This Week in Brighton

Brighton is buzzing with anticipation this week, particularly around the upcoming Leicester City vs. Brighton & Hove Albion matches for both the men's and women's teams, with various free streaming options highlighted. The Oska Bright Film Festival has launched with acclaim, celebrating filmmaking talent. Community spirit is evident with volunteers transforming neglected land for food production and an inclusive martial arts club receiving recognition. The popular detective series "Grace," filmed locally, is generating excitement for its sixth season, while DI Roy Grace himself is back on screen solving a missing person case. In the sporting world, there's significant transfer speculation surrounding Brighton & Hove Albion, with reports linking the club to Gabriel Sara and discussions about Carlos Baleba's potential move to Manchester United, with the club reportedly softening their stance on his price. On the cultural front, Brighton Pride 2026 is shaping up to be a major event, announcing a star-studded lineup including Paris Hilton, Leigh-Anne, and Holly Johnson. Music lovers can look forward to upcoming gigs from The Boo Radleys, IST IST, Dexys Midnight Runners, and WREX. Brighton Psych Fest 2026 has also expanded its lineup, featuring White Denim and Anna von Hausswolff. However, not all news is positive. Concerns have been raised about protecting a "precious part of Brighton’s past, present and future," and a call for council housing on Brighton General Hospital land is growing. The city is also grappling with issues like dog fouling due to a lack of seafront toilets and the ongoing debate over potholes, leading to heated council discussions. There's also concern over Victorian sewers and the state of the sea. A vacant building fire at Brighton Beach caused power outages, and a chef has been jailed for sex attacks on the Hove seafront. Sadly, a local burger bar has closed after 13 years. A man died after a records mistake with epilepsy drugs at a Brighton hospital. Looking ahead, significant engineering work is planned for February 2027, which will disrupt the Brighton mainline railway for nine days. The Valley Gardens project is entering its final months, and a major seafront development is also nearing completion. In local council news, a new strategy for community safety and crime reduction has been agreed, and there's a promise of a clearer approach to memorials and a rule change on public questions to the council. Despite some political maneuvering, Nigel Farage has conceded Reform won't be targeting Brighton. Finally, Brighton has been recognised as one of the UK's best places for beer gardens, and there's a unique culinary development with a "world's first" van serving chips with ice cream coming to the beach. The city is also seeing entrepreneurial spirit with the launch of Aaron Knightley's startup Holldr.