Lighting Up Brighton Nights

One of the UK's most popular nightlife destinations, Brighton is in a class all of its own when it comes to having a good time. Happy and hedonistic, the Brighton scene is characterised by its diversity, as is the charming seaside town with its seven-mile stretch of coastline. Brighton has long been regarded as a haven of liberal attitudes, from the rich banqueting at the equally inspired nineteenth century Royal Pavilion of the Prince Regent, right through to the clubbing of the psychedelic 1960s and even these days the internationally-renowned DJs of the contemporary era who continue to bring the party crowds in droves to discover the joys of Brighton.

Apart from nightlife, clubbing, and concerts, Brighton draws keen attention each year with the Brighton Festival, an arts festival that takes place annually in May, ever since 1966. Just like the Edinburgh counterpart, the Brighton Fringe Festival runs alongside the main Brighton Festival, providing spectators with an interesting open-access mixed arts event in a variety of venues around town. The Brighton Festival and Brighton Fringe Festival programmes change every year, ensuring that there's always something fresh and new to see, but never fear, festival favourites are sure to make repeat appearances, like the Fringe Festival's petting zoo or the innovative udderBELLY stage, an upside-down giant purple cow tent that has to be seen to be believed!

Apart from fish and chips, the promenade, the iconic and historical West Pier, boutique hotels, and the retro and trendy bars, there is one more sight that's a regular fixture in the Brighton panorama: hen nights and stag nights. In fact, so frequently do hen and stag groups make a night of it in Brighton (and quite often through till the break of day the next morning), that they inspired the project for the 2008 Brighton Festival entitled Happy Together by Brighton resident Orlando Gough.

In an interview with the British composer, Gough reveals that Happy Together was something of a happy coincidence. On his way to pitch an idea at the Brighton Festival office, he encountered the remnants of such a group at 10am "staggering around in high spirits and the worse for wear. I knew immediately that was the piece I had to make. I threw away my original idea, walked into the festival office and said, 'I want to do a show about a chorus of men and women on a stag and hen night marauding around the streets of Brighton singing love songs.' " The project was however postponed, but the concept remains as a fantastic idea, and all taken from a little inspiration from Brighton's ubiquitous hen and stag parties.

More details about what's on in Brighton for either festival, or on just any regular night, is all available online.

Local street press and gig guides are an excellent source of information, as are the official festival websites.