Sussex


<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-enjoy-a-day-at-the-races-here"><strong>Enjoy a day at the races here</strong></h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/fontwell_jockeys-1000x667.png" alt="Fontwell Park Racecourse, Sussex" class="wp-image-84626" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/fontwell_jockeys-1000x667.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/fontwell_jockeys-800x533.png 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/fontwell_jockeys-768x512.png 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/fontwell_jockeys.png 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Fontwell Park Racecourse is where it’s at for thrills both on and off the track on&nbsp;<strong>24 May</strong>. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fontwellpark.co.uk/whats-on/family-festival-raceday-24-may-2026?_gl=1*1oyboav*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTk4MTIwODEyLjE3Nzc0NjQyMzE.*_ga_2MYHJ22G86*czE3Nzc0NjQyMjgkbzEkZzEkdDE3Nzc0NjQyNDMkajQ1JGwwJGgw*_ga_Q1PTZ74BG9*czE3Nzc0NjQyMjgkbzEkZzEkdDE3Nzc0NjQyNDMkajQ1JGwwJGgw" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Family Festival Raceday</a>&nbsp;is returning for a second year with more action-packed fun for all ages, and extra activities included in the ticket price (plus, under 17s go free with a paying adult). A unique figure-of-eight steeplechase course guarantees thrilling races but there’s also a vintage fun fair, face painting and a live entertainment stage. The littlest racegoers can enjoy a Paw Patrol live show (cameras at the ready – there’s a meet-and-greet, too), and children’s fitness classes aim to get everyone moving.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-experience-fresh-foodie-flavours-here"><strong>Experience fresh foodie flavours here </strong></h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/SORA-1000x667.png" alt="SORA pop-up at Malmaison, Brighton Marina" class="wp-image-84657" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/SORA-1000x667.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/SORA-800x533.png 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/SORA-768x512.png 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/SORA.png 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>For foodie adventures, check out two new openings: docked at Brighton Marina’s Malmaison for the summer, Japanese-infused pop-up <a href="https://www.malmaison.com/locations/brighton/sora/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SORA</a> is serving sushi and robata grill delicacies (<strong>until 31 Aug</strong>). From green dragon and firecracker maki to miso-glazed black cod and wagyu burgers, there’s something for every appetite (and thirst – don’t forget to check out the cocktails), with DJs and live music on the menu at the weekends. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-get-your-cultural-kicks-here"><strong>Get your cultural kicks here</strong></h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/brightonfest_akramkhan.png" alt="Thikra: A Night of Remembering at Brighton Festival, Sussex" class="wp-image-84733" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/brightonfest_akramkhan.png 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/brightonfest_akramkhan-800x533.png 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/brightonfest_akramkhan-1000x667.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/brightonfest_akramkhan-768x512.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image credit: Akram Khan Company</figcaption></figure>



<p>The 60<sup>th</sup>&nbsp;<a href="https://brightonfestival.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Brighton Festival</a> is finishing strong with cultural corkers across multiple genres. Vintage boarding school hijinks (and high drama) are on offer in Emma Rice’s music-filled stage adaptation of Malory Towers (<strong>20-23 May</strong>) – it’s the original girl power, with added midnight feasts. For choral chills, check out Award-winning chamber choir Tenebrae’s concert, A Celestial Gift (<strong>23 May</strong>). Highlights range from Allegri’s&nbsp;<em>Miserere</em> to modern classics by Holst and John Tavener. For poetry in motion, Thikra: A Night of Remembering (<strong>23-24 May</strong>) brings together Akram Khan and his dance company with costumes and scenography by visual artist Manal AlDowayan.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Room for one extra tip? Swing by a free afternoon of Record-Breaking Table Tennis (<strong>25 May</strong>) with the family. There’ll be open-access tables, DJs and refreshments, and we hear adjudicators from Guinness World Records will be on hand as attempts are made to smash some table tennis records.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/Charleston-Festival.png" alt="Charleston Festival, Sussex" class="wp-image-84734" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/Charleston-Festival.png 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/Charleston-Festival-800x533.png 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/Charleston-Festival-1000x667.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/Charleston-Festival-768x512.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image credit: Charleston Festival</figcaption></figure>



