Carry on at Your Convenience]]'' (1971), ''[[Quadrophenia (film)|Quadrophenia]]'' (1979), ''[[The End of the Affair (1999 film)|The End of the Affair]]'' (1999), ''[[Wimbledon (film)|Wimbledon]]'' (2004), ''[[MirrorMask]]'' (2005), ''[[Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging]]'' (2008), ''[[The Young Victoria]]'' (2009), ''[[Brighton Rock (1947 film)|Brighton Rock]]'' (2010 and 1947), and ''[[The Boat that Rocked]]'' (2009).<ref>{{cite news |title=Films made in the Brighton & Hove area |url=http://www.terramedia.co.uk/brighton/films_made_in_brighton_sound.htm |date=30 June 2009 |access-date=30 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100919033152/http://www.terramedia.co.uk/brighton/films_made_in_brighton_sound.htm |archive-date=19 September 2010 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

The [[Duke of York's Picturehouse]],<ref name=BRIGHT3>{{cite book |title=A Guide to the Buildings of Brighton |author1=Atkinson, Clive |author2=Matthews, David |author3=Savile, Andrew |author4=Tunna, Robert |author5=Weighill, Tim |author6=Macdonald, Ken |publisher=McMillan Martin Ltd. |year=1990 |isbn=9781869865030 |pages=51–4h |chapter=Duke of York Cinema – reference to date and description}}</ref> dating from 1910,<ref name="Fisher">{{cite web |last1=Fisher |first1=David |title=Brighton cinema directory |url=https://www.brightonfilm.com/cinemas/brighton_cinema_directory.htm |website=www.brightonfilm.com |access-date=31 May 2020 |date=8 March 2018 |archive-date=21 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621190733/http://www.brightonfilm.com/cinemas/brighton_cinema_directory.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> was opened by [[Violet Melnotte|Violet Melnotte-Wyatt]]. It is the country's oldest purpose-built cinema and was Brighton's first Electric [[Movie camera|Bioscope]], which still operates as an [[arthouse cinema]]. The Duke of York's Picturehouse expanded in 2012, adding two additional screens in a different location. The company now occupies the upstairs of [[Komedia]], situated on Gardner Street, central Brighton.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.komedia.co.uk/brighton/about-us/ |title=About Komedia Brighton |publisher=Komedia Brighton |access-date=5 May 2016 |archive-date=15 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160515100446/http://www.komedia.co.uk/brighton/about-us/ |url-status=live}}</ref> There are two [[multiplex cinema]]s, the Odeon on North Street and Cineworld in the Marina.<ref name="Fisher"/>

===Festivals and rallies===
{{see also|Brighton Festival|Brighton Fringe}}

====Past====
[[File:BigBeachBoutique.jpeg|thumb|The outdoor Fatboy Slim concert [[Big Beach Boutique II]] in 2002]]On 6 April 1974, Brighton was host to the 19th [[Eurovision Song Contest 1974|Eurovision Song Contest]], where [[ABBA]] won in the [[Brighton Dome]] with their song [[Waterloo (ABBA song)|Waterloo]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brighton 1974 |url=https://eurovision.tv/event/brighton-1974 |access-date=14 May 2022 |website=Eurovision.tv |language=en-gb}}</ref> The DJ and producer [[Fatboy Slim]], who lives in Brighton, has held several concerts on Brighton beach, including in 2002,<ref>{{cite news |last=Morris |first=Steven |title=Nurse dies after fall at Brighton beach party |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/jul/17/stevenmorris |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=17 July 2002 |access-date=7 December 2018 |archive-date=2 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502001628/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/jul/17/stevenmorris |url-status=live}}</ref> 2006<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/southern_counties/6222189.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |title=Thousands attend Fatboy Slim gig |date=1 January 2007 |access-date=7 December 2018 |archive-date=11 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090111122542/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/southern_counties/6222189.stm |url-status=live}}</ref> and 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shorehamherald.co.uk/latest-entertainment-news/Fatboy-Slim-to-rock-at.4534665.jp |title=20,000 head to Brighton beach party |work=Shoreham Herald |date=28 September 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090104213646/http://www.shorehamherald.co.uk/latest-entertainment-news/Fatboy-Slim-to-rock-at.4534665.jp |archive-date=4 January 2009}}</ref> The 2002 event, [[Big Beach Boutique II]], is the largest outdoor party ever held in the UK, attended by 250,000 people.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ross |first=Gemma |date=6 February 2023 |title=New documentary on Fatboy Slim's Big Beach Boutique II launches on Sky |url=https://mixmag.net/read/fatboy-slim-stars-new-documentary-sky-right-here-right-now-news |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=[[Mixmag]]}}</ref>

An inaugural White Nights ([[Nuit Blanche]]) all-night arts festival took place in October 2008 and continued for four years until it was postponed in 2012 due to a lack of European funding.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/9975504.Brighton_s_White_Night_replaced_by__fund_your_own_festival_/ |title=Brighton's White Night replaced by "fund your own festival" |website=The Argus |date=10 October 2012 |access-date=10 August 2015 |archive-date=25 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150525183146/http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/9975504.Brighton_s_White_Night_replaced_by__fund_your_own_festival_/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The Brighton Zine Fest, celebrating [[zine]] and [[DIY culture]] within the city, took place in 2009.<ref>{{cite web |title=Brighton Zine Fest homepage |url=http://www.brightonzinefest.co.uk/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090417040152/http://www.brightonzinefest.co.uk/ |archive-date=17 April 2009}}</ref>

====Present====
Each May the city hosts the [[Brighton Festival]], the second largest arts festival in the UK (after [[Edinburgh Festival|Edinburgh]]). This includes processions such as the Children's Parade, outdoor spectaculars often involving pyrotechnics, and theatre, music and visual arts in venues throughout the city, some brought into this use exclusively for the festival. The earliest feature of the festival, [[Artists Open House|the Artists' Open Houses]], are homes of artists and craftspeople opened to the public as galleries, and usually selling the work of the occupants. Since 2002, these have been organised independently of the official Festival and Fringe.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-04-30 |title=Artists Open Houses returns with 60 new exhibitions |url=https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/14463342.artists-open-houses-returns-with-60-new-exhibitions/ |access-date=2025-03-25 |website=The Argus |language=en}}</ref>

[[Brighton Fringe]] runs alongside Brighton Festival, and has grown to be one of the largest fringe festivals in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.visitbritain.com/VB3-en/experiences/cities/focus_on/brighton_fringe.aspx |title=Brighton Fringe Festival 2006 | website= VisitBritain |access-date=20 August 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070804222234/http://www.visitbritain.com/VB3-en/experiences/cities/focus_on/brighton_fringe.aspx |archive-date=4 August 2007}}</ref> Together with the street performers from Brighton Festival's "Streets of Brighton" events, and the [[Royal Mile]]-esque outdoor performances that make up "Fringe City", outdoor spectacles and events more than double during May.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brightonfestivalfringe.org.uk/press/index.asp?ID=122 |title=Brighton Fringe Festival 2007. 5–28 May 2007 |access-date=20 August 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070505114127/http://www.brightonfestivalfringe.org.uk/press/index.asp?ID=122 |archive-date=5 May 2007}}</ref>

