Brighton Beach Boys: two open-air shows this summer

If your summer needs a bit more sunshine, the Brighton Beach Boys have two more shows lined up at the Brighton Open Air Theatre (BOAT) in Dyke Road Park. The first is 'Dearly Departed' on Sunday 9 August at 2pm, a tribute to the musical talents and mavericks who passed away in 2025, including Brian Wilson, Sly Stone, Robert Flack and Jimmy Cliff. The second is 'Life Of Brian (Wilson)' on Sunday 21 September at 2pm, which turns the spotlight on the composer behind the songs. Both run for two and a half hours, doors open an hour before each performance, and both are suitable for all ages.

For anyone who has never caught them, the Brighton Beach Boys are a ten-piece ensemble formed here in 2002, and they have built a reputation on forensic recreations of the Beach Boys' recordings rather than a loose cover. They have played over 40 songs at the last count, with recent additions like 'Surf's Up' and 'Catch A Wave', and their setlists run from 'Surfin' Safari' to 'God Only Knows'. The Guardian has called them an 'amazing tribute', and Zoe Ball described a performance as 'spectacular' on BBC Radio 2. They are not strangers to the ambitious, either: they once played the whole of Pet Sounds live at the Komedia in May 2005, and later paired it with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band at St George's Church, picking up an Argus Angel for artistic excellence in the Brighton Festival and a Latest Festival Award for Best Music Event along the way.

'Dearly Departed' is the more immediate of the two, with Glen Richardson, Charlotte Glasson, Adrian Marshall, Jono Harrison and Tom Arnold performing under Steve Wrigley's musical direction. It is aimed at ages six and up, so it works as a family outing. Tickets are around £25 standard and £23 concession. 'Life Of Brian (Wilson)' follows later in the month, with 'God Only Knows', 'I Get Around', 'Surfin' Safari' and 'Little Deuce Coupe' among the hits, and tickets at £22 full price, £19.50 concession and £78 for a group of four. Both shows are open to all ages, so neither is off the table for a family afternoon.

The venue itself is worth a mention if you have never been. BOAT is a registered charity created by the late local playwright and actor Adrian Bunting, who identified the bowling green in Dyke Road Park as the spot and left his life savings to see it built. It opened in May 2015 and has since been ranked among the best outdoor theatres in the UK and the world, with Tatler and The Guardian both putting it on their lists. The design is a nod to a classical Greek theatre, with semicircular benches and grass terraces descending to a sunken thrust stage that brings the performers right into the audience. It holds around 400 people and runs from early May to late September each year, so these two shows sit comfortably within its 2026 season.

Between the two, there is a show for different moods: 'Dearly Departed' for a reflective look at the losses of the past year, and 'Life Of Brian (Wilson)' for a proper dive into the man behind the music. Either way, it is an easy way to fill a Sunday afternoon with something that feels like a classic Brighton summer plan, and with the theatre only open until late September, it is worth picking your date now.