<p>There are more cultural kicks to be had at the <a href="https://www.charleston.org.uk/festival/charleston-festival-2026/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Charleston Festiva</a>l (<strong>until 25 May</strong>), where a book-based programme is bursting with inspiration and provocation – just as you’d expect, given its backdrop is the former stomping ground of Virginia Woolf and her fellow Bloomsbury group creatives. Tickets still remain for events with the likes of Colm Toibin, Irvine Welsh and Shakespearean actor Harriet Walter. There are even sessions for junior bookworms, including Katy Hessel on The Story of Art Without Men. Don’t leave without enjoying the garden – it’s pocket-sized perfection.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-keep-it-rural-here"><strong>Keep it rural here</strong></h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/laughton-1000x667.png" alt="Laughton Showground, Sussex" class="wp-image-84735" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/laughton-1000x667.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/laughton-800x533.png 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/laughton-768x512.png 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/laughton.png 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image credit: Laughton Showground</figcaption></figure>



<p>The <a href="https://www.laughtonshowground.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cuckoo Spring Fayre</a> (<strong>23-25 May</strong>) returns to Laughton this weekend with its quirky and celebration of countryside traditions plus transport heritage. Think ferrets and puffing engines, a giant funfair, a model boating lake and dragster tractors. A thousand exhibitors are spread across more than 80 acres, with plenty to do and see. Food, barrel-drawn ales and live entertainment are all on offer, and you can catch a new free show from Jay Miller’s Circus, too.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-travel-back-in-time-here"><strong>Travel back in time here</strong></h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/Arundel_medieval-1000x667.png" alt="Medieval Festival at Arundel Castle, Sussex" class="wp-image-84737" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/Arundel_medieval-1000x667.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/Arundel_medieval-800x533.png 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/Arundel_medieval-768x512.png 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/Arundel_medieval.png 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image credit: Arundel Castle</figcaption></figure>



<p>History buffs can choose between two immersive destinations this weekend. Melford Hys Companie&#8217;s travelling <a href="https://www.wealddown.co.uk/events/victorian-showtime/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Victorian Showtime</a> pitches up at Weald &amp; Downland Living Museum (<strong>23-25 May</strong>), showcasing their collection of oddities and extraordinary acts. Have your tea leaves read with the Gristle Sisters, hear tales of derring-do or encounter a doctor who claims to be able to cure all ills. Over at Arundel Castle, meanwhile, the <a href="https://www.arundelcastle.org/whats-on/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Medieval Festival</a> (<strong>23-25 May</strong>) promises tented encampments, French raiders and the odd noisy musket pop. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-liven-up-a-blank-wall-here"><strong>Liven up a blank wall here</strong></h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/04/pheobe_wingrove_credit.png" alt="Artists Open Houses, Brighton &amp; Hove" /></figure>



<p>It&#8217;s the final (long) weekend for this year’s Brighton &amp; Hove’s&nbsp;<a href="https://aoh.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Artists Open Houses</a>&nbsp;(<strong>23-25 May</strong>), so you can plot a Regency ramble around the city, peeking into artists’ and makers’ homes and studios as you go. It’s the perfect opportunity to buy direct but browsing is welcome, and it’s the perfect opportunity to quiz artists about everything from technique to inspiration. There are nearly 200 spaces involved, spread out across the city and out to Ditchling and beyond. Check out a pop-up dog tattoo parlour (that’s tattooing dogs on humans), inflatable sculptures and works featuring living bacteria. Some open houses are even offering workshops.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stretch-your-legs-here"><strong>Stretch your legs here</strong></h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/three_giants_richard_murray.png" alt="Award-winning photograph by Richard Murray, Sussex" class="wp-image-84658" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/three_giants_richard_murray.png 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/three_giants_richard_murray-800x533.png 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/three_giants_richard_murray-1000x667.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/05/three_giants_richard_murray-768x512.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image credit: Award-winning photograph by Richard Murray</figcaption></figure>



<p>It&#8217;s still National Walking Month and if you’re ready to try a new route, you can find some of our favourite circular strolls <a href="https://sussex.muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/15-stunning-circular-walks-sussex/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>. If you see anything extra stunning, be ready to catch it on camera and you can enter the South Downs National Park’s annual photography exhibition. It’s open until 31 Oct and this year’s theme is ‘<a href="https://www.southdowns.gov.uk/care-for/photo-comp/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Serene South Downs: Back to Nature</a>’. There’s a separate wildlife category, and prizes for under-10s and 11-17 year olds as well.&nbsp;</p>



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<p>In the mood for more? </p>



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Start your Spring Bank Holiday with a bang: 16 super things to do locally

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