{{anchor|ff}}Brighton has two major [[film festival]]s and several other smaller ones:<!---self-referring redirects to anchor until such time as articles may be created--->
* [[CINECITY]]: The Brighton Film Festival (also known as Brighton Film Festival<ref name=filmcity>{{cite web | title=FESTIVALS | website=Film City  | date=22 September 2017 | url=https://filmcitybrighton.org/festivals/ | access-date=9 September 2024}}</ref>) was founded in 2003, and is funded by the [[British Film Institute]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Cinecity past editions | website=Cinecity | date=19 November 2023 | url=https://www.cine-city.co.uk/festival/cinecity-past-editions/ | access-date=9 September 2024}}</ref> It takes place each year in November with a strong focus on world cinema, international previews and archival screenings. It gives awards in three categories: New Voices - Under-25s Emerging Talent (supported by Screen and Film School, Brighton), for a short film made by young local filmmakers;  Cinecity Open, for short films made by local filmmakers; and Features, for UK and international [[feature film]]s of all genres, which are featured in the main programme.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cine-city |url=https://www.cine-city.co.uk/ |access-date=30 September 2024 |website=Cine-City}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Festival 2024 | website=Cinecity | date=25 July 2024 | url=https://www.cine-city.co.uk/festival/ | access-date=9 September 2024}}</ref>
*[[Brighton Rocks International Film Festival]] (BRIFF), Brighton's main forum for [[Independent cinema in the United Kingdom|independent cinema]], which takes place in June. There are many categories of awards, as well as special awards for young filmmakers.<ref>{{cite web | title=Brighton Rocks International Film Festival | website=[[FilmFreeway]] | date=12 July 2024 | url=https://filmfreeway.com/BrightonRocks | access-date=9 September 2024}}</ref> From 2025 (the 8th edition of the festival) it is being held at the Manchester Street Arts Club and [[Dukes at Komedia]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Brighton Rocks | website=Rocks Film Festivals | url=https://www.rocksfestivals.com/briff.html | access-date=9 September 2024}}</ref>
*[[Brighton International Animation Festival]] (BIAF), focused on [[animated film]]s,<ref name=biaf>{{cite web | title=Animation | website=BIAF | date=1 January 1970 | url=https://www.brightoninternationalanimationfestival.com/ | access-date=9 September 2024}}</ref> was launched in 2022,<ref>{{cite web | title=Brighton International Animation Festival | website=[[FilmFreeway]] | date=19 April 2024 | url=https://filmfreeway.com/BrightonInternationalAnimationFestival | access-date=9 September 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Past Editions | website=BIAF | date=1 January 1970 | url=https://www.brightoninternationalanimationfestival.com/copy-of-past-editions | access-date=9 September 2024}}</ref> and [[BAFTA]]-qualifying since 2024. It takes place in April.<ref name=biaf/> 
*[[Oska Bright Film Festival]], which showcases films by people with [[learning disabilities]], [[autism]], or [[Asperger syndrome|Aspergers]], was founded in 2004 by people with disabilities, and takes place in alternate years. In non-festival years, it tours the UK and internationally.<ref>{{cite web | title=Our Story | website=Oska Bright Film Festival | url=https://oskabright.org/about-us | access-date=9 September 2024}}</ref> 
*COOS / Colour Out of Space International Festival of Experimental Sound and Art was established in 2006. Its focus is [[experimental music]] and its crossover with other artforms, including film. It is held over a weekend in August in the [[Sallis Benney Theatre]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Colour Out of Space: International Experimental Sound Festival | website=Colour Out of Space | url=https://www.colouroutofspace.org/ | access-date=9 September 2024}}</ref><ref name=filmcity/>  
In addition, films are also showcased in the Brighton and [[Brighton Pride]] festivals.<ref name=filmcity/>
 
[[File:Brighton Pride 2014 bus (15045503485).jpg|thumb|Brighton Pride 2014 bus]]
[[Brighton Pride]] is the first of its kind in the UK,<ref>{{cite web |title=Trans Pride Brighton 2016 |url=http://transpridebrighton.tumblr.com/ |website=TransPrideBrighton on Tumblr |access-date=3 July 2016 |archive-date=18 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160618201004/http://transpridebrighton.tumblr.com/ |url-status=live}}</ref> attracting 450,000 to the city over the Pride weekend in 2018.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Razavi |first1=Amir |title=Brighton Pride 2018 was biggest one yet - 450,000 people make the city £18m |url=https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/16401494.brighton-pride-2018-was-biggest-one-yet/ |work=[[The Argus (Brighton)|The Argus]] |access-date=3 October 2018 |language=en |date=6 August 2018 |archive-date=3 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003101236/https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/16401494.brighton-pride-2018-was-biggest-one-yet/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Disability Pride Brighton]] promotes acceptance and visibility for area residents who are disabled.<ref>{{Cite news |title=BBC News - Disability Pride event held in Brighton |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-sussex-44839504 |access-date=24 October 2020 |archive-date=23 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123083342/https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-sussex-44839504 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=ITV News - Disability Pride Gets Underway In Brighton |url=https://www.itv.com/news/meridian/update/2019-07-14/disability-pride-gets-underway-in-brighton |access-date=24 October 2020 |archive-date=19 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019072820/https://www.itv.com/news/meridian/update/2019-07-14/disability-pride-gets-underway-in-brighton/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Euans Guide |url=https://www.euansguide.com/news/disability-pride-brighton/ |access-date=24 October 2020 |archive-date=17 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017144841/https://www.euansguide.com/news/disability-pride-brighton/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=ITV Meridian - Disability Pride gets underway in Brighton |url=https://www.itv.com/news/meridian/update/2019-07-14/disability-pride-gets-underway-in-brighton/ |access-date=24 October 2020 |archive-date=27 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027092013/https://www.itv.com/news/meridian/update/2019-07-14/disability-pride-gets-underway-in-brighton/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

{{anchor|comedy}}The [[Brighton Comedy Festival]],<!---self-referring link until article created---> also known as the Brighton Dome Comedy Festival, takes place in October each year at the [[Brighton Dome]],<ref>{{cite web | title=Live at Brighton Dome / Brighton Dome Comedy Festival / What's On | website=Brighton Dome | url=https://brightondome.org/whats-on/V2L-live-at-brighton-dome/ | access-date=9 September 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Bennett | first=Steve | title=Brighton Comedy Festival: Best Of The Fest : Reviews 2007 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide | website=Chortle | date=1 January 2007 | url=https://www.chortle.co.uk/review/2007/01/01/35531/brighton_comedy_festival%3A_best_of_the_fest | access-date=9 September 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=This is...Brighton Comedy Festival 2015 at Brighton Dome | website=Brighton Dome | date=26 August 2015 | url=https://brightondome.org/news/brighton-comedy-festival-2015-2/ | access-date=9 September 2024}}</ref> which includes the [[Pavilion Theatre (Brighton)|Pavilion / Studio Theatre]] and the Corn Exchange.<ref>{{cite web | last=Cowling | first=James | title=Brighton Comedy Festival calls in Impressive PR to promote event | website=PR Week | date=15 September 2010 | url=https://www.prweek.com/article/1028459/brighton-comedy-festival-calls-impressive-pr-promote-event | access-date=9 September 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Preview: Comedy Festival | website=Brighton Source | date=1 October 2010 | url=https://brightonsource.co.uk/previews/preview-comedy-festival/ | access-date=9 September 2024}}</ref> The festival was incorporated in 2001,<ref>{{cite web | title=BRIGHTON COMEDY FESTIVAL LIMITED filing history | website=GOV.UK | date=1 September 2005 | url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC220783/filing-history?page=3 | access-date=9 September 2024}}</ref> and the inaugural festival was held in 2002.<ref>{{cite web | title=Comedy fest returns to city | website=The Argus | date=9 September 2003 | url=https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/5104548.comedy-fest-returns-to-city/ | access-date=9 September 2024}}</ref> Other venues for [[stand-up comedy|live comedy]] include [[Komedia]]<ref>{{cite web | title=A Brief Heartfelt History of the Brighton Comedy Circuit... | website=Jill Edwards Comedy Workshops | date=23 September 2016 | url=https://jill-edwards.co.uk/news-blog/a-brief-history-of-the-brighton-comedy-circuit | access-date=9 September 2024}}</ref> and the Brighton Comedy Garden.<ref name="h221">{{cite web | title=3-7 July 2024, Preston Park, Brighton | website=Brighton Comedy Garden | date=3 July 2024 | url=https://www.brightoncomedygarden.co.uk/ | access-date=9 September 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Guide | first=British Comedy | title=Brighton Comedy Garden 2024 | website=British Comedy Guide | date=8 September 2024 | url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/live/festivals/brighton-comedy-garden/2024/ | access-date=9 September 2024}}</ref>

