Navigating Brighton's Artists Open Houses This May

The Artists Open Houses festival is returning to Brighton and Hove this May, marking its 2026 edition with nearly 200 venues across the city, the coast, and even reaching out to Ditchling. This year, the festival spans several weekends, specifically May 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24, and 25. Since today is April 9, we are just a few weeks away from the start, and the official brochures are expected to appear in local spots like Brighton and Hove stations, libraries, and cafes from late April. The cover of the 2026 brochure features a piece called Modern Bathers by artist Alej Ez, which gives a hint of the visual style to expect as you wander through the different trails. The festival remains free to attend, making it easy to drop into a few houses or spend a whole day exploring a specific neighbourhood.

One of the established routes to follow is the Fiveways Trail, where you can find venues like Imogen Heath Interiors at 253 Ditchling Road. This space will be open from 11:00 to 17:00 on the first four weekends of May, showcasing textiles and interior design in a domestic setting. If you prefer to stay closer to the centre, the Seven Dials Trail offers a variety of stops within walking distance of each other. You might have already noticed "The Artists' Window" at 1-2 North Street, which has been serving as a pre-festival showcase for artists like Chanchala, Nick Gardner, and Renée Adriani. This trail continues with Art at 21 on Montpelier Crescent and Alizeti Creative on Alexandra Villas, where Renée Graham Adriani is exhibiting. Chanchala is also hosting visitors at 41 Buckingham Road, providing a good mix of contemporary work in the heart of the Seven Dials area.

Beyond the art itself, the festival is maintaining its partnership with Sussex Nightstop, a local youth homeless charity, for a dedicated art sale during the May event. For those who want to get the most out of their visits, regular AOH artist Faye Bridgwater has shared a set of ten tips for navigating the weekends, which can be helpful if you are trying to narrow down which of the 200 venues to prioritise. Whether you are heading to the Fiveways area or sticking to the Seven Dials, the festival provides a direct way to see how local artists work and live. With the brochures arriving in a couple of weeks, it is a good time to start looking at the maps and deciding which trails fit into your May weekends.