Good morning Brighton on this blustery Friday. Storm Austen is in town and it’s ramping up as the day goes on so take care out there if you’re heading out to paint the town red.

In today’s Brighton Scoop:

- Phil Reynolds

🌪️ Storm Austen, the first named storm of the 2026/27 season, is barrelling towards the south coast. The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for Brighton and Hove and southern parts of East and West Sussex. It runs from midnight until 2pm on Friday, October 23.

Gusts of 50 to 60mph are likely, and exposed coastal spots could see 70mph or more. Expect possible travel disruption, power cuts and some damage to buildings.

Brighton starts Thursday bright, with cloud and rain arriving later. Winds peak late Friday morning into the afternoon. Saturday stays blustery and wet, but Sunday should be drier and brighter, with highs of around 14C.

The advice is to secure bins, garden furniture and trampolines, check travel plans, and keep well back from cliff edges and large waves. Keep dogs on a lead, too.

🎅🏻 Brighton and Hove Buses' beloved Santa Bus is trundling back onto the city's streets for its 23rd year. It's part sleigh, part double-decker, and entirely festive.

The tour kicks off on Tuesday, November 24 in Goldstone and Downs Park. It then winds its way through neighbourhoods including Saltdean, Hollingbury, Peacehaven and Patcham. It wraps up on December 23 in Queen's Park, Freshfield and Whitehawk.

The big goal this year is to hit £500,000 raised for local charities. So far, £481,649.51 has been collected over 22 years, so it needs another £18,350 to reach the half-million mark.

Managing director Matthew Ashton called the bus "one of Brighton & Hove's most cherished festive traditions". He's urging local businesses to chip in and help make the milestone happen.

So keep an eye on your street, and maybe keep a few coins handy. View full map and schedule

🖥️ It's Get Online Week, and Brighton & Hove residents have a shiny new set of digital support tools to help them get connected. There's an updated digital support directory, an interactive map of services across the city and a printable guide to local help.

The resources gather details of digital drop-ins, one-to-one support and skills courses run by local organisations and community groups. They're aimed at everyone, from first-time internet users to those wanting to brush up their skills.

Research shows people on lower incomes, disabled people, older adults and ethnic minority communities can face extra barriers to getting online.

Councillor Jacob Allen said digital skills boost confidence, independence and wellbeing, and called the work "about much more than technology".

Future updates will cover free internet access points and help with getting devices.

👻 Brighton's famous antiques emporium, Snoopers Paradise, is turning detective this Halloween. From Saturday 24 to Saturday 31 October, visitors can investigate 13 supposedly haunted obje3cts hidden among its thousands of curiosities.

Armed with a specially illustrated map, sleuths will search the North Laine shop, examine each object and read its strange backstory. Then they decide which suspect has the most to hide. Expect unsettling vintage dolls, curious antiques and something rather harder to explain.

There's a twist. Twelve of the objects are genuine vintage pieces you can buy, dubious histories included, though buyers proceed at their own risk. The thirteenth is not for sale.

Visitors can submit their theories to win a £25 voucher, with a final reveal promised after Halloween. Entry is free, suitable for all ages and needs no booking. More Info

🌧️ | 📈 13° | 📉 8° | ☔️ 90% | 🌬️ NW 29mph | 🌊 4-5ft

🌧️ | 📈 16° | 📉 10° | ☔️ 95% | 🌬️ SW 27mph | 🌊 3-4ft

☀️ | 📈 14° | 📉 10° | ☔️ 5% | 🌬️ W 20mph | 🌊 4-6ft

Be sure to tag us @brightonscoop to get your photos featured

Cinemas 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

Relaxed Screening: Sunset Boulevard | Ghosts: The Possession of Button House | Fatherland | 🎈The Super Mario Galaxy Movie | Fallen Angels By Noel Coward

Dukes at Komedia - Book

Ghosts: The Possession of Button House | Naza | Met Opera Encore: Macbeth | 🎈Wildwood | Sense & Sensibility 2026 | Fears for Queers: A Nightmare of Elm St 2: Freddy’s Revenge | 🎈Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom | Digger | 🎈Disney Junior Cinema Club 2026 | 28 Days Later… Re-release

A powerful selection of photographs celebrating young carers (age 5-24) supported by The Carers Centre for Brighton & Hove. This collection of photographs at the Brighton Museum by Jim Pike offers a rare and heartfelt insight into young carers hopes, dreams, and daily realities. Through their own words and creative expression, these young carers share what matters most to them, and what a fairer future for all carers should look like. Book. ❤️

🎈 Family friendly events

Great to have you follow the Scoop today. If you liked it, share it with a birthday twin.