The annual Brighton Digital Festival explores digital technology and culture. There were versions of such a festival in the late 1990s, but its current iteration came into being in 2011.<ref>{{cite web | title=Brighton Digital Festival | website=Lighthouse | date=5 September 2021 | url=https://www.lighthouse.org.uk/projects/brighton-digital-festival | access-date=9 September 2024}}</ref> Other festivals include: The Great Escape, featuring three nights of [[live music]] in venues across the city; the Soundwaves Festival in June, which shows classical music composed in the 21st Century; Paddle Round the Pier; Brighton Live; [[Burning the Clocks]], a [[winter solstice]] celebration;<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-12-01 |title=Burning the Clocks Discover Brighton |url=https://discoverbrighton.org/burning-the-clocks/ |access-date=2025-11-11 |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=alex_snax |date=2011-08-03 |title=Soundwaves Festival 2011, Brighton |url=http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4143253-soundwaves-festival-2011-brighton |access-date=2025-11-11 |website=DrownedInSound |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Great Escape 2025: The Report - The Skinny |url=https://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/live-music/reviews/the-great-escape-2025-the-report |access-date=2025-11-11 |website=www.theskinny.co.uk |language=en}}</ref>

The [[Kemptown, Brighton|Kemptown]] area has its own small annual street festival, the Kemptown Carnival, and the [[Hanover, Brighton|Hanover]] area similarly has a "Hanover Day".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bailey |first=Ben |date=2016-05-04 |title=Kemptown Carnival, Sat 4th June |url=https://brightonsource.co.uk/news/kemptown-carnival-sat-4th-june/ |access-date=2025-11-04 |website=Brighton Source |language=en-US}}</ref>

[[File:Brighton seafront carshow.jpg|thumb|upright|Seafront display of [[Mini]]s after a London-to-Brighton drive]]
Brighton is the terminus of a number of [[London to Brighton events]], such as the [[veteran car]] run and bike ride.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} Transport rallies are also hosted on the seafront.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} Groups of [[mod (subculture)|mod]]s and [[Rocker (subculture)|rocker]]s still bring their [[Motorscooter|scooters]] and motorbikes to the city, but their gatherings are now much more sedate than the violent 1960s confrontations depicted in ''[[Quadrophenia]]''.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}

Food- and drink-related festivals include the traditional Blessing of the Fisheries, where barbecued [[mackerel]] are eaten on the beach,{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} and the more recent Fiery Foods [[Chili pepper|Chilli]] Festival.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fieryfoodsuk.co.uk/ |title=Fiery Foods Chilli festival, Brighton, 2012 |website=Fieryfoodsuk.co.uk |date=16 September 2012 |access-date=10 May 2013 |archive-date=4 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130504094238/http://www.fieryfoodsuk.co.uk/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> There is also a twice-yearly general food festival.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brightonfoodfestival.com/ |title=Brighton Food Festival |publisher=Brighton Food Festival |access-date=10 May 2013 |archive-date=10 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510091622/http://www.brightonfoodfestival.com/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The main Sussex beer festival is held in nearby [[Hove]], and there is a smaller beer festival in the Hanover area.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} The [[Vegfest (UK)]] festival was first held in Brighton in 2009. In 2023 it returned for its 15th year, after the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom|COVID-19 pandemic]]. It takes place annually in March at the Hove Centre.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-31 |title=Free vegan festival set to return to Brighton for 15th year after lockdown hiatus |url=https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/23420259.brighton-vegan-food-festival-vegfest-will-return-city-april/ |access-date=2023-07-04 |website=The Argus |language=en}}</ref>

===LGBT community===
{{Main|LGBT community of Brighton and Hove}}
[[File:In St James Street (15045410882).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Rainbow flag (LGBT)|Rainbow flag]]s in St James's Street, Kemptown]]

The lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) community in Brighton is one of the largest and most prominent in the UK, and Brighton has been named the "gay capital of the UK".<ref name="metro.co.uk">{{cite web |url=http://metro.co.uk/2014/03/25/sorry-bristol-brighton-is-probably-the-best-city-in-the-uk-4677619/ |title=Sorry Bristol, Brighton is probably the best city in the UK – Metro News |website=Metro |access-date=10 August 2015 |date=25 March 2014 |archive-date=28 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150728061513/http://metro.co.uk/2014/03/25/sorry-bristol-brighton-is-probably-the-best-city-in-the-uk-4677619/ |url-status=live}}</ref> There is record of LGBT history in the city dating to the 19th century.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brightonourstory.co.uk/brighton-s-history |website=Brighton Ourstory |title=Brighton's history |access-date=10 August 2015 |archive-date=23 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923194538/http://www.brightonourstory.co.uk/brighton-s-history/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Many LGBT pubs, clubs, bars and shops are located around Brighton and in particular around St James's Street in [[Kemptown, Brighton|Kemptown]], including [[Revenge (nightclub)|Club Revenge]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/11096502.Calls_for_Brighton_s_St_James_s_Street_to_be_pedestrianised_or_it_will__wither_and_die_ |title=Calls for Brighton's St James's Street to be pedestrianised or it will 'wither and die' |work=The Argus |date=24 March 2014 |access-date=11 July 2015 |archive-date=13 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713125353/http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/11096502.Calls_for_Brighton_s_St_James_s_Street_to_be_pedestrianised_or_it_will__wither_and_die_/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/9374498.Calls_for_Brighton_and_Hove__gay_village_ |title=Calls for Brighton and Hove "gay village" |work=The Argus |date=20 November 2011 |access-date=11 July 2015 |archive-date=13 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713125359/http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/9374498.Calls_for_Brighton_and_Hove__gay_village_/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Several LGBT charities, publishers, social and support groups are also based in the city. [[Brighton Pride]] is usually celebrated at the start of August.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2014/11/14/brighton-pride-safe-until-2020-under-new-license/ |title=Brighton Pride safe 'until 2020' under new license |work=[[PinkNews]] |date=14 November 2011 |access-date=11 July 2015 |archive-date=12 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150712153604/http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2014/11/14/brighton-pride-safe-until-2020-under-new-license/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/story/2014-08-03/brighton-pride-a-great-success-despite-arrests/ |title=Brighton Pride a "great success" despite arrests |work=[[ITV News]] |date=3 August 2014 |access-date=11 July 2015 |archive-date=12 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150712173459/http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/story/2014-08-03/brighton-pride-a-great-success-despite-arrests/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Museums and galleries===
{{further|List of landmarks and notable buildings of Brighton and Hove}}
Brighton museums include [[Brighton Museum & Art Gallery]], which forms part of the pavilion [[Preston Manor, Brighton|Preston Manor]], [[Booth Museum of Natural History]], [[Brighton Toy and Model Museum]], and [[Brighton Fishing Museum]], which includes artefacts from the West Pier. The [[Royal Pavilion]] is also open to the public, serving as a museum to the [[British Regency]].

Brighton has many galleries,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Art galleries |url=https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/libraries-leisure-and-arts/arts-and-culture/art-galleries |access-date=11 November 2021 |website=www.brighton-hove.gov.uk |language=en}}</ref> including the Brighton Centre for Contemporary Arts (Brighton CCA) based at the [[University of Brighton]], Phoenix Art Space, and ONCA.

