The Gift Returns to The Old Market in Hove: Immersive Festive Dining Show Runs 2 to 23 December

The Old Market in Hove brings back The Gift, its immersive festive dining show, from 2 to 23 December 2026. Tickets are £47.50 with a shareable feast included.

Tim Graichi Cucarella

Published 12:27, Thursday, 22 October 2026 · Updated 16:23, Thursday, 22 October 20264 min read

Mella Faye on stage at The Old Market in Hove, pointing upwards and holding a microphone in front of a large circular projection reading The Gift — Mella Faye performing The Gift at The Old Market (Photo: Chloe Hashemi)

The Old Market in Hove has announced that The Gift, its immersive festive dining show, is back for a second year. It runs from Wednesday 2 December to Wednesday 23 December 2026.

The venue describes it as part gig, part theatre and fully fun. A feast is served during the evening, and what happens on stage is shaped by what the people in the room ask for.

3 weeks

2 to 23 December 2026

£47.50

a ticket, with a shareable feast included

16+

under 18s must have an adult

2.5 hrs

about 150 minutes, dining included

Source: press release from The Old Market, plus the venue’s show page, ticket page and blog. Photos: Chloe Hashemi.

What is The Gift?

The Old Market calls it part feast, part performance and part choose-your-own-adventure, where you can be as involved as you like. Audiences sit at cabaret-style tables while dinner is served throughout the evening.

A cast of cabaret artists, musicians, clowns and performers sets things moving, then the room decides where the night goes next. The venue says no two shows are the same.

The press release says the show is inspired by Berlin’s Social Muscle Club, America’s Burning Man and the intimate theatre of Colombia’s Theatre of the Senses.

“Last year, we came to The Old Market with a crazy idea: what if we did whatever the audience desired and made a show out of it? The result was three weeks of experimental, joyful, funny and moving experiences that surprised us all.”

“With incredible musicians and hilarious performers, we’re on course for an even wilder and more beautiful theatrical adventure.”

Mella Faye, co-producer and host

The Gift poster in gold on dark navy, showing two hands reaching towards a crescent moon, with the words A feast, A game, A ritual, A show and the dates Wed 2 to Wed 23 December 2026 — The Gift poster from The Old Market, which runs from 2 to 23 December 2026

How an evening works

The venue keeps the details of the show vague on purpose, so audiences go in with an open mind. This is what it does say about the night.

Doors

Doors open 30 minutes before the show. Seating is unreserved at cabaret tables, and groups are guaranteed to sit together.

Dinner

A festive feast is served during the show, designed to be shared between friends old and new.

The cast

Cabaret artists, musicians, clowns and performers get things started and break the ice.

Your turn

You are asked what you want to receive, experience or give to the evening. It could be an object, an activity or a fantasy, and the room tries to make it happen.

Who is behind it

The Gift is co-produced and hosted each night by Mella Faye, an award-winning writer and director and the Artistic Director of Pecho Mama. The company, which she founded in 2016, toured Medea Electronica to 26 venues and festivals between 2017 and 2021, and then Oedipus Electronica nationally from 2021 to 2024.

This year’s tickets include a new menu from The Old Market’s friends at Circa, with hearty festive food made to be shared.

Dates and times

There are no shows on Mondays or Tuesdays, apart from one on Tuesday 22 December. Doors open 30 minutes before each start time.

Wednesday to Saturday

7.30pm.

Sundays

5.30pm, on 6, 13 and 20 December.

Friday matinees

1.30pm, on 4, 11 and 18 December.

Saturday matinees

1.30pm, on 12 and 19 December.

Tuesday 22 December

7.30pm.

Wednesday 23 December

The press release says the final show starts at 6.30pm. Check the booking page for the time on your date.

Tickets, food and drink

Standard ticket

£47.50 plus a £2 venue levy, with a shareable feast included. You choose between two menus when you pick your tickets: the standard menu, or a vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free menu.

Dietary needs

The ticket page says the venue cannot accommodate any dietary requirements beyond those two menus.

Groups

For groups of 12 or more, a discount applies automatically at checkout.

Access tickets

Access Members can buy a companion ticket for £23.75 plus the £2 levy, and wheelchair user tickets are £47.50 plus the levy. Log in to buy, or sign up through the venue’s access page.

Drinks

Bottles of wine and fizz, including an alcohol-free fizz, can be added when you book and collected from the bar on arrival.

Where and how to book

The Old Market is at 11a Upper Market Street, Hove, BN3 1AS.

The cream coloured front of The Old Market in Hove, with the words The Old Market Built 1825 Restored 1998 on its pediment, at the end of a street of white terraced houses — The Old Market on Upper Market Street, Hove, file photo

Tickets, for groups and individuals, are on sale now online or through the box office on 01273 201 801, open Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm. The email is boxoffice@theoldmarket.com.

The Old Market: book tickets for The Gifttheoldmarket.ticketsolve.com The Old Market: The Gift event pagetheoldmarket.com

Sources