The Lanes are a myriad twisting complex of traffic free pedestrian streets, packed with independent…read moreshops, corporate chain shops, pubs, restaurants, art galleries, eateries, coffee shops, overpriced jewelry shops...fun to wander and indulge if you have funds to do so. There are fun some quirky vendors in the mix to make this enjoyable for the average tourists. Treat yourself, a little retail therapy is always fun.

Hadn't been here in at least 10 years…read more Shops were much better and more plentiful. Some commercial shops thrown in here and there. You could easily spend a few hours here.

Ok this guy is a bit of a local legend. You can talk to anyone who has spent much time down on Hove…read morelawns over a summer and I can almost guaranty they will have seen him but no one seems to know who he is or where in god's name he comes from. He spends literally hours on the wide asphalt bits between the lawns on the promenade wearing only hot pants and dancing round on roller boots, Quads to be specific, to the sound of his monstrously distorted home made boom box. I suppose in many ways this ruins the whole pleasant atmosphere of Hove Lawns but we should never forget it's all these little eccentrics that give a place like Brighton its' colour. Learn to love the freaks and the whole world can be a beautiful place. But if anyone can fill me in with any more details I would seriously appreciate it.

Banksy is one of those Brightonian artists (according to some, although his heritage is as unsure…read moreas his identity) whose stamp on our fair city has gone largely unnoticed compared to his national (and international) fame. However, this one piece of his urban vandilism has not only been kept, and not painted over, it has also been immortalised with a perspex cover. This piece of public art, now available for consumption (and probably completely anti- the artist's vision) makes for another fantastic Brighton tourist hot-spot, and is often hard to see for all of the tourists with cameras. I don't really think this is the place to critique the piece in terms of its artistic merit (not the biggest fan of Banksy's pseudo-anarchic street artwork), but I do think this makes a great addition to Brighton's general arty vibe. With so many galleries, fringe theatres, music venues and the like, it's good to have some publically vieweable artwork as well, and the wall with Banksy's Kissing Coppers also features a couple of similar pieces, including a George Best stencil and a large portrait of... someone (never worked that one out), making the Prince Albert (which these are all on the side of) an artistic mecca for urban artists: never a bad thing. Whether you like him or not, Banksy his left a pretty indelible stamp (ironic, considering how much of his work is painted over) on the British graffiti scene, and it's nice to know there'll be a piece of his kept for posterity in what may turn out to be his home town. Go and have a look, if you haven't already got a picture of you next to it.

Banksy is always going to be one of those characters that will be celebrated and loathed in equal…read moremeasure by the art world. Even though I could draw upon my History of Art BA to discuss this matter further, I think that the Kissing coppers is something that people will make their own minds up on. What does deserve mention is kudos to the council for recognising that this is something that should be preserved for the population to make a choice on. The perspex protection was a great idea. It is also well positioned on the side of the Albert pub for a quick detour from the station to have a look at if you are visiting the city for the day (just go under the bridge at the station and take your first right). I guess I will leave judgement up to you on the merits of the stencil, hence the sit on the fence 3 star review.

It's a monday night, you've got the monday blues and you want to escape the house. But what do you…read moredo? You don't want to get drunk because your too skint and a tuesday hangover is not what it's all about and the cinema is just not engaging enough. Irish Folk night at the Foundry, therefore, is just what you need. Buy yourself a nice pint of Guinness, sink back in your chair whilst basking in the warmth and cosyness of the Foundry and let your ears be taken away to a distant, forgotten land of leprechauns and travelling musicians. The performers are a little Troupe of Irish Folk enthusiasts from around Brighton who buy some Guinness (which you may have now realised is a requirement) and informally sit around in the lounge bar, humbly playing little ditties, silently. almost melancholically going from one song to the other. If you happen to play Irish Folk music, I was told by the bar lady that you can join in, and bring your own instrument. This is a really cool, relaxed and informal night, perfect for a monday, and is totally free (except of course the Guinness).

Snoopers Paradise is a must-visit for anyone coming to Brighton. Cluttered and bizarre, the shop…read morehas absolutely no apparent order, with bits and bobs scattered and hidden throughout stretching rooms full to the brim of treasures and, well, crap! There's literally something here for everyone - old furniture, jewellery, boxes of tatty old photographs, vintage clothing. Whatever it is you're looking for, Snooper's Paradise is likely to have it in some form or another. It's also likely to stock everything you're not looking for, which is why I especially love taking a stroll around here. First of all, let me state clearly - if you are not a browser, don't even come inside here. You will hate it. If you get stressed out by sales or TK Maxx, then back away slowly from Snooper's Paradise. It is, sadly, not for you. However if, like me, you love a good hoke around - you'll love this place! Many an afternoon can be spent wandering, trying on ridiculous hats, flicking through old books, pining after beautiful bits of furniture that you can't afford and that wouldn't fit in your flat anyway. It's that sort of place - you can get lost in there for hours, caught up in the wonder of it all! In terms of prices, this is obviously a very mixed bag. Some things are expensive, some things are a penny. Such is the way with big shops like this! That being said, there's always a bargain to be found in here somewhere! The staff are helpful and friendly! It always amazes me how they can find and price things in there without getting utterly frazzled by the sheer volume and randomness of the stock. Get down there and have a good rummage - you'll either love it or you'll hate it!

