By early evening the seafront is still busy with people walking off the day, and the pubs and bars of the centre are beginning to fill. Later, crowds move between the Lanes, the North Laine and the streets around the station, and the city keeps going well past the point where the last trains leave.
Brighton's nightlife is broad rather than concentrated: traditional pubs, real-ale specialists, wine bars, live-music venues and a large LGBT-orientated scene, most of it in the Kemp Town area around St James's Street and Marine Drive. It suits visitors who want to wander between several places in an evening rather than settle in one, and who are as happy in an old backstreet pub as in a bar or club.
Where to go out in Brighton
1. Station and Trafalgar Street
The streets immediately around the railway station form a compact pub cluster, convenient if you are arriving or leaving by train. The Evening Star on Surrey Street is known for real ales, ciders and bottled beers and is described as inexpensive; The Great Eastern on Trafalgar Street offers a wide range of US bourbons and rye whiskeys; The Prince Albert is a boisterous indie-oriented pub with local ales; and The Lord Nelson, known locally as the Nellie, is a traditional multi-roomed pub serving ales from a brewery in nearby Lewes.
This suits a low-key start to an evening or a final drink before a train, and the venues are close enough to move between on foot.
2. North Laine
The North Laine is a good area for a slower, pub-based night. The Basketmakers Arms on Gloucester Road is a traditional backstreet pub with English ales and good-value food, and it is often busy, so arriving early helps if you want a seat. The Eagle, directly opposite, is also well regarded. The Heart & Hand on North Road is a traditional pub popular with an indie crowd and known for its jukebox, and Ten Green Bottles on Jubilee Street is a wine bar and merchant.
Choose this area if you want a relaxed evening with food and conversation rather than a late night.
3. The Lanes
The Lanes hold some of the oldest drinking places in the centre. The Cricketers on Black Lion Street is described as Brighton's oldest pub, with a plush Victorian interior, and is pricey. Hotel du Vin on Ship Street is excellent but very pricey, and The Victory on Duke Street is an old-fashioned green-tiled pub with fine ales and gigs upstairs.
This suits an evening that mixes a meal or a show with a drink in a historic setting, and it is easy to combine with the Pavilion area next door.
4. Pavilion
Around Castle Square and Marlborough Place the pubs draw a mixed crowd. The Fitz Regent is a cheap pub where very different types of people coexist, and there is a nightclub above it. Ye Olde King & Queen has fake-medieval decor and a large, high-ceilinged space, and is popular with students, including those from a nearby language school; it offers karaoke, televised sport and occasional live music.
This is a good area if you want somewhere lively and informal, with the option of a club without changing neighbourhood.
5. Churchill Square and the seafront
Along the seafront and just inland from it, the Fortune of War on King's Road is the most interesting beachside pub, built to look like a galleon, and it can get very crowded. The Quadrant on North Street is a historic, steeply multi-level pub by the Clocktower with good beer and live performances. The Regency Tavern on Russell Square is welcoming but pricey, with a quiet mixed clientele and kitsch decor that becomes more elaborate at Christmas and Valentine's Day.
This suits anyone who wants sea air between drinks, and it works well as a route between the centre and the beach.
6. Western Road area
Western Road and the side streets towards Hove have a cluster of distinctive pubs. The Bee's Mouth describes itself as a jazz dive, serving strong, pricey world beers in a faux-oriental interior. The Farm Tavern on Farm Road is cosy and friendly with a small, well-chosen selection of ales. The Lion and Lobster on Sillwood Street is large, with a cluttered Victorian junk-shop interior and screens for sport that you can also avoid. Molly Malones on West Street is an Irish pub with live music and fairly expensive drinks, best visited at the end of the night. Temple Bar on Western Road is a large pub in a shopping area with Sussex ales and world beers.
This area suits a longer, more varied crawl away from the seafront crowds, and it is within reach of Hove.
7. Kemp Town and the LGBT scene
Brighton has a large LGBT population and is recognised as the unofficial gay capital of the UK. LGBT-orientated pubs, bars and clubs are mostly in the Kemp Town area, in the vicinity of St James's Street and Marine Drive.
If that is the night you are after, base your evening here rather than in the centre, and expect the area to be at its busiest around the annual Pride festival.
8. Live music and theatre venues
Brighton is a good place to see a theatre show or a gig, with many theatres and venues in and around the city, and music events also take place in pubs. The Duke of York's Cinema on Preston Road is Brighton's art house cinema, with a single screen showing a mix of art house and mainstream films; its first-floor bar is a good place for a drink before the film, with a balcony overlooking the street.
This suits an evening built around a specific performance, with drinks before or after nearby.
How a night out unfolds
The sources describe Brighton's nightlife in terms of areas and venues rather than fixed timings, so plan around the event you are attending: theatre and cinema times, gig listings and the last trains are the practical anchors. Pubs and bars cater for all tastes, and if there is a street in central Brighton there is likely to be a pub on it, so an evening can be assembled on the spot. Molly Malones is described as best visited at the end of the night, which suggests that at least some venues stay busy late.
Festivals and events worth timing a trip around
- Brighton Festival — May each year; music of all sorts, art exhibitions and book debates.
- Brighton Festival Fringe — early May to early June, running at the same time as the main festival, with comedy, theatre, music, open houses and tours.
- The Great Escape — mid-May, a music festival in venues across the city.
- London to Brighton Bike Ride — the third Sunday in June, a charity bike ride finishing in Brighton.
- Brighton Pride — the first weekend in August, with a week-long festival in late July and early August featuring parades, parties and music.
- Brighton Racecourse — flat racing from April to October.
- Plumpton Racecourse — National Hunt jumps racing from November to March, about 10 miles north in Lewes.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Brighton's LGBT nightlife concentrated?
LGBT-orientated pubs, bars and clubs are mostly in the Kemp Town area, in the vicinity of St James's Street and Marine Drive.
What is Brighton's signature drink?
Look out for the spirit Tuaca, a sweet Italian brandy liqueur. Almost every bar in Brighton will have it, often served with a squeeze of lime, but it is rare to see elsewhere in the UK.
Is there a local speciality worth trying in the pubs?
Several pubs serve ales from a brewery in nearby Lewes, and Sussex ales appear alongside world beers in places such as Temple Bar.
When is the busiest time to be out?
Pride, in late July and early August, draws large crowds to the city, and the May festival period fills venues across Brighton.
Decide which area suits the night you want, check what is on, and plan your evening around it.