===Night-life and popular music===

Brighton has many night-life hotspots<ref>[http://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/sabroad/guide/2011/lifeatsussex Life at Sussex university] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903102321/http://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/sabroad/guide/2011/lifeatsussex |date=3 September 2011}}</ref> and is associated with [[popular music]]ians including [[Fatboy Slim]], [[Omar Lye-Fook|Omar]], [[Kirk Brandon]], [[Tim Booth]], [[Nick Cave]], [[Lovejoy (band)|Lovejoy]], [[David Van Day]] from Dollar, [[James Marriott (musician)|James Marriott]], [[Adam Freeland]], [[Orbital (band)|Orbital]], and [[Robert Smith (musician)|Robert Smith]]. Live music venues include [[Concorde 2]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.concorde2.co.uk/ |title=Concorde 2 |publisher=Concorde 2 |access-date=10 May 2013 |archive-date=25 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130425051942/http://www.concorde2.co.uk/ |url-status=live}}</ref> the [[Brighton Centre]] and the [[Brighton Dome]], where [[ABBA]] received a substantial boost to their career when they won the [[Eurovision Song Contest 1974]]. Many events and performance companies operate in the city. Brighton also has the most [[electronic music]] events in the UK.<ref>{{cite web |last1=TickX |title=Research confirms Brighton is the 'Electronic Music Capital of the UK' |url=https://www.tickx.co.uk/article/1334/research-confirms-brighton-is-the-electronic-music-capital-of-the-uk/ |website=www.tickx.co.uk |access-date=5 September 2018 |archive-date=5 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180905175536/https://www.tickx.co.uk/article/1334/research-confirms-brighton-is-the-electronic-music-capital-of-the-uk/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

Brighton hosts [[The Great Escape Festival|the Great Escape]] music festival every May. Brighton has produced successful musical acts including [[Beats International]], [[Norman Cook]], [[Carl Cox]], [[Dave Clarke (DJ)|Dave Clarke]], [[Krafty Kuts]], [[Ed Solo]], [[Evil Nine]], [[Electrelane]], [[James Marriott (musician)|James Marriott]], [[Frazier Chorus]], [[Peter and the Test Tube Babies]], [[The Levellers (band)|the Levellers]], [[The Maccabees (band)|The Maccabees]], [[Electric Soft Parade]], [[British Sea Power]], [[the Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster]], [[the Xcerts]], [[Architects (British band)|Architects]], [[the Go! Team]], [[Royal Blood (band)|Royal Blood]], [[the Kooks]], [[Freemasons (band)|Freemasons]], [[Blood Red Shoes]], [[Lovejoy (band)|Lovejoy]], [[Birdeatsbaby]], and [[Rizzle Kicks]]. Brighton is also home to several independent record labels. The second half of 1973 rock opera [[Quadrophenia]] by [[the Who]] takes place at Brighton Beach.

===Theatre===
[[File:Theatre Royal Brighton.jpg|thumb|The Theatre Royal presents a range of West End and touring musicals and plays, along with performances of opera and ballet.]]

Theatres include the [[Brighton Dome]] and associated Pavilion Theatre, the expanded [[Komedia]] (primarily a comedy and music venue but also a theatre), [[The Old Market, Hove|the Old Market]], which was renovated and re-opened in 2010, and the [[Theatre Royal, Brighton|Theatre Royal]],<ref name=BRIGHT4>{{cite book |title=A Guide to the Buildings of Brighton |author1=Atkinson, Clive |author2=Matthews, David |author3=Savile, Andrew |author4=Tunna, Robert |author5=Weighill, Tim |author6=Macdonald, Ken |publisher=McMillan Martin Ltd. |year=1990 |isbn=9781869865030 |pages=32–1G |chapter=The Theatre Royal – reference to date and description}}</ref> which celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2007. The [[Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts]] is nearby, part of the University of Sussex campus. There are also smaller theatres such as the [[Marlborough Pub and Theatre|Marlborough Theatre]], the New Venture, and the Brighton Little Theatre. The city has the purpose built [[Brighton Open Air Theatre]], or B•O•A•T, which opened for the [[Brighton Festival]] in May 2015.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-sussex-32717265 |title=Playwright's theatre dream realised |date=13 May 2015 |access-date=23 October 2019 |language=en-GB |archive-date=8 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191208091611/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-sussex-32717265 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Parks===
[[Stanmer Park]] sits on the northern edge of Brighton and extends into the [[South Downs]]. The largest urban park in the city is [[Preston Park, Brighton|Preston Park]] and [[The Level, Brighton|The Level]] was recently developed. Other parks include [[East Brighton Park]], [[Queen's Park, Brighton|Queen's Park]] and [[Wild Park]].<ref name="Parks">{{cite web |title=Brighton & Hove's main parks |url=https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/leisure-and-libraries/parks-and-green-spaces/brighton-hoves-main-parks |website=Brighton & Hove City Council |access-date=24 March 2020 |archive-date=24 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200324165814/https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/leisure-and-libraries/parks-and-green-spaces/brighton-hoves-main-parks |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Education==
[[File:Waste House, University of Brighton, Grand Parade, Brighton (September 2015) (10).JPG|thumb|[[Waste House]], on Brighton University campus, is a [[sustainable building]] constructed using waste materials to showcase sustainable construction practices.]]
The [[University of Brighton]] has been part of Brighton since 1859, starting as a school of art in the kitchens of the Royal Pavilion.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Your university |url=https://www.brighton.ac.uk/about-us/your-university/index.aspx |access-date=11 November 2021 |website=University of Brighton |language=en-GB}}</ref> It was granted university status in 1992,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Milestones in our history |url=https://www.brighton.ac.uk/about-us/your-university/milestones-in-our-history/index.aspx |access-date=11 November 2021 |website=University of Brighton |language=en-GB}}</ref> and now has a student population of around 18,000 of which 79 per cent are undergraduates.<ref>{{cite web |title=Facts and figures – University of Brighton |url=https://www.brighton.ac.uk/about-us/statistics-and-legal/facts-and-figures/student-population.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117145213/https://www.brighton.ac.uk/about-us/statistics-and-legal/facts-and-figures/student-population.aspx |archive-date=17 November 2017 |access-date=11 November 2021 |website=University of Brighton}}</ref> The university is based on four campuses – City campus in the heart of Brighton; Falmer campus set in the South Downs; Moulsecoomb campus on [[Lewes Road, Brighton|Lewes Road]] and Eastbourne campus.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our campuses |url=https://www.brighton.ac.uk/accommodation-and-locations/campuses/index.aspx |access-date=11 November 2021 |website=University of Brighton |language=en-GB}}</ref>

The [[University of Sussex]], established in 1961 as the first of the plate-glass universities, is a [[campus university|campus]] research intensive university between [[Stanmer Park]] and [[Falmer]], four miles (6&nbsp;km) from the city centre. The university is home to the [[Institute of Development Studies]] and the [[Science Policy Research Unit]], amongst over 40 other established research centres, and has been ranked first in the world for Development studies by the World University Rankings.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.topuniversities.com/universities/university-sussex |title=University of Sussex |date=16 July 2015 |work=Top Universities |access-date=28 January 2018 |archive-date=11 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180311021837/https://www.topuniversities.com/universities/university-sussex |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ids.ac.uk/ |title=For international development research, teaching and communications |access-date=23 December 2017 |archive-date=23 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171223052108/http://www.ids.ac.uk/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sussex.ac.uk/spru/ |title=SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit : University of Sussex |website=www.sussex.ac.uk |access-date=23 December 2017 |archive-date=15 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215212218/http://www.sussex.ac.uk/spru/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Served by trains (to [[Falmer railway station]]) and 24-hour buses, it has a student population of around 20,000 students of which about a quarter are postgraduates.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sussex.ac.uk/about/facts/facts-figures |title=Facts and figures : Rankings and figures : About us : University of Sussex |website=www.sussex.ac.uk |access-date=28 November 2017 |archive-date=1 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201030927/http://www.sussex.ac.uk/about/facts/facts-figures |url-status=live}}</ref> The university has been ranked 41st in the UK by the Complete University Guide in its 2022 rankings<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings |title=University of Sussex |website=The Complete University Guide |access-date=22 February 2022 |archive-date=25 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110625164636/http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and 246th in the world by the World University Rankings of 2021.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2021 |title=Top Universities, QS World University Rankings 2021/ |website=The World University Rankings/ |access-date=24 November 2020 |archive-date=28 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151128002557/https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2001 the music college BIMM ([[British and Irish Modern Music Institute]]) opened in Brighton under the name The Brighton Institute of Modern Music. The college has approximately 1500 students across Brighton, its degree courses at BIMM are validated by the [[University of Sussex]] and diploma courses are taught at the [[Brighton Aldridge Community Academy]]. Notable alumni have included [[James Bay (singer)|James Bay]], [[The Kooks]] and [[Tom Odell]]. Since the college opened it has expanded to become Europe's largest music college with 6500 students studying at eight campuses across Europe including [[Bristol]], [[London]], [[Manchester]], [[Berlin]], [[Dublin]], [[Hamburg]], and [[Birmingham]].

