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.

The New Venture Theatre is a community theatre situated in central Brighton. The venue offers…read moreeverything from short experimental interactive theatre pieces to gritty dramas. The theatre is a registered charity and so does not have a full time staff, but the loyal volunteers and generous sponsors have enabled the organisation to provide high quality original performances since 1956. As well as the main 100 seater theatre the venue also has the Studio theatre where workshops are held and the South Hall which is used for cabaret style performances. As a charitable organisation they have several fund raising schemes including membership, buy and brick and the Jubilee Fund raising Scheme. If your into your arts then the New Venture Theatre is deffo worth looking up as they have such a wide variety of performances.

The New Venture Theatre, affectionately known as the NVT, is Brighton's foremost amateur and…read morecommunity theatre, having been around and put on quality theatre since 1956. The NVT is known for putting on a variety of different theatre shows in its two spaces, an upstairs studio and a larger downstairs theatre space, and both of its spaces are uniquely enjoyable. However, this is an amateur theatre: don't expect the very best! From an insider to Brighton's theatrical scene, the NVT is both a shining light and a blot on Brighton's theatrical landscape. First, quickly and painlessly, the negatives: the luvvie atmosphere here can be cut with a knife, and the whole crowd are a bit up themselves, meaning it can be difficult to get involved. As well as that, the NVT puts on perfectly average, well produced pieces of theatre. As is so common with groups that spend most of their time with each other, there is no recognition of unique-ness or talent within the theatricality. To all you non-theatre folk: plays here can be a bit naff, but criticism doesn't get taken very well. However, despite the ubiquitous theatricality of it all, the NVT is a lovely space to spend an evenings. The shows may not be stellar lights of the Brighton theatre scene, but they are frequent, generally qualitative, and a perfect way to while away a few hours. Also, the lovely little bar offers pre- and post-show drinks, and the whole charitable atmosphere is impressive: it's hard to believe this was all built up from very little indeed. In the end, having a community theatre this active in Brighton encourages the wider theatre scene, which is a great boon to Brighton's arty reputation. The shows could be to a higher standard, but the fact that they are here at all, and that this whole operation is amateur, is hard to believe when seeing how nice the theatre is. NVT is a great place to watch theatre, and I'd recommend browsing their site: there is so much on, especially during Festival time, that everyone should find something they'll enjoy.

If you want to get a snapshop of Brighton and Hove's fishing heritage the Fishing Quarter Gallery…read moreand Museum are rather charming. Right down on the beach, on the Lower Esplanade, you can find this pocket museum with some lovely artwork and paintings. It's free to enter and afterwards you can bag some mackeral pate at the shop next door. Delicious.

Going an event in the Basement is a bit like watching a performance in your living room if your…read moreliving room comprises a 25m x 8m exhibition, performance, rehearsal and production area, plus a 7.5m x 7m amphitheatre not to mention a fully stocked bar. The venue (formerly Brighton Fringe) opened for business in its present form in 2008 and regularly hosts concerts, live art and experimental theatre. I went along recently to see Marina Celeste (from Nouvelle Vague) who was performing as part of the Vive La France the Brighton French Music Festival. The event was free first come, first served and drew a good crowd of Francophiles who squatted on the wooden benches and scatter cushions in The Pit. I thought the intimate nature of the venue slightly cramped the style of the sylph-like chanteuse but she did manage to imbibe the sleazy numbers from The Dead Kennedys and The Buzzcocks with Gallic insouciance. Forthcoming events include a talk by legendary filmmaker Nic Roeg and a Valentine's Day special, billed as a cross between a wedding reception, a wake and a radio dedication show.

A concrete monolith on the seafront. Cavernous inside, if you had told me I was being led around…read moresome sort of nuclear bunker I might have believed you. The main auditorium was good enough for the concert but the rest of the facilities were nothing special. Not enough toilets so the girls had to queue, the bar areas were sparse with no atmosphere. Guinness was served from a can but with the price of a draught pint and the barman wanted ID from my 14 year old daughter to serve her a Pepsi. Feels much more like a conference centre than a concert venue.

An eye-sore of a building, the Brighton Centre has been a blot on the landscape of the sea-front…read morefor the last 30 years. Despite ongoing rumours about refurbishment and regeneration it doesn't look like it's going anywhere in a hurry. The biggest venue in Brighton, it has a packed annual programme that includes live music events, record and CDs fairs, theatrical productions, and Christmas spectaculars like Holiday on Ice. Last month, it was home to the Labour Party Conference and this month, it's hosting Bloc Party, Tom Jones and Eddie Izzard. I've seen some great gigs here - including Kings of Leon and Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - but the truth is, it's just as ugly inside the building as outside. The concert venue is like a giant aircraft hanger with no atmosphere or ambience and the bar is like a bad wedding reception. The drinks are also limited and over-priced. It's one saving grace is it has a good sound system and good lighting - so if your favourite band are only playing here... The box-office is open 10-5.30 Mon to Sat and the venue is only open when there's events on.

As well as artwork and exhibitions, Fabrica is also an amazing venue to hire out for Weddings,…read morecivil ceremonies, conferences and launch nights. My brother was married here 2 years ago, and Fabrica as a venue was absolutely top notch. From the outside, it is a beautiful old church situated right in the South Laines, which could look as though services are still taking place. Once inside, the venue's space is one massive room with a striking viewing gallery, which give it so much potential to make into something beautiful. My brother and his wife had ivy leaves and lights draped across the viewing gallery, giving the wedding an old fashioned Pagan feeling, which inside an old church was truly unique. The events people from Fabrica were really well organised and truly interested and concerned in the look and feel of the wedding, which thankfully went incredibly well, due in large part to the atmosphere created by the beauty of the venue itself.

