Good morning, Brighton. Today is National Cupcake day in the UK. Consider this permission to go and treat yourself mid-morning. Cielo Cakery and Cloud 9 are both opening soon! Just saying.

In today’s Brighton Scoop:

- Phil Reynolds

🎨 When restoration work on Brighton station's Victorian canopy ran over schedule, unsightly scaffolding threatened to greet visitors with a shabby first impression. Enter the heroes: the Brighton and Hove Tourism Alliance and local street artists.

Rather than let blank hoardings become a magnet for taggers, artist Sandy Moon curated a stunning street art project featuring eight respected local artists—Req, Cassette Lord, Sinnaone, Favela, Fek, Molar, and Glimmertwin. The hotels association sponsored materials; the Battle of Trafalgar pub supplied refreshments. The result? A vibrant welcome that celebrates Brighton's creative spirit while deterring illegal graffiti. Turns out, good art really does make all the difference—and it kept trespassers off live railway lines too.

🤖 Chewbacca and Princess Leia invaded Brighton Palace Pier recently—and the kids (and secretly, many adults) absolutely loved it. The cosplayers were drumming up excitement for the inaugural Brighton & Hove Comic Con, hitting Brighton Dome on September 5-6.

Screentear Events has pulled out all the stops to make this welcoming, colourful, and family-friendly. Expect celebrity guests from film and television, interactive gaming, collectibles galore, and free face painting for the little ones. Under-sixes get in free with a paying adult. Local businesses and the cosplay community have rallied brilliantly, and more character appearances are planned at the pier before launch. More announcements coming soon—organisers promise September will be unmissable for fans and families alike. Book tickets

👏 Seven brilliant student ventures just scored £24,000 in prize money from the Momentum Incubator programme run by Sussex Innovation. We're talking game-changers: Jazzcat helps music lovers find gigs and jam with fellow enthusiasts; Borrowed Earth Collective helps companies go green without the greenwashing nonsense; and Compost It tackles food waste by redirecting it from landfill.

The Momentum Incubator programme is run by Sussex Innovation on behalf of the University of Sussex, backed by Santander Universities and a generous private donation from a Sussex alumnus.

The judges were genuinely impressed by the calibre of pitches. Beyond the big three winners taking £5,000 each, four more ventures scooped runner-up and social impact prizes—including apps supporting opioid-affected families and rural education in Sri Lanka. As one judge wisely noted: winners or not, real entrepreneurs don't wait for permission. They just keep going.

🌤️ | 📈 23° | 📉 17° | ☔️ 10% | 🌬️ W 10mph | 🌊 <1ft

🌤️ | 📈 23° | 📉 16° | ☔️ 30& | 🌬️ W 15mph | 🌊 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

Spider-Man: Brand New Day | Tony

Dukes at Komedia - Book

The Summer Book | Spider-Man: Brand New Day | The Odyssey | Teenage Sex & Death at Camp Miasma | Inland Empire

🎈 Family friendly events

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