In 2003, the universities of Brighton and Sussex formed a medical school, known as [[Brighton and Sussex Medical School]]. The school was one of four new medical schools to be created as part of a government programme to increase the number of [[National Health Service|NHS]] doctors. The school is based at the University of Sussex campus and works closely with the Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust.

Brighton & Hove City Council is responsible for 80 schools, of which 54 are in Brighton.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/index.cfm?request=c1001684&action=dsp_lists&type=all&desc=all |title=Brighton & Hove City Council – school contact information |access-date=20 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070920100134/http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/index.cfm?request=c1001684&action=dsp_lists&type=all&desc=all |archive-date=20 September 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

A range of non-university courses for students over 16, mainly in [[vocational education]] subjects, are provided at the [[further education college]], Greater Brighton Metropolitan College (previously City College and before that Brighton Technical College). More academic subjects can be studied by 16- to 19-year-olds at [[Brighton Hove & Sussex Sixth Form College]] (BHASVIC) in the Seven Dials area. [[Varndean College]] in North Brighton occupies a commanding position. The 1920s building is celebrated for its façade and internal quads. The college offers academic [[GCE Advanced Level (United Kingdom)|A levels]], the [[International Baccalaureate]] and vocational courses, including BTECs.

As Brighton is home to public universities and colleges, it also home to private colleges such as [[Hove College]] located near the [[County Cricket Ground, Hove|County Cricket Ground]]. The college was established in 1977 and offers higher educational courses such as vocational, certificate, professional, diploma and Advanced Diploma qualifications and has a close partnership with the [[University of Brighton]].

There are [[state school]]s and some [[Faith school#England|faith school]]s. Notable secondary state schools include<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brightonscene.co.uk/notable-brighton-state-schools/ |title=Brighton State Schools/ |website=Brighton Scene |access-date=27 July 2013 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140121032326/http://www.brightonscene.co.uk/notable-brighton-state-schools/ |archive-date=21 January 2014}}</ref> [[Longhill High School]], [[Varndean School]], [[Patcham High School]], [[Dorothy Stringer School]], [[Blatchington Mill School]], [[Hove Park School]], [[Brighton Aldridge Community Academy]], and [[King's School, Hove|King's School]].

Special Education Schools include Downs View and Downs View Link College for people over 16. There are also [[Pupil Referral Unit]]s (PRUs).

There are a number of [[independent school]]s, including [[Brighton College]], [[Roedean School]], [[Waldorf education|Steiner School]], [[Brighton Girls]] (formerly known as Brighton and Hove High School (BHHS)), and a [[Montessori]] school. As with the state schools, some independents are faith-based; Torah Academy, the last Jewish primary school, became a Nursery School at the end of 2007. The [[Brighton Institute of Modern Music]], a fully accredited music college, opened in 2001 and has since expanded to five locations throughout Britain.<ref>{{citation|last1=Goodwin |first1=Noël |authorlink=Noël Goodwin |title=Brighton Festival |publisher= Brighton Institute of Modern Music, Oxford University Press |date=2001}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=September 2024}}

Brighton has been ranked a top 10 student city in the UK by QS rankings.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2019 Best Student Cities |url=https://www.topuniversities.com/city-rankings/2019 |access-date=11 November 2021 |website=Top Universities |language=en}}</ref>

==Sport==
===Football===
[[File:Amex Stadium Pitch panorama - geograph.org.uk - 2859086.jpg|thumb|Falmer Stadium, home of Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club]]
[[Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.|Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club]] is the city's professional association football team. After playing at the [[Goldstone Ground]] for 95 years, the club spent 2 years ground-sharing 70 miles away at [[Gillingham F.C.]] before returning to the town as tenants of the [[Withdean Stadium]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Withdean years |url=https://www.brightonandhovealbion.com/club/history/club-history/the-withdean-years |website=www.brightonandhovealbion.com |publisher=Brighton & Hove Albion |access-date=5 June 2020 |language=en |archive-date=4 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604224332/https://www.brightonandhovealbion.com/club/history/club-history/the-withdean-years |url-status=live}}</ref> At the start of the 2011–12 season the club moved permanently to Falmer Stadium, a Premier League level stadium colloquially known as [[Falmer Stadium|'the Amex']]. Notable achievements include winning promotion to the [[Football League First Division]] in 1979 and staying there for four seasons. They reached the [[1983 FA Cup Final]] drawing 2–2 with [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] before losing in the replay 5 days later. The [[2017–18 Premier League|2017–18 football season]] saw Brighton's debut in the Premier League after a win against [[Wigan Athletic]] guaranteed automatic promotion to the top flight.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39549523 |title=Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 Wigan Athletic |date=17 April 2017 |work=[[BBC Sport]] |access-date=14 February 2018 |archive-date=18 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170518152541/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39549523 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Whitehawk F.C.|Whitehawk Football Club]] is a semi-professional association football club based in [[Whitehawk|a suburb in east Brighton]].<ref name="Whiehawk">{{cite news |title=Whitehawk abandon Brighton City name change after fan opposition |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35400360 |access-date=5 June 2020 |work=BBC Sport |date=25 January 2016 |language=en-gb |archive-date=4 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604224123/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35400360 |url-status=live}}</ref> They play in the [[Isthmian League]] Premier Division.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}} Games are played at [[The Enclosed Ground]],<ref name="Whiehawk" /> which is set into the South Downs close to [[Brighton Marina]].

===Rugby===
[[Brighton Football Club (RFU)]] is one of the oldest [[Rugby union|rugby]] clubs in England, founded in 1868 before the RFU. They currently play in the Premier division of London and South-East RFU League.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brightonrugby.org.uk |title=Brighton Rugby Club – Sussex, south of England |access-date=11 April 2007 |archive-date=16 April 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070416124844/http://www.brightonrugby.org.uk/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

Brighton was chosen as one of the 13 [[2015 Rugby World Cup|Rugby World Cup 2015]] host cities,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/rugby-world-cup/11082182/Rugby-World-Cup-2015-venues.html |title=Rugby World Cup 2015 venues |website=The Daily Telegraph |date=3 June 2015 |access-date=9 June 2016 |archive-date=23 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423230611/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/rugby-world-cup/11082182/Rugby-World-Cup-2015-venues.html |url-status=live}}</ref> with two games being played at the 30,750 capacity [[Falmer Stadium]] (although it was named the "Brighton Community Stadium" throughout the tournament for sponsorship reasons). One of the two games played was one of the biggest shocks in the history of Rugby Union,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/sep/19/south-africa-japan-rugby-world-cup-2015-match-report |title=Japan beat South Africa in greatest Rugby World Cup shock ever |last=Kitson |first=Robert |date=19 September 2015 |website=The Guardian |access-date=9 June 2016 |archive-date=22 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191122105436/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/sep/19/south-africa-japan-rugby-world-cup-2015-match-report |url-status=live}}</ref> with [[Japan national rugby union team|Japan]] defeating [[South Africa national rugby union team|South Africa]] 34 points to 32, with a try in the dying minutes of the game. The other game was between [[Samoa national rugby union team|Samoa]] and the [[United States national rugby union team|United States.]]

