Hove Record Fair: a vinyl lover's guide

If you spend your weekends digging through crates for a rare press or a cheap bargain, the Hove Record Fair is worth keeping on your radar. It's a recurring vinyl event at The Brunswick in Hove that brings together local dealers, collectors and music fans for a day of browsing thousands of records, from genuine bargains to proper collector's items, and it's a decent way to spend a Sunday without spending much beyond what you find on the tables.

The fair is hosted by Newt and Colin of Keyring Records, and there's always a DJ set of "sweet tunes" from J.D. O'Kill running in the background while you work. Entry is free, the venue has step-free access and it's open to all ages, so it's as easy to drop into with kids in tow as it is to turn up alone and lose a few hours. The next date to circle is Sunday 8 November, from 11:00 to 16:00, which follows the editions on 5 July and 13 September. It's worth double-checking the latest organiser listing before you travel, as dates and times can shift between editions.

One of the nicer touches comes after you've actually bought something: anyone who picks up vinyl from a vendor can show their new record to the bar staff and get a happy-hour drink, limited to one per guest. If you're planning to make a proper afternoon of it, The Brunswick also runs three selected plates for £15 every day, with table bookings available in the Main Bar, so you can feed yourself without having to leave the building.

The venue itself is a big part of the appeal. The Brunswick is an independent live music, arts and events space, pub and restaurant that puts on hundreds of shows a year and has become a fixture of the Brighton and Hove music scene. It comes with a bar, a restaurant, a large sunny beer garden and two Bewilder Box escape rooms upstairs for when the crate-digging is done. The kitchen changes every three months through its Kitchen in Residence programme, and from August to October the resident is Sando Boyz, so the food is as much of a draw as the records. It's open seven days a week, with the kitchen serving every day, though the menu and prices can shift with the seasons.

If you're in the area for the fair, Hove has plenty to fill out the rest of your day. The Regency Town House over in Brunswick Square is a Grade I listed terrace from the 1820s being restored as a museum of the city's social history, and The Old Market is an independent mixed-arts venue in a Grade II listed building that puts on everything from live music to cabaret. And if you've still got the vinyl itch after Hove, there's another record fair over at Komedia on Gardner Street on 4 October and 6 December, so the city's crate-digging calendar keeps itself well-stocked.