Artwave returns + White Hart Hotel, Taith, Oktoberfest and much more

The September 2024 issue of The Lewes List

Artwave

It’s September, which means the brilliant Artwave is back, with three weekends of free-to-visit exhibitions at 164 venues across the Lewes District. Launching 7 September, the visual arts festival is now in its 31st year, with 45 new venues opening their doors for the first time, and takes place in Lewes, Seaford, Peacehaven, Telscombe Cliffs, Newhaven and the surrounding villages. 

Some of the events are included in this newsletter, but the tried and tested way to best enjoy the festival is to pick up a printed guide from Lewes Tourist Information (or the likes of the Depot or Charleston Lewes) and use the Lewes Trail to hop from venue to venue. Check individual venues for opening times and facilities and plan your visits. The trail is online here, and more is on the website here. 

Food & Drink

News: The White Hart is set to reopen on 1 October. The historic hotel was acquired by Heartwood Collection (previously the Brasserie Bar Co – the group behind Michelin-star chef Raymond Blanc’s high street chain Brasserie Blanc) and closed in November. A fancy new website says that the company has “lovingly restored this impressive building back to its very best” with the addition of an orangery and roof terrace that overlooks the Downs, four lower ground suites, 19 further bedrooms, a large dining room and bar. More here. 

News: Taith Coffee has opened at 84 High Street. It’s a gorgeous, light-filled space, which takes full advantage of its position at the top of town, with views of the Downs from its rear window. It sells coffee, cakes and small plates, a curated selection of books and zines with pottery workshops planned downstairs. It’s open 8-5 Wednesday-Friday and 9-5 on Saturday. There are some pictures on our Instagram (here), but follow Taith’s page for more updates (here).

News: Boho Baja is now serving burgers and tacos from a vintage Airstream at Abyss Brewery + Tap every Thursday-Sunday. Visit their Instagram page here; for more events at Abyss, visit here.

News: Field Food has some lovely events coming up at their barn, just outside Lewes.  These include Slow Down Sunday on 6 October and a day of fermenting on 19 October. More here.

21 September: Oktoberfest is back at the Corn Exchange (Town Hall) for 2024. Local breweries Abyss, Beak, Only With Love, Burning Sky and Harvey’s will serve German-style beers, with glüwein and Schnapps on offer, too, There’s also German food: snacks and sausages, including veggie and curry wurst. More here. 

Culture

News: As part of Artwave, Charleston Lewes is marking the last day of its summer exhibitions with a special Pay What You Can Day (8 September). Then, launching on 25 September and running until 2 March, two new exhibitions will “explore the intersections between art and home”: Grayson Perry: A Temple for Everyone and Collecting Modernism: Pablo Picasso to Winifred Nicholson. There’s more here. 

News: Depot has a season of surrealism to mark the launch of a new film Lee, starring Kate Winslet, about Lee Miller, the artist and photojournalist who lived at the nearby Farleys House and Gallery (see screening times here). The season includes films from Jean Cocteau, David Lynch and Satoshi Kon, while its community Artwave exhibition will also tie in with the theme. See more here.

20 September: The 2023 remake of The Color Purple, based on Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, will be shown at an open-air cinema at Lewes Castle. More here. 

21 September: The Women Over 50 Film Festival champions and showcases the work of older women on screen and behind the camera with an annual short film festival and year-round events and film screenings. It takes place at Depot – there’s more here. 

18 October: Lewes Concert Orchestra are performing Shostakovich Symphony No 5 in D Minor at Lewes Town Hall. The Autumn programme will also feature Grieg's In Autumn (overture); Mills' The Ever Changing Sky and Holst's Ballet Music from The Perfect Fool. It takes place 7.30-9.30pm and tickets are £15 (or £5 for under 18s). You can book here.

Sport & Community

News: Walk This Way, the Visit Lewes festival of themed guided walks led by local experts, takes place on 7-8 and then 14-15 September. Organisers say: “choose from coastal, town and countryside walks, feel the benefits to body and soul, and learn more about our heritage and culture along the way.” More here.

News: Over & Under, the Lewes Basketry Festival, is back for its second year – once again at 14-15 Phoenix Place – on 26 October. There are also one, two-and three-day courses taught by specialists in the run up to it (22-24 October). See more here.

7 September: Southover Bonfire Society is hosting Priory by Candlelight at the Priory – with the ruins lit by thousands of candles from 6-10pm. Adults £5; children £2.50. More here. 

13-15 September: This year’s Lewes Heritage Open Days includes free access to 18 different buildings, some with special tours, as well as seven guided walks taking place in the town. You don’t need to book – but some venues, including Harvey’s Brewery – have already sold out. See more information and the full list here.  

14 September: Friends of Southover are running a carboot sale, in the school field, from 12-3pm, raising funds for Patina. More here.

News: The Lewes Death Café will be open for conversations about death and dying at the Lewes House of Friendship (208 High Street) from 6-8pm on 1 and 29 October and 3 December. Email here for more information.

Looking ahead: The Artisan Christmas Fair, organised by The Bevern Trust, a Sussex disability charity based in Barcombe, takes place on 30 November at Barcombe Village Hall, noon-6pm. Email here if you would like a stall.