===Hockey===
[[Brighton & Hove Hockey Club]] is a large [[Field hockey|hockey]] club that train and play their matches at [[Blatchington Mill School]]. The men's 1XI gained promotion in 2013 to the [[Men's England Hockey League|England Hockey League]] system, Conference East.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brightonandhovehockeyclub.net/ |title=B&H Hockey Club |publisher=Brightonandhovehockeyclub.net |access-date=10 May 2013 |archive-date=21 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521024927/http://brightonandhovehockeyclub.net/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Cricket===
[[Sussex County Cricket Club]] play at [[County Cricket Ground, Hove|County Cricket Ground]] in Hove. The ground has hosted one men's [[One Day International]];<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/ground/56825.html|title= County Ground|publisher= ESPNcricinfo|access-date=29 January 2015}}</ref> the match was part of the [[1999 Cricket World Cup]], and was a Group A match between South Africa and India, which South Africa won by 4 wickets.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/engine/match/65194.html|title= ICC World Cup, 2nd Match: India v South Africa at Hove, May 15, 1999|work= Cricinfo|publisher=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=29 January 2015}}</ref> The County Ground has also hosted 2 [[Test cricket|Test matches]] in [[The Women's Ashes]] in 1987 and 2005;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Grounds/11/346_wt.html|title=The Home of CricketArchive|publisher=cricketarchive.com}}</ref> in addition, the ground hosted two [[One Day International]]s in the [[2013 Women's Ashes]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ecb.co.uk/news/womens/2013-womens-ashes-series-format|title=2013 Women's Ashes Series – Format|publisher=ecb.co.uk|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807031018/http://www.ecb.co.uk/news/womens/2013-womens-ashes-series-format|archive-date=7 August 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref> and, as of 2017, 5 Women's [[One Day International|ODIs]] and 4 Women's [[Twenty20 International|T20Is]] have been hosted at the ground.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Grounds/11/346_wo.html|title=The Home of CricketArchive|publisher=cricketarchive.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Grounds/11/346_witt.html|title=The Home of CricketArchive|publisher=cricketarchive.com}}</ref>

===Other sports===
[[File:Brighton Marina - geograph.org.uk - 1413071.jpg|thumb|Brighton Marina]]
Motoring events take place on Madeira Drive, a piece of roadway on Brighton's seafront, throughout the year. It was originally constructed to host what is commonly held to be the world's oldest motor race, the [[Brighton Speed Trials]], which ran from 1905 to 2023.<ref>[http://www.brightonandhovemotorclub.co.uk Brighton and Hove Motor Club]</ref> The event was organised by the [[Brighton and Hove Motor Club]].

Brighton has a [[horse racing]] course, [[Brighton Racecourse]], with the unusual feature that when the full length of the course is to be used, some of the grass turf of the track has to be laid over the tarmac at the top of Wilson Avenue, a public road, which therefore has to be closed for the races. A [[greyhound racing]] circuit – the [[Brighton & Hove Greyhound Stadium]] – in Hove is run by [[Gala Coral Group|Coral]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://brightonandhovegreyhounds.co.uk/  |title=Brighton & Hove Greyhounds|access-date=29 September 2025}}</ref>

[[Brighton Sailing Club]] has been operating since the 1870s.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}

The Brighton and Hove [[Pétanque]] Club runs an annual triples, doubles and singles competition, informal KOs, winter and summer league, plus Open competitions with other clubs. The club is affiliated to Sussex Pétanque, the local region of the English Pétanque Association, so they can also play at a Regional and National level. The Peace Statue terrain is the official [[pétanque]] terrain situated on the seafront near the West Pier.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bhpetanque.org/ |title=Brighton and Hove Pétanque Club |access-date=20 December 2008 |archive-date=5 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205194516/http://www.bhpetanque.org/ |url-status=usurped}}</ref>

Brighton has two competitive swimming clubs: Brighton SC,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brightonsc.co.uk/ |title=Brighton Swimming Club |access-date=3 November 2008 |archive-date=22 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081022221749/http://www.brightonsc.co.uk/ |url-status=live}}</ref> formed in 1860, claims to be the oldest swimming club in England; and Brighton Dolphin SC<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bdsc.co.uk/ |title=Brighton Dolphin Swimming Club |access-date=3 November 2008 |archive-date=27 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081227224341/http://www.bdsc.co.uk/ |url-status=live}}</ref> was formed in 1891 as Brighton Ladies Swimming. Casual sea swimming is also a popular activity in Brighton, rising in popularity since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Amateur track cycling is held at the [[Preston Park Velodrome]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Cycling at Preston Park Velodrome |url=https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/leisure-and-libraries/parks-and-green-spaces/cycling-preston-park-velodrome |website=www.brighton-hove.gov.uk |publisher=Brighton and Hove City Council |access-date=23 June 2020 |archive-date=27 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727035642/https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/leisure-and-libraries/parks-and-green-spaces/cycling-preston-park-velodrome |url-status=live}}</ref> the oldest velodrome in the UK, built in 1877.

There are three recognised surfing breaks close to Brighton, including East of the Marina, by the West Pier and at Shoreham harbour.<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 December 2016 |title=Brighton as a surfing destination |url=https://www.thisisbrighton.co.uk/brighton-surfing-destination/ |access-date=9 January 2022 |website=This Is Brighton |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==Transport==
{{Main|Transport in Brighton and Hove}}

[[File:Northward view of A23 and Brighton Main Line from footbridge near Braypool Lane, Patcham (December 2012).JPG|thumb|right|The [[Brighton Main Line]] railway (left) and A23 road link Brighton with London.]]
Brighton has several railway stations, many bus routes, coach services and taxis. A Rapid Transport System has been under consideration for some years.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theargus.co.uk/search/display.var.1305605.0.transport_project_will_cut_journey_times.php |title=Transport Project Will Cut Journey Times |date=3 April 2007 |access-date=25 April 2007 |archive-date=29 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929103155/http://www.theargus.co.uk/search/display.var.1305605.0.transport_project_will_cut_journey_times.php |url-status=live}}
: {{cite web |url=https://present.brighton-hove.gov.uk/Data/Environment%20Committee/20040701/Agenda/$Item%2034%20Rapid%20Transport%20System.doc.pdf |title=Brighton and Hove City Council – Update on Rapid Transport 2004}}</ref> [[Trolleybus]]es, trams, ferries and [[hydrofoil]] services have operated in the past.

===Roads===
Brighton is connected to the trunk road network by the [[A23 road|A23]] (London Road) northwards, and by two east–west routes: the [[A259 road|A259]] along the coast and the [[A27 road|A27]] [[South Coast Trunk Road|trunk route]] inland which joins the [[M27 motorway]] near [[Portsmouth, Hampshire|Portsmouth]]. The A23 joins the [[M23 motorway]] at [[Pease Pottage]] near [[Gatwick Airport]].<ref name="BBRH49">{{Harvnb|Brighton Borough Council|1985|p=49.}}</ref> The A27 originally ran through the urban area along Old Shoreham Road and [[Lewes Road, Brighton|Lewes Road]], but it now follows the route of the Brighton Bypass (final section opened in 1992) and the old alignment has become the A270. A bypass was first proposed in 1932, six routes were submitted for approval in 1973, and the [[Secretary of State for the Environment|Department of the Environment]] published its recommended route in 1980. Public inquiries took place in 1983 and 1987, construction started in 1989 and the first section—between London Road at [[Patcham]] and the road to [[Devil's Dyke, Sussex|Devil's Dyke]]—opened in summer 1991.<ref name="NEB48">{{Harvnb|Collis|2010|p=48.}}</ref>

By 1985, there were about 5,000 parking spaces in central Brighton. The largest car parks are at London Road, King Street and the Churchill Square/Regency Road/Russell Road complex.<ref name="BBRH10">{{Harvnb|Brighton Borough Council|1985|p=10.}}</ref> In 1969, a 520-space [[multi-storey car park]] was built beneath the central gardens of [[Regency Square, Brighton|Regency Square]].<ref name="BBRH10" /><ref name="NEB273">{{Harvnb|Collis|2010|p=273.}}</ref>

===Railway===
[[File:Brighton Station - geograph.org.uk - 435851.jpg|thumb|Brighton station concourse]]

