The thing we love most about the Brighton Fringe Festival is its lack of organisation. The fact that anyone can stand up and be counted in front of their fellow residents (and a large dose of tourists) as long as they can get a venue to agree is what freedom of artistic expression is all about. Although there are always going to be some performers who push the boundaries – why is it always the severely unattractive who insist on ripping off all their clothes and performing as nature intended? Thankfully though, most of the acts every year have more going for them than just nudity and it’s a great opportunity to immerse yourself in Brighton’s creative core.

Let’s be honest though, living in Brighton is 10% about the sea view and 90% about the social life and the Brighton Fringe Festival gives us the excuse to fling ourselves headfirst into the latter. The Big Top is going to be in Preston Park and the Spiegeltent outside St. Peter’s Church. Not only that, some of the city’s finest bars are also adopting an artistic licence, throwing open their doors, constructing makeshift stages and preparing to pull pints hand over fist – and we’re aiming to be first in the queue.

Everyone seems to be getting in on the act this year. The Candy Bar, Barfly, Bom-Banes, Fortune of War, Hare and Hounds, Heist, Hectors House, Prince Albert, The Sidewinder, Star and Sailor and the Western Front are just some of the pubs and bars that we’ll be hitting on our artistic pub crawl. Because, when it comes to the Brighton Fringe Festival, the artistic fun is always better when it’s well lubricated.