Make it so

Last night the cast of The Wizard of Oz switched on the Christmas Lights in the Lanes, and while I think it's great that the Theatre Royal has decided not to do a panto this year and has instead decided to do the classic musical I have to admit I am more excited about their Spring programme.

I am particularly looking forward to seeing Waiting for Godot starring Sir Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart (oh for the less geeky of you who are wondering about the title of this post 'Make it so' was Patrick Stewart's catchphrase in Star Trek: The Next Generation). It should be a fantastic night out as I don't really see what could go wrong when you have two fantastic actors in a classic play, although I might get distracted imagining them doing the whole show dressed as Magneto and Prof Xavier from X Men!

However that is not the only thing we have to look forward to as other highlights include classic musicals Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, HMS Pinafore and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. If you are not a musicals fan then don't worry you could go and see the timeless love story Brief Encounter or Gethsemane starring the Olivier award winning Tamsin Grieg who telly fans will know from Black Books and Green Wing. There are laughs aplenty in Totally Looped (Mock the Week meets YouTube!) and Boeing Boeing plus stand-up comedy nights with Ed Byrne and Stephen K Amos. You can also see Richard E Grant in God of Carnage and Edward Fox and Claire Bloom will be starring in Lloyd George Knew My Father.

And of all that wasn't enough the programme also includes Spongebob Sqaurepants in The Sponge who could fly. All together now - Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? ...
Ok then I think I'd better sign off now before I embarrass myself any further

Charlotte

Love is in the air

In the world of tourism, Christmas is old news and we are starting to plan for Valentine's Day. I am currently putting together a list of the Top 10 romantic things to do in Brighton & Hove, between us we have come up with a few suggestions, including Llama walking! But if you have any then please do let me know. Although if you are already feeling as loved up as the two chaps pictured below then check out the Romantic Brighton section of our website



And while we are on the subject of romance I have just heard some very exciting news, Wallace and Gromit are going to be back on our screens for Christmas Day in a brand new short film - A Matter of Loaf and Death (they are now running a bakery). Not only does Wallace find romance in the form of Piella Bakewell but even Gromit gets in on the action when he meets Piella's poodle, Fluffles!


Charlotte

The number 5

Well, firstly a massive thank you to Ms Barrow for keeping the blog going over the last month, whilst I have been drowning in creating the new VisitBrighton website.

Hope you like it, we certainly do... If you haven't seen it yet, check it out at www.visitbrighton.com.

Now - onto other things - did you know that on this day in 1959 Britain's 1st quintuplets were born in a London hospital? No, neither did I! I'm far too young!

Anyway, it got me thinking about the number 5! And what with the looming recession, what better than our Top 5 budget things to do in Brighton:

Brighton Budget Top 5

Check out VisitBrighton’s special offer section for some great exclusive deals on hotels, attractions and things to do.

Visit off season. Lots of hotels offer reduced rates during the winter months, so you could bag a bargain. You’ll also find you’ve got much more of the city to yourself.

Buy a combined Royal Pavilion and Sealife Centre ticket from the Visitor Information Centre and you’ll save a packet.

Visit our Brighton fun for free and cheap eats pages. You’ll be surprised how much you can do and eat in the city without breaking the bank.

Come by train - Southern trains offer a £20 group save ticket for up to 4 people in the Southern area.

You'll find lots more ideas in our Budget Your Brighton section.

We do sometimes get sand on the beach

It is a well-known fact that Brighton & Hove beaches are not sandy however a couple of times a year the tide is low enough to uncover some sand and while some people might celebrate by taking a romantic stroll or by building a sandcastle there is a group of people who decide to cycle along the beach.

Local film maker Evan Pugh has made a short film following 10 people riding along the beach from Hove to Brighton Marina, so have a look and see if you'll be tempted to join in next time. Although I should warn you that a couple of people have decided to ride in the nude! Can't think why though, it must chafe a little, oh well whatever makes you happy. Anyway if you are tempted then it looks like the next time that the tide will be low enough will be Wednesday 11th February 2009 although this might change so check their website to make sure.


Just before I sign off, just want to say thanks to my Grandad for letting me know about this video :)

Charlotte

PS Following on from Evan's comment below you can vote for the video at: current.com

Brighton Festival news. Yes already!

While most of us are just starting to get our heads around the fact that Christmas is galloping towards us, some people are already looking ahead to 2009.

The Brighton Festival may seem a long way off given that it does not start until May but they are already putting the wheels in motion as they have just announced that Turner prize winner Anish Kapoor will be the guest artistic director. I'll be honest here and admit that I had not actually heard of him, however after John had derided me he then insisted on showing me a picture of some of Anish Kapoor's work and I must say I am now just as excited as John is, I mean imagine something like this in Brighton & Hove:

Apparently a number of Kapoor's works will be presented across the city and they will be the inspiration for the whole programme of events, how exciting!

Charlotte

New website and let's see if we can make Sarah blush...

We are all extremely excited as after lots of hard work our brand new website has gone live today, wahoo! So do please have a look at www.visitbrighton.com and let us know what you think....

There is not much point my sitting here trying to describe how delightfully lovely the site is as you can go and see that for yourself. So instead I will say that while these last few weeks have been a bit frantic, hectic and a lot of hard work it's been great to see everyone pulling together and getting involved.

And while it definitely has been a team effort and everyone has contributed to us getting to this point (including yours truly) I have to single out our Mistress of all things webby - Sarah. We have barely seen the poor love these past couple of weeks as she has not only had to project manage the design and development of the new site but she also had to create all the content for it, no mean feat given that there are over a 1000 pages and while we think of it as one website you actually get 6 for the price of 1 as VisitBrighton also has micro sites for Media, Conferences, Learning English, Groups and our local Partners. Crikey!

However assuming there are no major glitches things should calm down a bit for Sarah and I'm sure she will soon be back on the blog to share her witticisms with you all once again, although hopefully she will have a holiday first!

Anyway I will now hand over to Sir Cliff who has a message for Sarah and everyone who worked so hard on the website....



Charlotte

Local businesses win prestigious awards

Well before I go off to see the new James Bond film at the lovely Duke of York's cinema, with a glass of wine of course, I just had to say congratulations to SailNetUK who won in two categories of the Tourism ExSEllence Awards - Best Tourism Experience and Sports Tourism. So well done guys, and in case you were wondering Sailnet offer exciting sailing activities but don't worry if you've never sailed before as they also cater for complete novices.

Another local business which was highly commended was M's Cycle Hire, who unsurprisingly hire out bicycles! They very helpfully bring the bicycles direct to your door, or hotel if you are a visitor and given that this is a compact city, it's the ideal way to get around!

So well done to both businesses, why not try them out this weekend?

Charlotte