Frequent trains operate from [[Brighton railway station]]. Many Brighton residents commute to work in London<ref name="Argus-10785898">{{cite news |title=Commuting effect means Brighton and Hove population drops by 2.5% every working day |url=http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/10785898.Commuting_effect_means_Brighton_and_Hove_population_drops_by_2_5__every_working_day/ |last=Vowles |first=Neil |work=[[The Argus (Brighton)|The Argus]] |date=6 November 2013 |access-date=23 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151225083055/http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/10785898.Commuting_effect_means_Brighton_and_Hove_population_drops_by_2_5__every_working_day/ |archive-date=25 December 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> and destinations include {{rws|London Victoria}}, {{rws|London Bridge}} and {{rws|St Pancras}}. Most trains serve {{rws|Gatwick Airport}} and those operated by [[Govia Thameslink Railway|Thameslink]] continue to {{rws|St Albans City}}, {{rws|Luton}}, {{rws|Luton Airport Parkway}}, {{rws|Bedford}} and {{rws|Cambridge}}. The fastest service from London Victoria takes 51 minutes.<ref name="Indy-02042005">{{cite news |url=http://travel.independent.co.uk/uk/article8880.ece |title=Bedside the seaside |last=Dolan |first=Siobhan |work=[[The Independent]] |location=London |date=2 April 2005 |access-date=23 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611200630/http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/uk/bedside-the-seaside-530734.html |archive-date=11 June 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[West Coastway Line]] serves stations to [[Portsmouth]], and [[Southampton]]; the [[East Coastway Line]] runs via [[Lewes]] to [[Newhaven, East Sussex|Newhaven]], [[Eastbourne]], and [[Hastings]], crossing the landmark [[London Road viaduct]] en route and providing "a dramatic high-level view" of Brighton.<ref name="Indy-02042005" /> A wider range of long-distance destinations was served until 2007–08 when rationalisation caused the ending of [[InterCity (British Rail)|InterCity]] services via {{rws|Kensington Olympia}} and {{rws|Reading}} to [[Birmingham New Street railway station|Birmingham]], [[Manchester Piccadilly railway station|Manchester]] and [[Edinburgh Waverley railway station|Edinburgh]].<ref name="Indy-02042005"/>

===Buses===
Until [[Bus deregulation in Great Britain|deregulation]] in 1986, bus services in Brighton were provided by [[Southdown Motor Services]] and Brighton Borough Transport under a joint arrangement called ''Brighton Area Transport Services''. Southdown were part of the nationalised [[National Bus Company (UK)|NBC]] group and were based at Freshfield Road in the [[Kemptown, Brighton|Kemptown]] area; Brighton Borough Transport were owned by the council and used the former tram depot at Lewes Road as their headquarters. Joint tickets were available and revenue was shared.<ref name="BBRH48+50">{{Harvnb|Brighton Borough Council|1985|pp=48, 50.}}</ref> The [[Brighton & Hove (bus company)|Brighton & Hove Bus Company]], owned by the [[Go-Ahead Group]] since 1993, now runs most bus services in Brighton. It has a fleet of about 280 buses.<ref name="B&H-About">{{cite web |url=http://www.buses.co.uk/information/aboutus.aspx |title=All About Us |year=2013 |publisher=[[Brighton & Hove (bus company)|Brighton & Hove Bus Company]] |access-date=22 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020032431/http://www.buses.co.uk/information/aboutus.aspx |archive-date=20 October 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Compass Travel, [[The Big Lemon]], [[Metrobus (South East England)|Metrobus]], [[Stagecoach South]] operate services to central Brighton.<!-- Refs for each of these! --> The city had 1,184 bus stops in 2012, 456 of which had a shelter.<ref name="Argus-13082012">{{cite news |last=Ridgway |first=Tim |title=Could Brighton and Hove buses get their own 'tube map'? |url=http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/9870305.Could_Brighton_and_Hove_buses_get_their_own__tube_map__/ |work=[[The Argus (Brighton)|The Argus]] |date=13 August 2012 |access-date=5 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224115559/http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/9870305.Could_Brighton_and_Hove_buses_get_their_own__tube_map__/ |archive-date=24 December 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Real-time data|Real-time travel information]] displays are provided at many stops.<ref name="B&H-About"/>
[[File:Brighton & Hove 412 BJ11 XHN.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2|A Brighton & Hove bus service to East Moulsecoomb]]

The only [[park and ride]] facility in Brighton is based at the [[Withdean Stadium]]. It does not offer a dedicated shuttle bus service: intending passengers must join the Brighton & Hove Bus Company's route 27 service to [[Saltdean]]—which travels via Brighton railway station, the [[Clock Tower, Brighton|Clock Tower]] and [[Old Steine]]—and pay standard fares.<ref name="BHCC-P&R">{{cite web |url=http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/parking-and-travel/travel-transport-and-road-safety/park-ride-1 |title=Park & Ride |year=2013 |publisher=Brighton & Hove City Council |access-date=23 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130623194930/http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/parking-and-travel/travel-transport-and-road-safety/park-ride-1 |archive-date=23 June 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The 20-year City Plan released in January 2013 ruled out an official park-and-ride facility, stating it would be an "inefficient use of public money, particularly in an era of declining car use". Councillors and residents in [[Woodingdean]] and [[Rottingdean]] have claimed that streets and car parks in those areas have become unofficial park-and-ride sites: drivers park for free and take buses into the city centre.<ref name="Argus-10593091">{{cite news |url=http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/10593091.Woodingdean_being_turned_into_unofficial__park_and_ride__claim_residents/ |title=Woodingdean being turned into unofficial 'park and ride' claim residents |last=Ridgway |first=Tim |date=6 August 2013 |work=[[The Argus (Brighton)|The Argus]] |access-date=23 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224102543/http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/10593091.Woodingdean_being_turned_into_unofficial__park_and_ride__claim_residents/ |archive-date=24 December 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Air===
[[Shoreham Airport]], which offers chartered and scheduled flights using light aircraft,<ref name="Argus-05032013">{{cite news |last=Middleton |first=Kimberly |title=Cross channel flights take off from Brighton tomorrow |url=http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/10266876.Cross_channel_flights_take_off_from_Brighton_tomorrow/ |work=[[The Argus (Brighton)|The Argus]] |date=5 March 2013 |access-date=5 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224091824/http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/10266876.Cross_channel_flights_take_off_from_Brighton_tomorrow/ |archive-date=24 December 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> is {{cvt|9|mi|km}} west of Brighton near the town of [[Shoreham-by-Sea]]. In 1971, the borough councils of Worthing, Hove and Brighton bought it and operated it jointly as a municipal airport,<ref name="BBRH49"/><ref name="ShorehamApt">{{cite web |url=http://www.shorehamairport.co.uk/history |title=Airport History |publisher=[[Shoreham Airport|Shoreham (Brighton City) Airport]]/Albemarle Investment Syndicates |year=2012 |access-date=13 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107064857/http://www.shorehamairport.co.uk/history |archive-date=7 January 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> but since 2006 it has been privately owned.<ref name="BBC-25012007">{{cite web |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/southern_counties/6297735.stm |title=Airport plans focus on terminal |date=25 January 2007 |publisher=[[BBC]] News |access-date=13 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070208105015/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/southern_counties/6297735.stm |archive-date=8 February 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Gatwick Airport]], one of Britain's major international airports, is {{cvt|30|mi|km}} north on the A23; regular coach and rail services operate from Brighton.<ref name="BBRH49"/>

