Things to Do in Brighton

The city of Brighton is one of the most popular cities in the UK to study in. It has a great reputation for student nightlife, but also a great reputation for the quality of the universities in the area.

Location

Brighton is one of the biggest and most popular seaside cities in the United Kingdom; it has an estimated population of 612,159 according to the most recent figures. There’s not too much that this city doesn’t have to offer. Brighton is one of the country’s oldest cities, dating back to around 3,500BC!

The full nature of the city’s history isn't fully known as archaeologists haven’t been able to explore the entire city, although it is thought that the city was a place of great importance.

Things to do in Brighton

One of the first places you should visit in Brighton is the club Komedia, despite showing its fair share of stand-up comedy there is a huge supply of live musical acts, cabaret nights, puppet shows, and DJ sets as well. Club Revenge offers a slightly different experience, with spectacular pyrotechnics and a wide range of DJ sets and a dance floor.

For something a little different, the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery is a major tourist attraction in the city and features the famous artwork The Raising of Lazarus, which is an essential visit for Art enthusiasts or those studying an Art degree.

Brighton has two Cineworld’s which come with tiered seating and an Odeon Cinema within walking distance from Brighton’s world-famous pier.

Speaking of the Brighton Pier, it is one of the most recognised landmarks in Brighton and is certainly at the epicentre of what makes Brighton great! The pier is certainly synonymous with the idea of the English seaside and receives more people per year than almost any other landmark in the country.

Brighton also runs a number of festivals. The Brighton Festival runs annually and is a fantastic chance to view the performing art at the forefront of Brighton right now.

Visit Brighton allows people to view the city and to experience some of the wonderful activities that Brighton has to offer. Wildlife Festival is an annual event too, but the event is kept under wraps until a few weeks before, with acts changing every year.

Brighton is home to hundreds of shops, so whether you’re visiting or you’re studying there, be sure to have your NUS Card handy!

Transport

There are several railway stations in the city and is also in the middle of developing a Rapid Transport System (RTS) for the city as well.

Given the city’s proximity to the coastline, ferries also operate as well, though not as regularly as they once did.

The main bus services in the city are run by Brighton and Hove Bus Company, which has over 250 buses in its fleet citywide, there are also other services that run to and from other cities and counties, such as Compass Travel, Metrobus, The Big Lemon and Stagecoach South, which drop-off and collect from the city centre.

There is also a Park & Ride scheme in the city as well, which is based at Withdean Stadium, an old athletics arena in the city. The city also has an airport, called Brighton Airport, which is around 9 miles from the city centre.

Universities in the City

There are three universities in the city of Brighton, which are:

• University of Sussex
• University of Brighton
• British and Irish Modern Music (BIMM)

The University of Sussex has been around since the 1950s. The university was originally scheduled to open prior to the outbreak of World War I. The idea was later revisited when funds were available.

The Sussex Student Union represents the student body and runs a number of restaurants, bars and schemes (like the buddy scheme) and various other initiatives for the students. The union also represents over 250 different clubs and societies at the university too.

There are two sports centres on the campus, the Sussex Sports Centre and the Falmer Sports Complex and has a basketball team, football team, American football team, rugby union team and an ultimate frisbee team. The university also regularly competes in the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) leagues.

The university also has its own radio station, which is University Radio Falmer (URF) and was one of the first student radio stations in 1976. There is also a newspaper that the student union releases every four weeks called The Badger as well as University of Sussex Student Television (UniTV) and are part of the National Student Television Association (NaSTA).

The University of Brighton has stood since 1858 when it was known as Brighton College of Art, the college eventually received university status in 1992 and rebranded as a university.

There are a number of services onsite for students to use, such as careers advice, chaplaincy, dyslexia support and counselling, with a number of these initiatives being supported by the Brighton Student’s Union.

The British and Irish Modern Music Institute (BIMM) was founded in 2001 and is a collection of eight different independent colleges. Though not technically a university, it is still one of the main higher-education providers in Brighton.

Sport

The city’s best-known sports club is Brighton and Hove Albion, a football association team that plays in the Premier League. The club play at Falmer Stadium commonly referred to as the Amex Stadium. The club gained promotion to the Premier League after beating Wigan Athletic to gain automatic promotion.

Brighton Football Club (RFU) is one of the oldest rugby clubs in the United Kingdom. The city has a unique link to rugby, as the city was chosen as one of the thirteen venues in the 2015 Rugby World Cup, where it held two games.

The city also has its own horse-racing course, which is held at the Brighton Racecourse.

Who’s from Brighton

There are quite a few notable people that have come from Brighton including; Cate Blanchett, Matt King, Colin Grant and Natasha Khan (also known as Bat for Lashes).