My top 10 things to do in Brighton for free
1) Sitting on the beach on a windy dayPeople tend to stay away from the beach if the weather is not so great, but you get great waves crashing over the old West Pier, and a walk along Brighton beach on a day like this is very energising!
2) Going to the Jubilee Library
It’s a great building, and extremely environmentally friendly. It uses the sun for most of its lighting and heating. Also you can sit there and review the day’s newspapers or the week’s magazines for free.
3) Visiting art exhibitions at Fabrica
This converted church houses some amazing exhibitions, where you can just sit and look. The atmosphere of the church building adds a nice edge to it. Fabrica is at the bottom of Duke Street on East Street.
4) Sitting in the Pavilion Gardens
There’s usually someone playing the sax or doing Tai Chi in the gardens to watch. Can be tricky finding any free grass to sit on in the summer, so get there early! There’s a café there too, which do good tea and cakes.
5) Streets of Brighton in May
May is the time of the Brighton Festival, and all the city’s entertainment venues are full of concerts, comedy, and amazing acts. The “Streets of Brighton” refers to free entertainment offered by some brilliant street performers. You never really know where it’s going to happen, so you just have to be out and about really.
6) Brighton Marina by bike
OK, so you have to have a bike, but if you do, it’s a good one. Once you’ve had a look at the boats, and decided which one you’d have if you had one, you can carry on through to the very end of the Marina, and cycle along the under-cliff walk. (You might have to push your bike through some parts of the Marina though). Get a picnic at Asda supermarket in the Marina to have on the way.
7) Draw a picture
Take some paper and a pencil, and draw some of the amazing architecture you can find in Brighton.
8) Go for a swim
The water off Brighton beach is largely free of currents and on a calm summer’s night, it’s brilliant to go down and swim up and down, to the left of Brighton pier. You get a whole different perspective and watching the sun set under the pier is brilliant. When the tide is out, you get some great photo opportunities in the evening too.
9) Visit Brighton Museum in Pavilion Gardens
Entry is free. I’ve never been, but people who have say it’s really interesting. Good for your English practice anyway. Find someone who works there and ask them a question about something you see there.
10) Go to the Level
Spacious green area where you are bound to find other students to play football with! It is also worth going to the nearby skate park and watch the skateboarders or rollerbladers.
By Richard Bradford