==Notable people==
{{Unreferenced section|date=February 2023}}
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*[[Lily Agg]], footballer
*[[ArrDee]], rapper
*[[Michael Ashburner]], geneticist
*[[Bald and Bankrupt]], travel vlogger
*[[Zoe Ball]], entertainer
*[[Brian Behan]], writer and trade unionist
*[[Nick Berry]], actor and singer
*[[Cate Blanchett]], actress
*[[Laurence Rickard]], actor and screenwriter
*[[Raymond Briggs]], illustrator
*[[Dora Bryan]], actress
*[[George Burchett]], tattoo artist
*[[Julian Cash]], professional tennis player
*[[Nick Cave]], musician
*[[Gwendoline Christie]], actress
*[[Steve Coogan]], actor and comedian
*[[Fatboy Slim|Norman Cook / Fatboy Slim]], DJ
*[[Richard P. Cook]], artist
*[[Robin Cousins]], ice skater
*[[Luke Cresswell]], percussionist
*[[Alfie Deyes]], YouTuber
*[[Charles Dickens]], author
*[[Maude Dickinson]], inventor
*[[Lewis Dunk]], footballer
*[[E. S. Elliott]], writer
*[[Chris Eubank]], boxer
*[[Anubis Finch]], drag queen
*[[David Gilmour]], musician
*[[Dave Greenfield]], musician
*[[Cyriak Harris]], animator, artist, composer, and author
*[[Elliott Hasler]], director
*[[Ben Hawes]], triple Olympian
*[[David Henty]], former master forger
*[[Jane Horrocks]], actress
*[[Seán William McLoughlin|Jacksepticeye]], YouTuber
*[[Peter James (writer)|Peter James]], author
*[[Mike Kerr (singer)|Mike Kerr]], musician
*[[Rudyard Kipling]], author
*[[Marzia Kjellberg]], internet personality
*[[Joan Lazzarani]], sculptor, musician and intermedia performance artist
*[[Joshua Le Gallienne]], artist, predominantly in sculpture<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brighton CCA — Non-binary and Queer Perspectives on Listening |url=https://brightoncca.art/event/non-binary-and-queer-perspectives-on-listening/ |access-date=2022-08-24 |website=Brighton CCA}}</ref>
*[[Charles Leggett]], music cornetist
*[[Emma Lomax]], composer and pianist
*[[Gigguk|Garnt Maneetapho]], YouTuber, known online as "Gigguk"
*[[James Marriott (musician)|James Marriott]], musician and YouTuber<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 August 2023 |title=JAMES MARRIOTT IS THE BIGGEST DORK WE KNOW |last=Firth |first=Abigail |url=https://readdork.com/features/james-marriott-feature-august-23/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230806013654/https://readdork.com/features/james-marriott-feature-august-23/ |archive-date=6 August 2023|access-date=31 March 2024 |website=[[Dork (magazine)|DORK]]|url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Heather Mills]], model 
*[[Isaiah Aram Minasian]], violinist, cellist and orchestrator
* [[John Nathan-Turner]], producer
*[[David Pearce (transhumanist)|David Pearce]], transhumanist philosopher
*[[Felix Kjellberg|PewDiePie]], YouTuber
*[[George IV|The Prince Regent / George IV]], royal
*[[Philip Proudfoot]], anthropologist and politician 
*[[Ren (British musician)|Ren]], musician
*[[Clara Ross]], composer
*[[Victor Spinetti]], actor
*[[Ben Thatcher (musician)|Ben Thatcher]], musician
*[[Frank Thewlis]], Methodist minister
*[[TommyInnit]], YouTuber and streamer
*[[Tubbo]], YouTuber and streamer
*[[Doreen Valiente]], Wiccan writer
*[[Johnny Wakelin]], musician
*[[David Walliams]], comedian, actor and writer
*[[Joe Wilkinson]], comedian
*[[Zoë Sugg|Zoella]], YouTuber
{{div col end}}

==See also==
{{Portal|England}}
*[[List of people from Brighton and Hove]]
*[[:Category:Musicians from Brighton and Hove|Category:Musicians from Brighton and Hove]]
*[[Brighton Borough Council elections]] for the political history of the former borough council which governed the town from 1974 to 1997.

==Notes==
{{NoteFoot}}

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
; Works cited
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book |last1=Antram |first1=Nicholas |last2=Morrice |first2=Richard |title=Brighton and Hove |series=[[Pevsner Architectural Guides]] |publisher=Yale University Press |location=London |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-300-12661-7}}
*{{cite book |author=Brighton Borough Council |title=Borough of Brighton Residents' Handbook |edition=2nd |year=1985 |publisher=Home Publishing Co. Ltd. |location=Wallington}}
*{{cite book |last=Carder |first=Timothy |title=The Encyclopaedia of Brighton |year=1990 |publisher=East Sussex County Libraries |location=Lewes |isbn=978-0-861-47315-1}}
*{{cite book |last=Collis |first=Rose |others=(based on the original by Tim Carder) |title=The New Encyclopaedia of Brighton |edition=1st |year=2010 |publisher=Brighton & Hove Libraries |location=Brighton |isbn=978-0-9564664-0-2}}
*{{cite book |last=Dale |first=Antony |title=The History and Architecture of Brighton |publisher=Bredin & Heginbothom Ltd. |location=Brighton |year=1950}}
*{{cite book |last=Dale |first=Antony |title=Brighton Town and Brighton People |year=1976 |publisher=Phillimore & Co. |location=Chichester |isbn=978-0-85033-219-3}}
*{{cite book |last=Dale |first=Antony |title=About Brighton: A Guide to the Buildings and Byways of Brighton and Hove |publisher=The Regency Society of Brighton and Hove |location=Brighton |year=1986|orig-year=1951 |edition=2nd Revised}}
*{{cite book |last=Gwynne |first=Peter |title=A History of Crawley |publisher=Phillimore & Co. |location=Chichester |year=1990 |edition=1st |isbn=978-0-85033-718-1}}
*{{cite book |editor1-last=Leslie |editor1-first=Kim |editor2-last=Short |editor2-first=Brian |title=An Historical Atlas of Sussex |year=1999 |publisher=Phillimore & Co. |location=Chichester |isbn=978-1-86077-112-5}}
*{{cite journal |last=Lower |first=Mark Antony |author-link=Mark Antony Lower |year=1864 |title=The Rivers of Sussex: Part II |journal=Sussex Archaeological Collections |volume=16 |doi=10.5284/1085282 |doi-access=free}}
*{{cite book |last1=Mawer |first1=A. |last2=Stenton |first2=F.M. |last3=Gover |first3=J.E.B. |title=The Place-Names of Sussex |volume=2 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge, England |year=1930}}
*{{cite book |last=Musgrave |first=Clifford |title=Life in Brighton |year=1981 |publisher=Rochester Press |location=Rochester |isbn=978-0-571-09285-7 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/lifeinbrightonfr0000musg}}
*{{cite book |last=Sampson |first=Mark |title=Brighton: History and Guide |publisher=Alan Sutton Publishing |location=Stroud |year=1994 |isbn=978-0-7509-0476-6}}
*{{cite book |last=Seldon |first=Anthony |author-link=Anthony Seldon |title=Brave New City: Brighton & Hove Past, Present, Future |year=2002 |publisher=Pomegranate Press |location=Lewes |isbn=978-0-9542587-1-9}}
{{refend}}

; General references
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book |last=Robinson |first=L.J. |title=The Lanes of Brighton: a Brief Account of the Origins of the Ancient Town of Brighthelmstone |publisher=The Southern Publishing Co. |location=Brighton |year=1966}}
*{{cite book |author=s.n. |author-link=Sine nomine |title=A selection of notes on the History of Hove and Brighton including a History of Hove street names and early maps of Hove |year=1998 |publisher=Brighton & Hove Libraries |location=Brighton}}
*The Daniel Wakeford song "It's a wonderful city" is filmed in the center of Brighton City, and often mentions Brighton with the phrase 'I'm in the Brighton'.
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links |wikt=Brighton |commonscat=Brighton, East Sussex |b=<!--London/Further Afield#Brighton-->no |n=Special:Search/Brighton |q=no |s=Special:Search/Brighton |v=no |voy=Brighton (England) |species=no |d=y}}
{{EB1911 poster|Brighton (England)}}
*[https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk Brighton & Hove City Council]
*[https://www.visitbrighton.com VisitBrighton] official tourist information for Brighton
*[https://brighton.co.uk Brighton.co.uk]

{{Clear}}
{{Brighton and Hove}}
{{East Sussex1}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Brighton| ]]
[[Category:Towns in East Sussex]]
[[Category:Market towns in East Sussex]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in East Sussex]]
[[Category:Seaside resorts in England]]
[[Category:Beaches of East Sussex]]
[[Category:Unparished areas in East Sussex]]
[[Category:Brighton and Hove]]
[[Category:Former boroughs in England]]
[[Category:Former civil parishes in East Sussex]]