Good morning, Brighton…

In today’s Brighton Scoop:

- Phil Reynolds

🌱 Brighton & Hove residents can now apply for their street to opt out of the council’s weed-spraying programme and instead organise their own manual weeding with neighbours. The council is reducing herbicide use from three to two treatments in most areas and continues to trial alternatives, while still using targeted glyphosate on streets where weeds block access. Parks and open spaces are only treated for invasive species.

To join the opt-out scheme, a street must be in a 20mph zone, have a lead volunteer to coordinate neighbours, and commit to at least three weeding sessions between May and September. The council can lend tools, collect waste, and will check that standards are maintained. Applications for the 2026 programme must be made via the council website by Sunday 29 March 2026. More Info

🎭 The 60th Brighton Festival marks a major reset under new Chief Executive Lucy Davies, ending the 16‑year Guest Director model and rebuilding the programme “from the city up.” Launched in the newly restored Corn Exchange, the Festival celebrates six decades of international arts alongside 40 years of the Children’s Parade, highlighting Brighton’s dense ecosystem of local artists and organisations. Davies and council leader Bella Sankey stressed culture’s economic and social value: creative industries provide 7% of local jobs and £1.5bn to the economy, with every £1 of cultural funding claimed to generate £13 in impact.

The 2026 Festival (1–25 May) will feature 100+ events from 140+ artists, with a strong focus on access and affordability: a quarter of events will be free and over half cost £15 or less. Highlights include exclusive performances by Patti Smith, Laurie Anderson, and a new collaboration between Sampa the Great and W.I.T.C.H. Full Details

🏃🏿‍♂️ This year’s Brighton Marathon will feature a 20‑strong “plogging” team who run while picking up litter along the 42km route on 12 April. Participants, including members of The Green Runners, will run 10km shifts collecting gel sachets, cups and other waste to “leave the environment better than where you started.” Recent plogging on the seafront collected 14kg of litter.

To boost sustainability, organisers are adding water refill stations, reusable cups, reduced baggage transport, encouraging public transport, and setting up “green villages” to showcase local environmental groups and promote low-impact running. Get up to speed on ‘Plogging’

☁️ | 📈 11 | 📉 9 | ☔️ 90% | 🌬️ 18mph SW | 🌊 3-4ft

☁️ | 📈 11 | 📉 10 | ☔️ 80% | 🌬️ 13mph SW | 🌊 3-4ft

🌧️ | 📈 11 | 📉 9 | ☔️ 40% | 🌬️ 15mph WSW | 🌊 4-5ft

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Brighton has endless festivals, conventions and get-togethers year round for everything from coffee, music & trees, to animation, food, Pride and of course the might fringe. Be sure to scan over this each week to see what’s’ on the beautiful horizon.

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