Snoopers Paradise seems to bring out the inner bargain hunter in everyone that steps through the…read moredoor. You walk in empty handed and somehow end up leaving half an hour later with a tin robot, a 1960s chair, an antique mirror or a pair of models legs! Situated halfway down Brighton's fantastic Kensington Gardens, its a sprawling, antique market that has dozens of different stalls offering everything from the brilliant to the bizarre. There are some cool furniture and homeware stalls, handy book and record stalls and a few inspired clothes stall selling great vintage clothes. There's also a lot of very odd bric a brac that I imagine will still be there in 2020!

A must for anyone interested in old fairgrounds and amusement arcades, Brighton's Penny Arcade…read moreMuseum is a small arcade housed in one of the arches on the sea-front. A few minutes walk from Brighton Pier, it's also a great place to take kids for half an hour's fun. There's funny mirrors that make you look taller, shorter and fatter and over 50 vintage penny slot machines. Since most of the machines were manufactured between 1895-1950 some of them seem to break down occasionally but most of them are in good working order. There's strength machines that test your endurance, fortune tellers that predict your future and love life and quirky machines like What The Butler Saw. For £1 you get 7 old pennies to play whatever machines you like. The arcade is open every day from 12am-6pm Easter til September and fine weekends in the winter. If you're planning to make a special trip, it's worth phoning to check.

This is a great break from beachlife and a true homage to the path that laid the way for xboxes and…read moreplaystations. Set in the King's Road arches and slap between the piers, you will find the museum. Inside are a wide range of truely oldschool arcades and eccentricities from the late Victorian era to the mid Twentieth Century. I especially find the 'What the Butler Saw' machines funny. I also like that they give you large old pennies to play, rather than have converted the machines to take contemporary currency. I'm sure a number of these end up leaving the arcade as souveniers, so I suppose they have them made to order or something! You are unlikely to find all the machines working at any one time, but there will certainly be at least £2-£3's worth of pennies to play with. The only thing I missed not being present was an old style automated organ or some 'traditional' snacks to buy. Certainly a fun way to spend a few quid doing something a little different.

I'm going to bring up the average of Mont Cres. I love it here. After being a resident for the past…read moretwo years, I can't think of another part of Brighton I'd like to live in. The houses are magnificent, and a vision in themselves. Huge, white Georgian mansions that look like they're straight out of the 'Who will buy?' scene (and the best scene) in Oliver! I don't know if any of them are still houses or if they've all been converted into flats, but if anyone does live in a whole one then I'm very, very jealous. Then there's the grassy area. This has come in very handy for me as I don't have a garden. During the Summer I go and sunbathe here, have picnics and once this summer I held a huge BBQ with plenty of friends. It's big enough for everyone to enjoy, and a great hang out just outside the real hustle and bustle of the city. What I'm going to say next may sound weird to some, though not the residents of Mont Cres. Sometimes I walk my cat on a leash here. Yes, I know. It's madness. But I am not the only one. There is actually a cat club (that's what I call it anyway) for the cats of the Crescent. People who don't have gardens take their cats out onto the grass in the Summer months so they can experience the outside world. So there, that's why I love it. It's magical, weird and wonderful. A bit like Brighton really.

This is an expansive grassed area tucked within the Georgian sweep of Montpelier Crescent. In…read morewinter forget it, it's bare as Kojak's cranium but come Summer it's the perfect spot to lounge in with a picnic and attempt to climb the centre-piece oak tree. It's one of the nicest stretches around Seven Dials and a good place to walk your dog - just pick up its unsavouries then we don't have to lie in them!

The traditional car boot sale was something I got dragged to a lot as a child. After a half hour…read morewandering around, I was always left bored whilst my parents chatted away to fellow entrepreneurs of tabletop sales. As an adult I understand the appeal now and love the Brighton car boot. I have only made it down to the marina location once (it's a bit far out for a post Saturday night venture), but it's good to see that it is still as busy as when it was situated at the station car park. I would recommend getting their as early as possible if you want to pick up the best bargains, but you will certainly find enough on display to keep you busy no matter what time you arrive. being Brighton, you also get a lot of craft stalls with local budding individuals selling their wares and I have bought a number of nice pieces of jewelry over the years. As mentioned, there are also opportunistic food vendors dotted about, so you can grab a bite whilst you wander about. In the days of EBay and electronic shopping, it's great to still see a more traditional way of selling stuff going on. If you fancy yourself as a barterer, then don't be scared to try your luck, especially later in the day when sales are wrapping up. Certainly a great spot to pick up a bargain, or something bizarre.

