Brighton has always been popular with the London crowd. It was the Prince Regent who raised the city’s profile for he set up a royal court here second only to London. Thanks to his influence, Brighton is one of Britain’s top cultural destinations.

The royal patronage of the Prince Regent helped establish Brighton’s reputation for stunning architecture. He was the inspiration for John Nash’s wonderfully eccentric design of the Royal Pavilion and a stroll down many of the city’s streets and terraces reveal Regency designs. Brunswick Town and Kemp Town are inspired by Bath and London and when the Prince reigned Brighton was a royal court second only to London. When Queen Victoria started her reign, the architecture in Brighton changed and Victorian churches sprang up along with formidable sea front hotels.

Brighton is proud to host over fifty festivals every year. The biggest is the Brighton Festival which takes place in May. It has an illustrious 44 year history and is the biggest festival of its kind in England. This arts festival has international dance, music, literature and theatre on its programme, making sure there’s something for everyone. The Brighton Festival Fringe is a fast growing open access arts festival, meaning anyone can put on an event.

Art, nature and photography are housed all over Brighton thanks to its many museums. The Booth Museum of Natural History has hundreds of fascinating exhibits, and literature and data spanning three centuries. Brighton Museum and Art Gallery is the biggest and most modern museum and houses 20th century works. Photography is put firmly on the map thanks to the Sydney Street Gallery and North Laine Photography Gallery.

Arts and entertainment are important to Brighton. As well as the festivals the city welcomes the latest bands to the Brighton Centre. Theatre Royal Brighton plays host to star-studded West End productions. Comedy, drama, musicals and a wonderful Christmas Show all play here. The theatre also produces its own shows. The lovely Brighton Dome welcomes all acts from stand-up comedians to orchestras to Shakespeare Companies.

Film buffs visiting Brighton shouldn’t miss a chance to see an independent film at the Duke of York’s Picturehouse, the oldest working cinema in the country. The Cine-City festival is held in Brighton annually and bears testament to the city’s long association with film making. Brighton Rock and Quadrophenia both filmed segments here and film makers once set up studios in the city.

Cultural and creative, Brighton has put itself on the map.

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