At 125 years old and just over 500m long, this Grade II* listed structure offers something for everyone whether a brisk stroll along the deck, a lazy sunny day lounging in a deckchair or enjoying the endless options of food and drink and entertainments that will thrill most but scare the wits out of me.
With English Tourism Week now upon us, I thought where better to get a gauge of Brighton’s tourism industry so I picked up the phone and invited a few colleagues who I’ve worked with in and around tourism and hospitality in the city for nearly 20 years for a slap-up fish and chip lunch and good-old natter about the state of the industry in Sussex. Who says you can’t do work and have fun at the same time?
With rumbling tummies, our first stop was Palm Court – possibly the finest but I think definitely the freshest traditional fish and chip restaurant in the city. With a footfall of around four million people, this really is fast food.
Despite having 300 or so covers, the bright, light and airy Palm Court still feels intimate and is a far cry from the fish and chip shops on the seafront where outside of peak hours you often see a soggy batter and even soggier chips lingering in a greasy cabinet. Everything is cooked to order here.
The cod fillet is hand-cut in house and coated with the pier’s own batter mix recipe before being cooked to perfection and served up with ‘proper’ chips.
Despite my many years of wining and dining, there is nothing more joyous than the simple joy of breaking through the crispy batter of deep fried fish and releasing the steaming white flakey flesh. Add to that the aroma of salt and vinegar floating from the chips and it is a genuinely heady dining experience.
I should hasten to add that there’s a lot more on the menu than just cod and that a new more comprehensive menu is launching in April.
What with my dodgy shoulder, I feel a bit too creaky for thrill rides nowadays but there’s still plenty of more gentle rides and side shows.
The ‘Horror Hotel’ ghost train has been giving visitors the willies for decades, with perennial old-time favourites including the graceful carousel and landmark helter-skelter also continuing to provide nostalgia for oldies and fun for little ones.
For those with a stronger constitution – and perhaps those who also haven’t just scoffed a plate of fish and chips – you can be spun, shaken and inverted to your hearts content on the waltzers and Crazy Mouse coaster or the slightly more bone-shaking Galaxia.
It wouldn’t be the seaside without a few sideshows and all the classics are on the pier to be enjoyed and bring back childhood memories and make new ones. Tin Can Alley and Hook-A-Duck might be the choice of some, but its got to be the Dolphin Derby for anyone who calls themselves a true Brightonian.
Refurbished for the 2025 season, there’s still nothing quite like bashing those balls through the holes and watching your dolphin go like the clappers!
As we gently strolled along the deck to the promenade, my colleague Julia Weeks of the Brighton & Hove Tourism Alliance starts rooting through her tote bag and pulls out a bank bag of two pence coins.
So off we went to the Palace of Fun for a five minutes of giggles on the ‘Penny Falls’ machines.
Now clearly we didn’t win anything but it provided much amusement for our gang – and to be honest on the day we visited there were a lot of visitors of all ages trying their look to win a keyring or pen.
Good old-fashioned and simple fun, that contrasts with the many high velocity arcade machines that are also on offer but I haven’t the reflexes for.
As of March, to contribute towards spiralling maintenance and staff overheads, the pier are reintroducing an entrance fee – a very reasonable £2 per visitor which includes a £1 voucher than can be redeemed on the attraction.
That said, any local resident in the BN postcode area which runs from Arundel in the west to Pevensey in the east gets free entrance all year. All you have to do is complete the online form at www.brightonpier.co.uk/resident-card-form and two days later all you need to do is visit the security office at the entrance with an official document (utility bill, council tax bill or similar) showing your name and address.
Residents will also be emailed exclusive offers throughout the year but – remember – you must register via the website at least two days before your card is available.
During English Tourism Week, Palm Court will be serving up traditional English afternoon teas at a special price. Check their website and socials for details.
I think we should count ourselves very lucky that we have the pier on our doorstep. Many of us take the city’s tourism and hospitality offering for granted yet it is accounts for around 14 per cent of employment equating to 20,000 plus direct jobs; that’s a lot of jobs and a lot of people.
Many seaside towns and cities can offer a promenade to stroll on – or even a pier – but none match the hospitality, entertainment and cultural offering of our city’s grand lady of the sea, Brighton Palace Pier.
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