A Brighton institution, the weekly car boot has been going for nearly thirty years. It used to be…read moreheld in the more picturesque car park at Brighton Train Station but was recently decamped to the top floor of the multi-storey car park at Brighton Marina. Open from 7am-2pm every Sunday, it's an absolute must for bargain hunters, browsers and vintage freaks. There's dozens of stalls and tables selling everything from modern and retro clothes to old books, records, CDs, lamps, chairs, tables, desks, bikes and bric a brac. Some of it is pure tat but look closely and you'll see some real gems too. I've bought all kinds of weird and wonderful things from here from 70s fruit bowls and glasses to a French style table and chairs. The latter cost £40 including free delivery from the stall holder so was a big scoop! In summer, it's heaving so get there early. In winter, take a brolly and be prepared for occasional showers between browsing!

Hove museum and art gallery is small, but perfectly formed…read more It's not somewhere you'd make a beeline for, unless there was something of specific interest to you personally to see, but it can provide a pleasant enough distraction for an hour or so on a rainy day. It has recently been refurbished and upgraded to provide high quality temporary exhibition space. The museum is housed in one of Hove's grandest former mansions, a large Italianate house just to the west of the shopping area, half a mile from St Andrew's old church on Church Road. The highlight of the permanent collections is actually outside the museum: the Jaipur Gate. This was made for the Colonial and Indian Exhibition of 1886 held in South Kensington, and moved here in 1926. It was paid for by the Maharaja of Jaipur, whose motto is inscribed on the front, in English, Sanskrit and Latin: 'where virtue is, there is victory'. It was carved by Indian craftsmen, although its design was concieved by two Englishment, and it combines both Mughal and Rajput elements. After recent conservation work, it is now in excellent condition. Inside, the ground floor provides two temporary exhibition spaces, a small shop and a tea room, which seemed very popular on my visit, and is probably worth knowing about in its own right. Upstairs are the four main areas of the permanent collection. Most important of these is the collection of early film and cinematic equipment. Brighton and Hove were important in early British film making, and a small film industry was based at Shoreham Beach in the days of silent films. The collection includes a wide selection of early film-making and projection equipment, and a small 8-seat 'cinema' where excerpts from early films and items for children are shown. The art gallery contains a handful of attractive works by European (mostly British) artists, although none are in the 'top flight' of European painting. Details of the collection are on the website (note that this covers Brighton's collection, too, which is wider ranging and more impressive). Next comes a small display of local history, which includes a small number of objects from local excavations from the bronze age to the mediaeval period, and includes the skull of a Saxon woman, important amber Bronze-age grave goods, items from a Saxon warrior burial, and pottery from a Roman villa excavated in nearby Southwick. Finally, there a lovely toy collection, displayed in an area especially designed for children, which seems very well done -the collection covers quite a wide range from the 18th to the present. The temporary collections cover local arts and crafts and, as ever with this kind of display, the quality varies a bit, although the presentation is excellently done. The shop sells cards, postcards and toys as well as small souvenir items. Entrance is free.

Whether you're visiting to see the museum's fascinating exhibits or tp sample the quaint delights…read moreof it's small but charming tea rooms you're sure to be satisfied by Hove Museum and Art gallery. I went a few months ago during a bike ride with the simple intention of grabbing a tea before heading home. Not only did I extend my order to include a slice of carrot cake and a scone but I had to take a trip round their free exhibitions including a fascinating collection of photos and extracts from Brighton's Herald Newspaper during Word War II. This is open until Jan 10th 2010 so head down soon. Of you're reading this after that date then I would imagine they've set up an equally interesting exhibition by now, as Brighton & Hove council seem to be quite skilled in such areas. If you've lived in Brighton for a while and not yet visited then you're missing out on a very educational and cost-effective excursion. I'd happily go again just for the cream tea and scones!

Whilst the main Brighton Festival tends to involve more high brow and mainstream theatre, dance,…read moremusic and literature events, Brighton Festival Fringe offers a platform for aspiring and underground artists and madhatters. As my fellow Yelpers photos show, there's always a fun circus / performance element to the fringe with free events involving stilt walkers, jugglers, flame-throwers and live performers. The real body of the fringe however, involves local and national comedians, performance artists, film-makers, theatre companies, artists and photographers putting on their own shows and exhibitions in venues right across the city. Most of the events are cheap as chips so it's well worth taking a risk and going to see a handful of different events. Pick up a free brochure around the city in the weeks running upto the festival or check the website for further details and teaser trailers. What have you got to lose?

Brighton Festival Fringe has, as the name suggests, grown out of the Brighton Festival. It is an…read moreopen access Arts festival, which brings together all sorts of events, including theatre, visual art, dance and comedy, to create a month long cultural extravaganza of fun! The intent is to entertain but also to educate audiences through varied and exciting art. What's great about Brighton Fringe is that its open to new and emerging talent as well as established performers and companies. This inclusive policy means that all sorts of people stage events and the Fringe festival continues to grow annually. As well as more traditional art forms, the festival also includes innovative new music as well as cinema, performance art and even club nights! The festival takes place in May each year. Every year I vow to myself that I will go to more events and every year I fail miserably. Even if you don't get yourself organised enough to check out specific events, you will feel the festival in the air, for the Fringe exploits Brighton's inherent spirit of fun and frivolity, and creates a happy buzz all over town! The Old Steine is an especially great place to soak up the atmosphere, as there is always a giant beer tent (some times the E4 Udder Belly) set up as well as the Speigeltent, where the Silent Discos are held.