Good morning, Brighton. Who doesn’t love a cocktail? And who doesn’t love the film Cocktail? Thankfully you can watch the film on Disney+ (or just The Last Barman Poet Scene) and get stuck into the Brighton Cocktail Festival in September. Nothing more to say. 🍸

In today’s Brighton Scoop:

- Phil Reynolds

🍹 Awesome news for Brightonians with The Brighton Cocktail Festival returning for its second year from 18–27 September 2026, and thanks to London Cocktail Week moving to March 2027, it’s now the UK’s biggest cocktail event of the year. 🥳 Over 50 Brighton and Hove bars (full list here) will serve more than 150 bespoke drinks, with prices at £6 for alcoholic and £4 for alcohol-free cocktails. Ticket holders get access to special events, plus discounts on hotels, restaurants and cocktail ingredients.

Venues include Cut Your Wolf Loose, Bar Valentino, Apiary, Helm and The Grand’s Victoria Bar. A new Brighton Cocktail Festival app built for this year lets users discover bars, build custom cocktail trails on a live map (awesome), and bookmark, rate and review drinks and venues. Buy Earlybird Tickets

💰 Residents in every Brighton & Hove ward can now vote on projects to improve their local area, funded through the council’s Better Brighton & Hove Fund, which uses money from developer contributions. After a huge consultation on the Your Voice platform last year, residents submitted 930 ideas for spending £750,000, including new play areas, community gardens, street art, accessibility upgrades, greener spaces and safety measures.

Councillors and officers have shortlisted only those ideas that meet the fund’s criteria and are feasible. Residents can now pick up to five favourite projects in their ward on Your Voice until the deadline on the 5th May. Their choices will guide councillors on which schemes best match local priorities and offer good value for money. Each ward will be assessed separately, with results shared as decisions are made, and successful projects will be funded and start later this year. Submit Your Response and help shape your neighbourhood.

🚌 Brighton & Hove has launched its first fully electric double-decker buses, with 16 new vehicles now running on Route 7 as the start of a transition to a fully electric fleet. The project is funded by £5.2m from the government’s ZEBRA 2 scheme, £600,000 from the council, and major investment from Brighton & Hove Buses to upgrade Conway Street Depot for charging. In one of the UK’s highest bus-use cities, the switch to quieter, cleaner buses is a significant step for air quality and everyday travel. View the electric bus teaser video.

Courtesy of Pier Pressure Escape Rooms, on 1st, 2nd, 15th and 16th May indulge in drinks, dinner and a mysterious murder up the i360.

🌧️ | 📈 15° | 📉 10° | ☔️ 60% | 🌬️ S 12mph | 🌊 2-3ft

🌤️ | 📈 °15 | 📉 10° | ☔️ 10% | 🌬️ SW 12mph | 🌊 1-2ft

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

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

The Stranger | The Drama | National Theatre Live: All My Sons (2026)

Dukes at Komedia - Book

Scarecrow’s Wedding | Super Mario Galaxy Movie | Project Hail Mary | Undertone | The Drama | California Schemin

Great to have you follow the Scoop today. If you liked it, share it with someone who wears a Dryrobe.