Friday, September 24, 2010

A Look At What Brighton (UK) Offers Tourists

By Mark Walters

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.

Brighton has a deep Regency heritage thanks to its architecture. Although each generation left its mark, the patronage of Prince Regent - later George IV - gave inspiration for the beautiful Royal Pavilion and the towns of Kemp and Brunswick. Regency streets and terraces are dotted around the city and bring back memories of grander times. As Queen Victoria took the throne, so the architecture changed. Many of Brighton's churches are Victorian as are the finest sea front hotels and bandstands.

More than fifty festivals take place each year in Brighton, including May's Brighton Festival which is the largest arts festival in England. For 44 years, Brighton has led the way with amazing line-ups and productions. 2010 saw Brian Eno at the helm as Guest Artistic Director and his 77 Million Paintings exhibition broke all previous attendance records. Also in May is the Brighton Festival Fringe with art, cabaret, music, comedy and film events. Artists' work is showcased in The Great Escape and Artist's Open Houses.

For its size Brighton has an enormous amount of museums. From the state-of-the-art Brighton Museum and Art Gallery with its 20th century art and displays to Preston Manor in all its Edwardian splendour on the outskirts of the city, there is a museum for all tastes.

Entertainment is never hard to come by in Brighton and there are three major venues to choose from. Top bands play regularly at the Brighton Centre. The Theatre Royal Brighton invites stellar casts from top West End productions and produces its own shows too. Lastly, for everything from Shakespeare to one-man shows, visitors should look no further than Brighton Dome.

The Duke of York's Picturehouse is the oldest working cinema in the country and is a far cry from the modern multiplexes. Film lovers will enjoy the atmosphere and the quirky films shown at this beautiful picture house.

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

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