Brighton and Hove Events This November and December 2026: Lewes Bonfire, VegfestUK, Story Trail and More
A Lewes Bonfire procession on Sun Street, file photo (Photo: Gareth James, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph)
Lewes Bonfire on Thursday 5 November, VegfestUK back in Brighton on Saturday 7 November, the Story Trail BookBenches leaving the streets on 8 November and Burning the Clocks returning on Monday 21 December: the next two months in Brighton and Hove are already filling up.
Our October guide covers everything up to 31 October. This one picks up from there, using the organisers' own pages, emails sent to us and the venues' listings, with dates, times and prices where they have been published and a plain note where they have not.
Source: organisers, venues and emails sent to ImJustBrighton, linked below
The dates at a glance
Dates are as each organiser lists them. Check the linked page before you go, because details change.
Lewes Bonfire: Thursday 5 November
Lewes Bonfire Night falls on Thursday 5 November 2026. The organising partners, including Sussex Police, Southern Railway, Brighton and Hove Buses and East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, issued joint travel advice, published on the Ringmer Parish Council website on 22 September.
The advice is blunt: do not travel to Lewes from outside the town. The notice says the event is not suitable for children, young families or dogs, and asks people to attend local fireworks events instead. St John Ambulance will be on site, and the notice tells people not to pick up spent fireworks or torches.
The societies' own Lewes Bonfire Night Celebrations site says the processions start around 5pm and finish about 1am, with the grand procession around 9pm, and that bonfire society fire sites are ticket only. Full guidance and FAQs are on the Lewes District Council bonfire page named in the notice.
Brighton Up Your Day, last updated 5 October, also lists Battle on Saturday 7 November (procession about 7.30pm) and Rye on Saturday 14 November, which it marks as to be confirmed, and says no date had yet been announced for the Preston Park funfair display. We have not checked those with the societies, so confirm before travelling. Source: Brighton Up Your Day.
VegfestUK Brighton: Saturday 7 November
VegfestUK returns to Brighton on Saturday 7 November, from 11am to 6pm at the Hilton Metropole on Kings Road, BN1 2FU, according to the festival's visitor information page. It is the first time the event has been back in the city for three years, according to a press release sent to us by organiser MAD Promotions. The release says it began in Brighton in 2009 and ran for 11 consecutive years.
The festival's own pages do not cover transport, parking or access, so check the visitor terms or contact VegfestUK if you need that.
The Story Trail: until 8 November
The Story Trail, a free public art trail run by disability charity Amaze with Wild in Art, has BookBench sculptures on the streets of Brighton and Hove from 12 September to 8 November. According to the Amaze trail page, there are more than 30 large BookBenches by local artists, plus smaller ones decorated by schools and community groups, and 74 sculptures are listed in total.
The money raised supports Amaze's services for families with disabled children, and Compass Card holders get a discount on tickets to Story Trail fundraising events. Brighton developer DabApps, which built the visitor app and sponsors one bench, Hedgerow Haven by Danni Smith, told us more than 7,000 BookBenches were unlocked through the app in the first week.
Regency Town House, Hove
The Regency Town House at 13 Brunswick Square, BN3 1EH has a full run of exhibitions and events through to December, listed on its what's on page. The building has lots of stairs, and the venue points to its accessibility guide.
Vagabond Wines opens in the Lanes
Wine bar Vagabond is opening at 3-4 Duke Street, BN1 1AH on Monday 2 November, its first new site outside London in five years, according to a press release from Roche Communications. The bar has more than 100 wines by the glass from self-pour machines, English wines made at its London winery from Sussex and South East grapes, and a small plates menu.
Before the official opening it is running soft-opening previews with 50% off food from Wednesday 28 October to Sunday 1 November. Places are limited, and you sign up on the bar's booking list to get the live booking link.
It has room for 79 inside across two floors and 18 outdoor seats, the release says. More on the Vagabond website.
Artist Open Houses: winter weekends
Artists across Brighton and Hove, and in Lewes and Ditchling, open their homes and studios on three weekends: 28 and 29 November, 5 and 6 December and 12 and 13 December. Visit Brighton's listing describes original art and Christmas gifts sold by the artists, with mulled wine and mince pies at some, and lists entry as free.
The festival's official site confirms the three weekends. It does not say whether visiting is free, and opening times vary house by house, so check the venue list there before you set out.
Care leavers: a November event and a Christmas dinner
Two events aim to support young people who have grown up in care. On Thursday 12 November, the Brighton and Hove National Care Leavers Month celebration marks care-experienced people leading change in the city, with the care leavers forum, the council and community partners. Two care-experienced authors will launch new books. The time, venue and cost are not stated on the organisers' site, which says to book through its linked blog post or email hello@brightonxmasdinner.com.
On Christmas Day, volunteers Richard Hubbert and Jamie Crabb plan Brighton and Hove's first care leavers Christmas dinner in seven years, for up to 100 care-experienced young people aged 18 to 30, according to their press release. The venue has been donated but is not named, and a professional chef is lined up.
They say more than £2,500 has been raised and a further £2,500 is needed for gifts, food and funds, through a campaign called 50 Fairies that asks 50 people to give or raise £50. Young people who want to attend should contact the Brighton and Hove Care Leavers team or the email above for the registration form. Local businesses and residents can donate through the Open Collective page.
Burning the Clocks: Monday 21 December
Burning the Clocks returns on Monday 21 December, after taking a fallow year in 2025. The date is reported by the Brighton Times, citing Same Sky and the council's 2026 outdoor events programme. Same Sky's own project page confirms the event will return in full in 2026, with a commissioned effigy themed Magicada, though it does not list the date.
Times and the route have not been published. In recent years the parade has formed up in the city centre in the early evening and ended on the beach near Madeira Drive, and the Brighton Times expects details in November. Watching is free. Joining the procession has needed a wristband, which came with a lantern pack that sold out in previous years. Check Same Sky's site and social accounts for 2026 lantern packs and workshop dates.
What we could not confirm
- the Brighton Christmas lights switch-on and Christmas market dates, which we could not find published for 2026
- the 2026/27 Royal Pavilion Ice Rink season. The rink's website still shows last season's dates
- Remembrance Sunday service times for 8 November, which the council had not yet published
- times and venue for the 12 November care leavers celebration, and the Burning the Clocks times and route
- Brighton Dome, Brighton Centre and club listings for November and December, beyond what is in our Dome guide
ImJustBrighton has no connection to any organiser named here, and prices and times can change.
Sources and further reading
- Lewes Bonfire travel notice (Ringmer Parish Council)
- Lewes Bonfire Night Celebrations
- Brighton Up Your Day: bonfire night near Brighton
- VegfestUK Brighton 2026: visitor information
- Amaze: The Story Trail
- Regency Town House: what's on
- Caroline Oleron: It's Alright exhibition
- Vagabond Wines
- Artists Open Houses
- Brighton and Hove Care Leavers Christmas Dinner
- Same Sky: Burning the Clocks
- Brighton Times: Burning the Clocks
For more of what is on, see our events and what's on coverage.
Read more from ImJustBrighton
Things to do in Brighton this October: your complete guide
Brighton Dome autumn 2026: full line-up, dates and how to book
Volk's Electric Railway: How Brighton Built the World's Oldest Electric Railway in 1883
