Good morning, Brighton. It’s the big one. May is here. Arguably the best month in everyone’s calendar with the weather on the up and the crowds yet to arrive. The cherry on this monumental cake is that we have the Brighton Festival, Fringe and Artists Open Houses all kicking off THIS WEEKEND. 🥳

In today’s Brighton Scoop:

- Phil Reynolds

🎭 Many have been giddy with excitement in the anticipation of todays events kicking off. Over 150 venues will host the 4000+ performers that the 2025 event saw take part. The joy of the Fringe are variety of performance locations including pop-ups in pubs, theatres, pop-up spaces, gardens and outdoor sites spread across the city.

The full schedule for the month can be found on the Fringe Listing Guide if you wish to plan in advance (advisable) or alternatively potter through the city, maybe via the Spiegel Gardens for a drink and plan where to head on the hoof. The choice is yours but be sure to get out and support all these talented people.

🌳 The council is starting its annual two‑week elm vaccination programme, treating around 1,500 trees across Brighton & Hove. This is the fourth year of using an organic, non‑toxic fungus-based injection that helps elms resist disease spread by elm bark beetles. The scheme protects one of the world’s rarest elm collections, supports biodiversity (including the White-letter Hairstreak butterfly), and is backed by long-term collaboration between the council, experts, and local volunteers to keep the city’s much‑loved trees thriving for future generations. Read More about the B&H Elm Collection.

👑 Brighton & Hove Museums will return 45 cultural artefacts to Botswana this month following a repatriation claim from the Khama III Memorial Museum. The items – including clothing, accessories, hunting tools and domestic objects – were identified through the joint “Making African Connections” research project. The James Henry Green Charitable Trust is funding the return and supporting a new permanent exhibition in Serowe, opening 27 May, which Brighton & Hove Museums staff are helping to curate. Read more about how they ended up in Brighton.

☀️ | 📈 19° | 📉 10° | ☔️ 10% | 🌬️ SE 8mph | 🌊 <1ft

🌤️ | 📈 20° | 📉 12° | ☔️ 30% | 🌬️ S 5mph | 🌊 <1ft

☁️ | 📈 16° | 📉 9° | ☔️ 30% | 🌬️ SW 11mph | 🌊 1-2ft

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Cinema’s aren’t going to fill themselves. Break a habit of a lifetime, turn off Netflix, get off the sofa and potter down to your local (cinema).

Duke of York’s Picturehouse - Book

Devil Wears Prada 2 | The Bad Guys 2 | Dukes After Dark: The Virgin Suicides & The Bling Ring | Tours of The Duke of Yorks | Duke’s Day” The Cat & The Canary + Live Intro

Dukes at Komedia - Book

Michael | Mother Mary | Project Hail Mary | Rose of Nevada | Hokum | The Drama | Met Opera Live: Eugene Onegin

🎭 There’s not a snowball’s chance we could include the full schedule of Festival, Fringe & Open Houses events in The Scoop for the whole of May so we’ll add our 🔥 hot picks 🔥 each newsletter and you can peruse the every listing on their respective websites. Now be gone with you and go find something excellent to watch.

Great to have you follow the Scoop today. If you liked it, do share us with a friend. There’s a beer on me if you spot me in town.