URGENT TRAVEL UPDATE: READ BELOW
Whether this is your first time attending the Summer of Sonic, or your first time in England, travelling without a supersonic pair of sneakers can sometimes be a daunting undertaking! To help you get around, we have put together this guide to help you reach the venue and to find accommodation if you are staying overnight in Brighton.
GETTING TO THE BRIGHTON CENTRE
The Brighton Centre is located on Kings Road on Brighton Seafront. Travellers arriving at Brighton Station have only a 10 minute walk towards the seafront to reach the venue, so we recommend arriving at that station if you can. However if you arrive at Hove Station, the Brighton Centre can be reached by several routes:
Brighton Station – Brighton Centre by
foot:
Those of you with plenty of energy can walk to the venue (about a
½ mile walk), which will take around 10-15 minutes.
After leaving the station head south towards the sea front down
Queen’s Road, follow it when it turns into West
Road and make a right turn at the seafront onto Kings Road.
It’s a short walk down this road and the venue
is on the right. leads to the venue.
Hove Station – Brighton Centre by
bus:
Shuttle Bus services will be running from Hove
Station and Hove Centre from 9am – 8pm at 30 minute
intervals to the Brighton Centre venue.
London – Brighton Station or Hove
Station:
If you are travelling from London to Brighton,
we recommend you take trains from London Victoria Train
Station. Direct trains run approximately every 15-30
minutes from very early in the morning, giving you plenty of time
to get to the venue. TheTrainLine is a good site
for planning your train journey, and Southern Railway often
has offers on tickets.
Travelling within
London
If you are coming from another part of London (say you are arriving
at Kings Cross St Pancras Station or Waterloo Station), the
London Underground train service provides a quick
way to get around London, at a reasonable cost. Most of central
London lies within Zone 1 and 2 (as does London
Victoria Station), and if you do not plan on travelling out of the
city, you won’t need to buy anything other than
zone 1 & 2 tickets. Single tickets in this zone are
£4.30.
Tickets can be purchased on day of travel from either ticket offices in the station or from ticket machines situated in the station. If you plan on making multiple trips or a return journey on the London Underground during a day, we recommend purchasing a day travel card. The cost of this travel card is £7.00 for off peak (weekend) and can be use an unlimited number of times during the day. Trains usually halt service around midnight, and resume service between 5:30-6:30am.
You may also wish to consider purchasing an Oyster card which will give you significant discounts on your travel if you plan to sightsee or travel frequently.
Car Parks:
If you are travelling by car, there is a car park on Norton Road
(which runs next to the Hove Centre), offering parking throughout
the day (£5.00 for all day parking). The car park opens
at 8am.
Heathrow Airport – Brighton:
All airport terminals are served by National Express which
run hourly services to Brighton. Information regarding service
times and costs can be seen on the National Express website.
Alternatively, you can use the London Underground
Piccadilly line (dark blue) to travel into central
London to Earl’s Court, and changing to the
District line (Green) to travel to London Victoria. Heathrow
airport is in zone 6, and therefore requires a zone 1-6 ticket.
This can be purchased from the underground station on the day.
Gatwick Airport – Brighton:
Gatwick airport has excellent connections to Brighton, with only a
30 minute train journey between destinations running at regular
intervals throughout the day. Return train fares from Gatwick to
Brighton are £9.40.
For more information on tickets from Gatwick follow this
link.
St. Pancras Station – Brighton:
After arriving at Kings Cross St. Pancras, take the Victoria line
(light blue) southbound. The train will stop at London Victoria.
See details above for costs and our
recommendations.
ACCOMODATION
REFERENCES TO THE HOVE CENTRE ARE NOW OUTDATED DUE TO A CHANGE TO
THE BRIGHTON CENTRE
Brighton can be an expensive place to stay during the holiday season, so we are here to give some ideas on places to stay before and after Summer of Sonic to suit all budgets.
We recommend you book in advance if you plan on staying in Brighton as July is holiday season – many hotels are already fully booked for the 7th.
Seafield Hotel
A five minute walk from the venue, this quaint little bed and
breakfast offers a great price for the night (around
£100-120 per night for double and twin rooms) as well as
great proximity to the event. All rooms are en-suite for those
looking for their own privacy, and just to add a touch of class,
wine and chocolates welcome you on your arrival! They still have
plenty of rooms available.
Seafield
House Hotel Website
Susie’s B&B
Another hotel within a five minute walk of the Hove Centre, this
small B&B offers rooms in a homely environment for less than
£100 per night. Breakfast is included in the price.
You’ll have to be fast as there are only two
rooms available, however there is a minimum of a two-night
stay.
Susie’s B&B Website
Hilton Metropole
The Hilton is a ten minute walk from the station, and a twenty-five
minute walk from the venue. The hotel offers a seafront view as
well as larger rooms to cater for families. While the Hilton offers
all of the creature comforts for those looking for a classy stay in
Brighton, expect to pay at least £190 per night. For
those with big budgets only!
Hilton Metropole
Website
Seadragon Backpackers Hostel
For those looking to travel in big groups and on strict budgets,
the Seadragon offers two and four bedroom dormitories, with
breakfast thrown in for a fantastic £30 a night. The
hostel lies nestled half-way between the station and the venue (15
minutes walk either way); perfect for those walking back and forth
between those two locations!
Seadragon
Backpackers Hotel Website
SoBo Brighton
Another Hostel offering great prices for stays during Summer of
Sonic, situated but five minute’s walk from the
venue. SoBo Brighton offers rooms for parties of 2 or 3 with
private en-suite facilities for around £40 a night per
person, or beds in shared dorms for as little as £25.
For those looking for real savings, or travelling with large groups
of friends.
SoBo Brighton
Website
Other Accommodation
If the choices above don’t fit the bill, we’d suggest
searching on dedicated booking sites. Choices include SuperBreak, Booking.com and lastminute.com.
If you have any specific travel questions with regards to Summer of Sonic, please get in touch with us by the Summer of Sonic facebook page or by email (tbird [at] sonicstadium.org) and we will hopefully be able to help you out!