Open Air Cinema
6-8 September
Borde Hill
Delight in the wonders of film for all the family with Outdoor Cinema on the South Lawn, set against the backdrop of the Elizabethan Mansion House. Hosted by Adventure Cinema, guests can bring a picnic and cosy up under blankets to reminisce with all-time favourites or sing along to new classics. Shows include the nostalgic Dirty Dancing and Top Gun, The Greatest Showman and Mamma Mia, where audience participation is encouraged, as well as delightful animations such as Disney’s Encanto and the wonders of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s The Gruffalo and Stick Man.
Shoreham Wordfest
29 September-20 October
Shoreham-by-Sea
The theme for this year’s Shoreham Wordfest – Making Waves – reflects the changes, challenges, and opportunities ahead, reinforcing the important role literature and the arts have in helping to steer us through choppy waters.
There is a great deal to enjoy and celebrate in the festival programme – luminaries such as Caroline Lucas, Kate Mosse, and Hugh Bonneville, the return of Fatal Shore Crime Writing day led by Elly Griffiths and William Shaw, and a new venture: Sussex Lost and Found, a whole day of social history talks.
Co-Founder and Programme Director, Rosalind Turner, says: “Now more than ever we need cultural events to inspire us and platforms to discuss and exchange ideas. We are proud to bring a variety of events to this year’s Shoreham Wordfest with something for everyone of all ages.”
They will have their own Scoops when Sam McAlister, the BAFTA-nominated producer who has negotiated with everyone from Buckingham Palace to The White House, shares the inside story behind the BBC Prince Andrew interview. There will also be an up-to-the-moment discussion about international events with foreign correspondents focusing on Ukraine and the Middle East.
Special Highlights:
- Ghostly Tales of Sussex: in the ancient Marlipins Museum.
- Two Dramas featuring fearless mould-breaking women: Pretty, Witty Nell, and Tiptree.
- Family & Comedy: Murray Lachlan Young will entertain with a family show and an evening of riotous comedy.
- Joseph Coelho: Children’s author, poet, and former Children’s Laureate shares the journey from idea to book for his Fairytales Gone Bad series.
Discover Lee Miller Experience
5-7 September
The Star, Alfriston
On 13 September, the new film Lee will be released in UK cinemas, a film about the extraordinary life of Lee Miller, model, photographer, artist, and gourmet cook, starring Kate Winslet in the title role. In celebration of this, and the proximity of The Star to Farleys House, where Lee Miller and her surrealist husband lived out their lives, The Star in Alfriston is hosting a special ‘Discover Lee Miller Experience’.
A highlight will be on the evening of Friday 6 September, when Lee Miller’s granddaughter, Ami Bouhassane (Director of Farleys House and Gallery), will host a Surrealist Lee Miller Dinner in The Dining Room at The Star.
Immortal Apples, Eternal Eggs
21 September–16 March
Hastings Contemporary
Hastings Contemporary announces a major new show exploring the rich and complex genre of still life. Immortal Apples, Eternal Eggs is a meeting of two of the UK’s most significant collections – The Ingram Collection and the David and Indrė Roberts Collection – and will include work from artists including Phyllida Barlow, Louise Bourgeois, Sir Anthony Caro, Patrick Caulfield, Michael Craig-Martin, Dame Elisabeth Frink, Henry Moore, Ben Nicholson, and Sarah Lucas.
Beautiful & Useful
14-15 September
Sussex Prairies
Meet and buy from Britain’s best designer-makers at the country’s most beautiful craft fair. Now in its fourth year, this carefully curated craft fair offers the chance to buy from some of Britain’s best designer-makers in the fields of ceramics, wood, textiles, willow, jewellery, and more. Sussex makers are well represented, with original lino- and wood-cut prints from Ash Leaf Printmaking in Hassocks, beautiful willow baskets by Lisa Dear, and silver nature-inspired jewellery – much of it textured with real plants – by Brighton-based Naomi James.
Blade Runner Live
23 September
Brighton Centre
Ridley Scott’s multi-Academy Award®-nominated cult classic, Blade Runner, will be presented live in concert. The incredible soundscape score is one of the most defining of all time – heralded for both its 80s sound but also its evocative and futuristic elements that have seen it become a staple of cinema sound composition. The stylish noir thriller sees detective Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) continue as a Replicant Hunter following the escape of four Replicants from colonies who’ve returned to Earth.
Danny Beard
19 September
Brighton Komedia
The winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Season 4, Danny Beard, has a brand-new tour for 2024. The show, Straight Expectations, will see Danny and their full live band perform a night of killer vocals, snappy comedy, put-downs, and pick-me-ups. Join the host of BBC3’s The After Shave for an evening of scandalous behaviour, lots of laughs, and an honest insight into what life’s really like as a Z-list ‘celeb.’
Cluedo 2
24-28 September
Connaught Theatre, Worthing
After a successful launch last month, the world premiere production of Cluedo 2 is now adding a second autumn leg to its hugely popular UK tour. Starring Casualty’s Jason Durr as Colonel Mustard and Ellie Leach – the reigning Strictly Come Dancing champion, who is making her stage acting debut – as Miss Scarlett, the show is based on the classic Hasbro board game, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. As the bodies pile up, our colourful characters – The Honourable Mrs Emerald Peacock, Colonel Eugene Mustard, ‘Professor’ Alex Plum, Miss Annabel Scarlett, ‘The Reverend’ Hal Green and the housekeeper Mrs White – move from room to room, trying to escape the murderer and survive the night.
