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.

Toad Hall Adventure play is open 7 days a week and offers soft play facilities for children from…read morebabies through to juniors. There's a good under 3s section with a ball pit and 2-stage climbing frame (soft). There are some sit-on soft toys and some blocks. The floor is a bit suspect and there's a bit of an old smell to the area - nothing terrible but you do notice it. The play equipment appears safe but could be in better condition. The main soft play is a triple height affair with climbing, balls, slides and chutes. It's safe and in better condition than the toddler area. At weekends and after school this place can get packed but, during the day it's not too bad. A cafe facility is available serving teas, coffees, soft drinks and snacks. The prices are reasonable. Tables are kept away from the soft play being behind a low wall. They are OK but there's not a good view of the play area meaning that it's hard to have a coffee and take care of your child. For many parents this just seems to mean that they don't watch their child and so you do have to be careful that your child doesn't get set upon by unrully kids. It's not a particularly comfortable place but it's a good local option for a rainy day. Car parking is available.

Opposite Boots (the chemist) and next to Maison Blanc there is an alleyway. At the end of this…read morealleyway you will find The Barn, a hip vegetarian cafe with an active music scene in the evenings. The vibe is reminiscent of bohemian art student, the food is healthy and delicious (wraps, bagels, muffins, etc) and the coffee is great. Downstairs (ground floor) is set out cafe style with a small collection of two and four person tables in front of the kitchen and coffee bar. Upstairs seating is arranged as soft benches around long coffee tables which would seem to be a good use of space when there is a band present. I was there during the day and it was quite quiet so online radio provided the background music rather than a live band. However I understand that upcoming gigs (music and art) are listed on their website. I enjoyed my visit and shall return next time I am in there area. It was refreshing to visit a good cafe that stands apart for the normal high street effort.

It's a nice enough aquarium, no great change since it's days as the SeaLife Centre so you know what…read moreto expect before you walk in and there are no big surprises. The kids will love it but it's a bit pricey for the time you'll spend there.

As the name suggests this is a site that contains large tanks filled with fish and other creatures…read morefrom the sea. It was originally called the Sea Life Centre. Many of the exhibits have been donated by local fishermen who have caught the fish in their nets. A very interesting place to visit for young and old. Good parking nearby. My only complaint is that it is fairly expensive to get in but you can spend quite a long time looking around.

If you love bingo then this is the place to go!…read more This is a lively place, with a good atmosphere where you're guaranteed to have a good time. There's lots of refreshments available too.

Gala club at Basildon is a large friendly bingo hall with hot food and a bar available. The bar…read morearea has a nice feel and the bar staff are efficient and friendly. When I go to this club I usually get there early and make a afternoon of night of it. The bingo is priced up with different deals on certain days of the week. Sometimes there is an all in ticket price. I personally prefer to go on days that aren't all in as I'm not quick enough to do a strip of 6 at the same time. The decor is a little dated, but the atmosphere makes up for that. They have recently put in some wizard machines for people who the machines to do the work. There is party bingo and a fruit machine area.

Amazing National Trust place to visit! Both the house and the gardens have a lot of character and…read morehistory and there are activities for children. I travelled 40 miles to get here: it was definitely worth the journey! It was full of information boards and facts and all interior and exterior design was original. Bateman's contains a tearoom (which I didn't visit) but it looked great. All well kept. I also enjoyed visiting the Mill. Definitely worth a visit, I shall definitely be returning. I'd recommend this to anyone! Tip: If you are a NT member, remember to bring your cards for parking and entry. If you aren't a member, bring some change for parking!

We really enjoyed touring the home and gardens of Rudyard Kipling. We arrived at 9:30 before it…read moreopened and took a long walk through the fields surrounding the house. The gardens opened at 10 and the house at 11. The gardens are relatively small compared to some of the other houses we have visited. I especially liked the old mill. That was there when Kipling bought the house in the early 20th century it he made changes to it. The house itself was beautiful and devoid of many modern conveniences. I found it to be more like an early 1800s home than 1900s when he lived there.

Small lovely museum, funded mainly by donations with lovely staff. Educational and mind opening…read moreexperience. I hope the museum gets the opportunity to expand and have more exhibits. When we came they had an exhibit about menopause. I think more people need to learn about the vagina in general and as a whole and understand what it is like to have one and all the burdens that come along with it and without it in the end.

A soon as I saw the name on the sign outside I HAD to go in. They have a wide variety of products…read moredisplayed from information pamphlets, books and jewellery that looks like ummm well I'm not sure what word Yelp will consider PC or risqué so just read the name of the business and you'll know exactly what I'm messing. You can wear them on your ears with a knitted sweet or on a chain around your neck made of an plastic type material, they had bold showing every size, shape and colour. You can also get t-shirts. The staff stayed behind the desk but they were friendly and greeted everyone that entered. I realised like myself most people seemed to be coming in out of curiosity and don't make any purchases but b they staff took that in stride and continued greeting everyone with the same courteous smile. Kudos to this company for celebrating woman so boldly

Excellent. Richard and I put 1 Pound into a slot machine and walked out with 42 Pounds! We only…read morespent a total of 2 Pounds in this arcade and so came out really on top. The cashier happily exchanged the multiple Pound coins from the machine into notes for us. We used to criticise British 'Pokie' machines for being tricky and complicated but this was a lovely surprise. There are the usual 10p and 2p push down machines in this arcade but we didn't touch them this time. Staff could have smiled a bit more.

I picked the wrong day to come down to this event, me and a friend came down to watch Jurassic…read moreWorld. Built into the village u.ve got food stalls, drinks and place to buy blankets. The set up is brilliant ibis hotel beds available if you want comfort or sprawl out on the cobbles. Unfortunately it was raining The event has special seating for the weather but puts a dampner on the film if yr sat in high winds and rain. Worth a visit just check the weather forecast

This shop offers tattoos and body piercing. They are a very friendly lot and are happy to help you…read morewith anything. The prices are good too, £70 an hour for tattoos and around £20 for a piercing. This shop has a very good, long reputation. I have been going there for years and have never heard anything bad about them at all. This shop has been there for 15 years and is built on its excellent reputation, unlike other tattoo shops that have been around the area this shop has managed to stay open and has a vety loyal customer base. They are open from 11am to 7pm and are closed on Tuesadays and Wednesdays. On saturdays they offer a first come first served service so you can have your tattoo the same day. This is good as they tend to be quite busy at times.

From the owner: Want some art on your body! Well that's what a tattoo is! We offer tattoos that come with a little*…read morepain, but the art is forever! *subject to opinion, it is more than a little! (Please get in contact via phone or facebook messenger to help stop the spread of Covid) -We no longer offer piercings- -Opening Times Vary-