Established thirteen years ago, Fabrica are a visual arts organisation that support and promote…read morecontemporary artists. Their home on Duke Street is an incredible Regency church with high ceilings and ornate windows. The main space is used as a gallery with free regular installations and exhibitions whilst the smaller spaces on the ground and first floor are used for meetings, one to one mentoring with staff and workshops. Painters, sculptors and visual artists should note they have a terrific Artist Resource Library where you can find upto date lists of national and international galleries, information about available grants and arts funding and lots of current art magazines and quarterlies. The art itself is also pretty inspiring. I saw the Amish Kapoor installation as part of the Brighton Festival earlier this year and was both freaked out and blown away. Which is probably how he'd want people to feel given the subject matter and scale of the work!

From its origins as a comedy venue, Komedia has expanded both its space and reportoire to become…read moreBrighton's main live entertainment establishment, with over 700 performances a year from an award-winning range of stand-up comedy, music, caberet and theatre, as well as an active children's programme. The Komedia is a little scruffy around the edges, but that's Brighton for you. The building has two performance venues, an independently-run cafe bar and foyer bar (and feels much larger inside than its modest facade implies). They also provide food during some performances with a caberet-style setting. But it's the entertainment you come here for, not the surroundings. The staff seem friendly enough, although not always fantastically efficient - on-line booking isn't always available, for example. Arrive with plenty of time for comedy performances, as the best seating gets taken early on. (You can always have a drink while you wait.) If, like me, you have a large, illuminated, 'pick on me' sign on your head which only the performer can see, you'll need to tuck yourself away somewhere inconspicuous...

I went along to Komedia to see Waxahatchee on Thursday night and had a funny turn. Pretty scary at…read morethe time as I fainted three songs into the gig. However, the staff there were so great. The bouncer got me out safely and a door lady, I think her name was Rowena (sorry, my memory is a little foggy), got me a coke and sat with me outside until I was feeling OK. Really sorted me out - I can't thank them enough.

This charming amateur theatre company produces a remarkable amount of high-quality shows…read moreconsidering their size and high turnaround. Tucked away in a little corner off Western Road this place is easy to miss. However, it regularly takes part in Brighton's Fringe Festival and has previously staged such well-known productions as King Lear, Chicago and Richard Heller's seminal Waiting For Godot and as such is perfectly capable of drawing a crowd. They also have a moral side as they run a youth project designed to bring theatre to youngsters, before other worldly evils take hold. If you're looking for something interesting to do in Brighton then this enchanting little venue stands just as much chance of fulfilling your desire as any other.

I just saw a production of 'A murder is Announced', a brilliant Agatha Cristie adaptation that was…read moreso much fun to watch. Lots of twists and turns in this comedic Miss-Marple-Murder-Mystery, one genre that is hard to not be entertained by. This little theatre do a wonderful job with set design and casting considering their short runs and size. I wish I'd been around to see Anton Chekhov's The Seagull but sadly I was away.

Why aren't there 10 stars?????…read more Briefs is the most amazing cabaret show I've seen in a long time. My face hurts from laughing & smiling so much and my throat is sore from all the screaming! It was so much fun from start to finish with dare devil stunts, fabulous costumes and highly entertaining acts. It was so good that on my way out I bought tickets to come back to the club night on Saturday - bring on the glitter!!!!

So good I saw it thrice! Or at least I will have by the end of their run. After getting free…read moretickets to Briefs' opening night, I simply couldn't refuse the offer of half price tickets to another show. I felt spoilt rotten. I've seen live drag shows before (although this was billed as male burlesque) but I think this is the closest I've come to seeing the kind of show you see on RuPaul's Drag Race. Much more risqué than you'd see on television, I never thought I'd find some of the bits as funny as I did. There's a sort of ramshackle charm that just pulls it off, even when there's a nearly naked boy spinning a yoyo round the end of his you know what, mere moments after taking his school uniform off! There's something for everyone (with the right disposition) at the main show, and for those who want more the club night is great fun. You'll see flesh par excellence to titilate you, circus tricks to thrill you, and comedy the likes of which only a Queen can come up with. Not to be missed this one.

The Basement is situated in the North Lanes and offers an alternative venue for a variety of…read moredelicious performance art and exhibitions., offers an array on unique experimental theatre and 'Live Art'. One of the regular nights 'SUPPER CLUB' is making a name for itself, it involves going along for food and a show but with no idea what you will be watching or eating, 'art chaos' is a word they use to describe it. If your an artsy type or just looking for something completely different then check out what the Basement are showing. Its fabulous ridiculousness.

The basement is an intriguing and vibrant venue that holds local art and cultural performances from…read moresingers, comedians, to visual art, story telling and poetry about sex! There are plenty of tables and seats and a few different choices of food on the menu (it varies from show to show). The bar is reasonably pricey but not over the top. The venue itself is an interesting layout with a bar area, the main stage area and a smaller room near the back, it is what it says it is - a basement, although it's very clean with laminated flooring and smells of fresh wood! The event I experienced is known as the 'Supper club' - a monthly show that contains various performances that can only be described as somewhat eccentric. There was a visual art performance using helium balloons, some acoustic musical performances and photocopier at the back where people could photocopy their body and then pin the pictures up next to their suitable category - 'non rude', 'rude' and 'explicit'. Need I go on?! The basement might not be everyone's cup of tea but it's certainly something different, a little quirky and light hearted but rather enjoyable if you're interested in the visual performance and art that Brighton has to offer, it's unquestionably a relaxing evening of entertainment.