BREMF 2021 Midsummer Season Booking Information

Venues
Most midsummer events will be held in the grounds of the Royal Spa Nursery School, Brighton BN2 0BT. This is located at the southern end of Queen’s Park and the only entrance is off South Avenue. The nearest bus services stop at Park Street on Eastern Road (1, 2 & 7) or in Queens Park Road (18 & 23). Pay parking (Zone C) is available on East, North and West Drives and Freshfield Road/Place. Payment can be made by the pay-by-phone app or using one of the on-street pay meters.

The event on 20 June will be in the house and gardens of the historic St Mary’s House, Bramber BN44 3WU. This has a very small car park, but there is also a public car park in the centre of the village. Unfortunately the last no. 2 bus from Steyning towards Brighton departs Steyning at 6.25pm on a Sunday. Later buses start from Shoreham High Street (4 miles from St Mary’s House).

Seating and facilities
All the summer season events will be either entirely or partly out of doors. Please bring warm clothing, waterproofs or sunscreen as appropriate. Weather conditions will only lead to cancellation if so severe that they are considered to pose a risk to either the audience or the performers. If this decision is made prior to the performance, we will announce it on the BREMF website and social media pages and put up signage at the entrance to the venue.

At the Royal Spa the audience space will be in open grassy areas, mainly level but with some patches of uneven terrain. Please ask a steward if you need help. We are unable to provide seating, and you are welcome to bring your own picnic blankets and/or folding chairs. Stewards will advise you on selecting a space consistent with social distancing.

At St Mary’s House seating will be provided for the indoor part of the concert, but the performance will also include a promenade in the gardens. If you are unable to stand during the outdoor section, please bring a small folding chair. We regret that St Mary’s House is not accessible for wheelchair users. Please call us to discuss if you are unsure about accessibility.

Toilets
We will hire a small number of portable loos (including one with disabled access) for the events at the Royal Spa. Due to social distancing the audience will be spaced such that it will be possible to move around to access these during the performance – this is advised to avoid queuing at the end of the performance. Permanent toilets are available at St Mary’s House.

COVID-19 Precautions
At St Mary’s House audience members will need to wear face coverings during the performances, unless exempt. At Royal Spa we will ask audience members to wear a face covering until seated in their socially distanced spot for watching the performance.

Hand sanitiser will be available for audience use at both venues.

If you purchase tickets on the door, we will ask you to record your name and telephone number for track and trace purposes. If you have booked in advance online or by post we will already have this information on our files.

Cancelling your tickets due to COVID-19
Whilst we do not normally offer refunds except under exceptional circumstances, if you are unable to attend because:

  • you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19;
  • you are awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test; or
  • you have been asked to self-isolate,

please contact us and we will be pleased to arrange a full refund.

Dogs are not permitted at either venue, except for assistance dogs.

Picnics are welcome at both venues, but please minimise noise during the performance itself and be sure to take away all your litter. At the Royal Spa we will need to clear the venue quickly at the end of each performance, but there is plenty of space available in the surrounding park to continue your picnic if you wish. At St Mary’s House there will be time for picnics in the gardens between 7 and 8pm (between the two performances, whichever one you are attending).

Programmes
To save paper and minimise litter at the venues, we will not be providing printed programmes. Programmes will be available on the event pages of this website to read in advance and/or download as a PDF file.

Filming and Photography
Some of these events will be professionally filmed for use in our BREMF@home programme in the autumn, or documented by an official photographer. If you particularly wish to avoid a chance appearance on film in a general shot of the audience, please ask a steward for advice on where to sit. You are welcome to take your own pictures but please do not use flash and please do not obstruct the view of other audience members. Please do not take videos during performances.