Today's idea - Mystery Jets Pop Up Gig on the Pier!

We accidentally listed this last week. It's TODAY though, so if you'd like to win two tickets for you and a friend, email boredofbrighton@gmail.com with your name! Winners will be picked by this afternoon and you'll be added to the Guestlist!

Without further ado, a description of tonight's brilliant event:

'First come first served' tonight as The Mystery Jets play a pop up show as part of the Chevrolet Spark Unscheduled Tour. The Mystery Jets pop in and around Brighton and tonight's somewhat exclusive (in grand terms) on the end of the Pier (sea-end) should be lovely. Yes yes, pop up's meant to have been done to death but this is a bit cool.

They'll be playing at Horatio;s Bar, "a traditional English pub with sea views like no other as it's at the end of the of Brighton Pier." Only 200 guests will be able to go to this and the event promises new swanky tracks from their third album. It sounds good even if solely for its pop-up novelty, and the band are rather lovely acoustically too (they did a nice stint in the Sussex Campus bar three years ago which was ace).

If you'd like to go (without entering our competition), you'll need to send off a quick 'get me in' type email here. You can find more info on Facebook and Twitter

All Free! Huzzah. Takes place at 7pm. If you want free guestlist entry on this exclusive gig, email boredofbrighton@gmail.com

Today's idea - Watch the Royal Escape Boat Race launch from Brighton Pier

Right, what with this being somewhat in the sea a lot of it may be out of sight but the starting point should be excellent so today we recommend the Royal Escape 2010. Essentially this means gorgeous views of lots of lovely little boats taking place in the largest offshore race on the South coast (that's not in the Solent). So it's not just Southampton that gets the fun.

It's all in celebration of the escape across the Channel of Charles II and starting from literally just off Brighton Pier on Madeira Drive, a giant mixed fleet will be starting their race of 67 miles here. Start on the Pier for a great view, wave flags - whatever's hip these days.

Illustrate picture of Charles II for you. Catch it at 8:00-8:20 which is terribly early but should be very pretty and won't be over immediately as they have to sail off into the distance.

Today's idea - What's your favourite bit of the Pier?

We're being traditionalists today. In another day of bright sunshine and blue skies we reckon it's the right level of windy to investigate the pier. It's massive part of Brighton that many Brighton-dwellers look at, admire, but visit limited times. Today is a good day to fix this. Some friends of mine have an activity called 'The lying down game' which consists of lying in peculiar places for novelty value which they practice on the Pier. On the other hand, I like to waste half my bank account discovering my great ability to lose money and gamble horrendously in the 20pence slots (if you hit them, they beep - avoid this).

What's your favourite bit of the pier?



Find us on Flickr, along with this picture and some other non-grainy art effect ones. Top image via lomokev.

The always-insanely-cold Brighton Sea Dash

Happy Christmas boys and girls!

Today will see about 1,000 people rush down to the seaside to watch the Brighton Sea Swimming club, as their name suggests, leap into the sea with wild abandon in a Christmas Day Swim. The club's the oldest in the UK and today traditionally sees hundreds (genuinely hundreds, no hyperbole) of hardcore swimmers fueled by promises of post-swimming brandy dash into the sea in a mix of madness and charity fundraising. Some people wear costumes, others don't. It sounds cold, and jolly, and something to wrap up warm for.

Adam Trimingham, sourced via the BBC website, says: "I like the fact there's no reason for doing it. It's cold and completely bananas, but a very Brighton kind of activity."

Starts at 11am at Brighton Pier, so unwrap those presents and get to the seaside. There's nothing like the sight of half naked people leaping into freezing waters to make you feel cold, so we advise wearing all the winter soft and cosy things you own.

Have a lovely day.