Chocolate truffles Chocolate bars…read moreChocolate churros Chocolate cake Chocolake fudge Chocolate bread Chocolate pastries Chocolate fountain Chocolate cocktails Chocolate pancakes & chocolate making kits With all of the above, it's no wonder the recent Chocolate Festival in Brighton was such a success. Alongside dozens of food stalls selling chocolate related products, there was chocolate demonstrations and masterclasses. My favourite bit however, had to be eating all the free samples and discovering wonderful new chocolatiers like William Curley and Damien Allsop. Keep your eyes peeled to the website to check out when the next festival will be.

Held the last weekend every August, the Brunswick Square Festival has been going strong since the…read more1970s. Started by local residents, it has grown from a bit of a village fete into a micro-festival. Local businesses set up temporary bars and hot and cold food stands whilst there's usually farmers / traders selling fresh organic vegetables, fruit, herbs, plants and produce. To create a festival feeling, there's a stage at the bottom of the square with live music from local bands playing everything from rock, pop and hip hop to dub. There's also dancers and about two dozen stalls selling everything from secondhand furniture, clothes, books, records and bric-a-brac. Last year, there was even a spiritual tent where people could enjoy massages and reiki. The whole event is free and locals are encouraged to take their own blankets, sit on the grass and make an afternoon of it.

I lived in Brunswick Square for 3 months and didn't hear about this festival, until one Saturday I…read morewalked out and the entire square had been converted into a fun little festival. If you're within walking distance, it's a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon; there's music, fun things to buy, fun things to eat, and a lot of interesting people to meet!

The Burning of The Clocks is a Brighton tradition that has been going on for nearly two decades. It…read morecelebrates the winter solstice and ushers in the new sun. It's typical of Brighton that this event can attract a vast variety of people, from hippies, to students, families with young kiddies, to the elderly. The event starts with a lantern parade which commences in the centre of town and finishes on the beach, just to the east of the pier. Good viewing spots can be found on Madeira Drive and Marine Parade, but do get there early as it gets pretty busy. There is plenty of music and dancing to keep the crowds entertained until the procession arrives, at which point a large bonfire is lit on the beach, and the homemade lanterns, filled symbolically with hopes and dreams, are placed on the fire to "burn the clocks" and welcome the new sun. All this takes places to the sounds on banging drums creating an evocative atmosphere. The grand finale is a huge fireworks display, lighting the sky, sea and all of beautiful Brighton. This is such a unique event, it's worth popping along to experinence it. It's a little quirky, but yet again makes me happy to live in the eclectic, if slightly crazy, Brighton!

Delicious cheese Mouthwatering bread…read moreKick-ass coffee Fruity jams Moreish marinades Fantastic fish Sizzling sausages Majestic burgers Soul food sauces Sensational fruit and veg Incredible olive oil Beautiful balsamic vinegar Cheeky chilli chocolates Sticky puddings Cute cupcakes Hearty beers & Smooth wines As you might have guessed, I'm a bit of a fan of the Brighton & Hove Food and Drink Festival. A month long festival that takes place every September, it sets out to champion the best local food producers, farmers, market traders, chefs, bakers, cooks and restaurants in the South East. Aside from the Big Sussex Market where you can sample and buy food directly from the producers, there's free tasting sessions and demonstrations from top chefs, themed events and one off collaborations. Leading restaurants like Terre A Terre, Drakes and Due South usually offer special one-off menus too. The only downside of the whole festival is you might need to invest in a pair of elasticated pants. How else are you gonna enjoy all the gourmet treats on offer?!

The Brighton and Hove Food and Drink Festival runs fantastic foodie events throughout the year. The…read moretwo main events are the Spring Harvest (a 10 day festival in April) and the Autumn Festival which runs throughout the month of September. As well as huge food markets specialising in local producers and supplies, the festival host events such as Restaurant Week, live food shows and various other specialist events , working closely with local restaurants. This year, they have put on Christmas mini markets at the train station over the first three weekends on December. Unfortunately, these do appear to be a little too mini - does four stalls really count as a food market?! That said, large or small, I always seem to spend a small fortune at these events, but I do come home with a great selection of artisan food products.

Brighton Early Music Festival celebrated it's 10th birthday this year, but I have to admit that…read moreit's the first time I've come across this event. The festival celebrates early music and food with numerous events at various beautiful venues around Brighton and Hove, including concerts, workshops and lectures. I went to see the International Baroque Players and BREMF Choir in a performance entitled Celebrating Coronations and featuring music from greats such as Handel, Purcell and Boyce. This event was held at St George's Church in Kemp Town. The music and singing were beautiful, and the stories behind some of the pieces were explained by the lead violinist, a great touch for a bit of a classical music novice such as myself. The venue was lovely, although the upstairs seating was a little uncomfortable. My only compliant would be that the ticket booking website wasn't particularly user friendly, and it wasn't clear what seats each price band referred to so you couldn't really see exactly what you were booking. Sadly, the festival's Arts Council grant has been cut this year so fingers crossed they will be able to continue running this fabulous event in future years.

