to add an item to your Itinerary basket.
Dalliance brings a Summer Festival Vibe to Lewes every Saturday.
Of course, we love being in Brighton but one of the great things about staying in the city is that it makes an excellent base for exploring the wider region. I think I’ve mentioned it before, but I love Lewes, it’s an historic town surrounded by rolling hills and just has a lovely atmosphere. Lewes is easy to get to from Brighton as it’s just a 15-minute train ride away and there are four trains an hour. Alternatively, you can go by bus, routes 28 and 29 go from Brighton Old Steine approximately every 10 minutes and the journey takes about three-quarters of an hour.
Why am I telling you about Lewes? Well because the town is home to one of my favourite venues – Depot. Initially the Depot opened as a cinema but over time it’s evolved into being something more than that. I often visit Depot, but I’ve only seen a film there a handful of times, although that’s no reflection on the quality of the experience as it was far more enjoyable than visiting a multiplex as there are big comfy chairs with plenty of legroom and instead of a fizzy pop you can take in a glass of wine or perhaps a pint of a local ale. But this is my point, there are so many reasons to visit Depot and seeing a film is just one of them.
The venue has a lovely restaurant and a laid-back bar, they also host regular events including wine tastings, a film-themed quiz night and they recently held a murder mystery supper club. However today I want to write about Dalliance at Depot, their summer series of live music events. Every Saturday (and Bank Holiday Sunday) from May to September festival vibes come to Depot as a selection of live bands, DJs and street food vendors take over the terrace.
Last weekend was the first Dalliance of the season and we decided to pop down, we had already made this decision before we realised how lovely and warm it was going to be. We nabbed one of the big outdoor sofas in the sunshine and enjoyed a catch-up while soaking up the rays, we were already starting to feel like we were on holiday when the band started up and the holiday vibes were confirmed. The band were called Django Chutney and I’ll be honest with you there was a part of me that wanted to see them simply because I love the name, thankfully their musical talents matched, if not exceeded, their skills at picking punny names. The music had a laid-back jazz vibe, were we still in Lewes or had we been transported to a terrace in France about to become extras in ‘Emily in Paris’? The European feel was continued with the food as this week’s pop-up vendor was Pat’s Pizzas whose woodfired Margharita had me believing I was in Naples.
I’ve noticed that there has been a recent trend towards daytime raves, people wanting the live music experience without getting home in the small hours. If this sounds like you than you are going to love Dalliance as food is from 5pm and the music starts at 6pm, children under 12 are asked to leave from 7pm and it’s all done by 10pm. All the ingredients for a perfect, laid-back summer’s evening of great food, great music, and great company – well we can’t guarantee the company will be great but two out of three ain’t bad!
Dalliance is running throughout the summer, check the website for details of which bands and food vendors are coming up.
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Nestled in the heart of Lewes and the South Downs National Park, Depot is a contemporary independent three-screen cinema and stylish café-restaurant with gardens and terrace. Just next door to Lewes train station, Depot is easily accessible from Brighton, Glynde, Eastbourne, Seaford and even London.
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