I remember an old friend raving about the Zombie walk he was going to do back when this first…read morestarted and racked it up to his general eccentric style. It wasn't until I was in the city last year supporting a friend who was doing the Time Warp Record that I appreciated how much of an event this is. It really is a zombie invasion and a great way to kick off your Halloween celebrations. People take this really seriously, from some amazingly realistic zombie costumes that would not look out of place in a Hollywood movie, to gimpy walks and mono speech with many groans etc. This really is one of those Brighton 'things' and if you are in the city on the night you really should make the effort to check it out or get dressed up and join the show. I reckon I am going to zombie it up myself this time around.

Once a year on Halloween night, a couple of hundred people wobble down from Brighton Station with…read moretheir guts hanging out, the sea by the old pier their final destination. It's the strangest procession of the undead you're likely to see this side of a Romero flick. Brilliantly quirky, for me it perfectly illustrates the city's sense of fun and drama, like an overgrown kid who still loves raiding the fancy dress chest. And some of the make up jobs are awesome. Last year Pennywise the clown took first prize in my opinion.

The Brighton Festival of World Sacred Music is a fairly new festival and is pretty small, but to me…read moreis sums up some of the reasons that I love living in Brighton. We seem to have a inclusivity here that you don't find everywhere in the world, and with this come great opportunities to experience a great many sights and sounds. The festival aims to promote inspirational music from spiritual traditions around the globe. The week long festival in October includes music from numerous origins including African, Buddhist, Celtic, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Native American, Sikh and more. They also organise further events throughout the year. I was lucky enough to see Sain Zahoor here on Sunday night. Zahoor is a Sufi street musician and wandering minstrel from Pakistan with a voice that soars and entrances, taking you beyond entertainment into something far more spiritual. He embodies the cultural wealth and soul of Pakistan's popular street culture. He won the BBC World Music award in 2006 and has been touring the world ever since, although he can often still be found busking in the streets of Pakistan. It was a great honour to see him and his team of musicians perform in a tiny University venue i Brighton.

Burning the Clocks is one of my favourite local community events in Brighton. It is a huge parade;…read morea celebration of the Winter Solstice in December. The parade involves hundreds of people, young and old, all of whom have made paper lanterns, with which to mark the longest night of the year. The parade weaves its way through the streets of Brighton, along North Rd and through the South Lanes, before heading on to Madeira Drive, where the festivities culminate in a giant bonfire on Brighton beach, accompanied by a wonderful fireworks display. The artistic efforts of some of the participants is impressive to say the least- last year there were some enormous paper structures- there are always lots of clocks of course (there was a great Disney Mr Coggs last year), but you'll also see dragons and all sorts of mythical and real creatures. Local schools are heavily involved and in addition to toting lanterns, kids take part in gymnastic and dance displays. The best viewing spot is definitely Madeira Drive, and watching the lights of the parade ascend on the beach is really spectacular. A word of advice- make sure you wrap up really warm, as the beach can be really windy and cold. Burning the Clocks is a really magical way to get into the festive spirit! You could even bring mulled wine and mince pies and make a real night of it! When? December 21st at 6.30pm- for more details visit the website.

My friend and I decided to go to this pub to meet up with a friend of his. It's at a good location,…read morenear the Royal Pavilion and pretty close to the centre of the city. I definitely agree with Vanessa A.'s review, regarding the fact that the majority of patrons are girls. My friend and I were the only two guys at this place. We hung out with five girls that night (all friends of my friend's friend), and had a pretty good time chatting, and drinking pints of Guinness stout beer and Strongbow cider. Although there was not that much people since we came on a Sunday night, I enjoyed the atmosphere and the camaraderie. This place has a fairly decent pool table. I played a couple of games with the girls my friend knew and also had a good time shooting around the balls. When I think of this place, I think red for some reason, mainly because the red walls. The benches I sat on were not too comfortable, though, the cushions were kind of firm. Despite that, I still had a good time hanging out with my friend and the girls. Overall, this is another decent pub that I had a pretty good time drinking and hanging out with friends and another one of the pubs that made my trip to Brighton memorable.

A good little place hidden away by the pavillion. Me and my friends went in as part of a pub crawl…read more Really lively atmosphere the bar staff made us feel very welcome. Moderate priced drinks but I had more expensive else where. All different walks of life from lgbt community go there well worth a visit.