Dalliance returns, party at the Pan, sauna at the Pells

The May 2024 issue of The Lewes List

Food & Drink

News: The Depot describes it as the best Saturday night out in Lewes, and we’re not going to argue. Dalliance at Depot is back for the summer, every Saturday and Bank Holiday Sunday from 5pm. On 4 May, Django Chutney, a manouche-jazz-trio from Brighton, will provide the music with the lovely lads at Pat's Pizza providing the food. On Sunday, Lewes Curious, a showcase of local artists performing acoustic, Celtic, Latin, folk and more, are joined by Winterbourne Kitchen, serving food with a Spanish twist. More here. 

News: As ever, there’s loads going on at Abyss, and it’s a fairly eclectic mix too, with everything from Italo disco nights to craft events. Kabak, which serves Eastern Mediterranean and North African food, will be there in a food truck this weekend (4-5 May). More here. 

News: Equally, Beak has a full calendar for May, including wood-fired pizza on Friday 3 May, Indian food from Majahma on 4 and 5 May, and much more. See here. 

News: The Swan – voted the best pub in Lewes two years running in the Lewes List Reader Awards* – has a quiz on Wednesday at 8pm (here) and a new Lewes collage club on 19 May (here), plus all the usual great beer and food. 

Reminder: A wine bar, No 34, has opened on the High Street where Sussex Stationers used to be. You can see their Instagram page here and website here, where you can make a reservation (there is also a bar and two communal tables for walk-ins). There is a menu here, focusing on “simplicity, on respect for ingredients, on what is involved [and] where they have come from,” with influences from across Europe.

News: That’s The Beer Talking is running beer tours in Lewes. See their Instagram for more.

*Look out for this year’s Reader Awards, coming soon…! 

Culture & community

News: Pells Pool is getting a 10-person, wood-fired sauna. The pool announced a collaboration with The Nomadic Sauna in a Facebook post here, with a few pictures of the sauna being built. Dates, prices and other details to follow.  

3 May: Birra Magnifica at the Dripping Pan will showcase and celebrate the best of our local breweries, cider mills and distilleries with music from DJ Beach. It’s part of a trio of Bank Holiday events at the Pan, including a youth football competition (see Family, below), and a free picnic on Sunday. More here. 

11-12 May: St Pancras May Fayre returns to Lewes Priory Park, 11-5pm both days. The event, run by Southover Bonfire Society, is in its 13th year. Expect dog shows, games such as swede rolling and rat-splatting, stocks and sponge-throwing, tombola, plant stall, beer and food. More here on Facebook or on VisitLewes here. 

News: Eddie Chacon & John Carroll Kirby, Jazz In The Round, New Generation Jazz and Bands & Voices are among the 60 artists added to the Love Supreme bill. More here. 

News: Charleston Festival takes place at Charleston Farmhouse this month (16–27 May), with, among many others, author Marlon James, broadcaster Emily Maitlis and artist Grayson Perry (more here). Speakers for the Festival of the Garden (18–21 July) have also been announced, and include a wide-ranging line-up of which Booker Prize-winner author Zadie Smith is a part (more here). There are also two new art shows which have just opened: Matthew Smith: Through the eyes of Patrick Heron (here) and Anne Rothenstein’s collages and paintings, in the first solo showcase of her work in a UK institution (here).

News: At Charleston in Lewes, there are two new shows: Duos: The Art of Collaboration, which runs until 8 September and features work from Rottingdean Bazaar, Jake and Dinos Chapman, Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell, Lee Miller and Roland Penrose. There’s also Dorothy Hepworth and Patricia Preece: An Untold Story, “uncovering the remarkable collaborative endeavours of these two artists.” More here. 

News: As ever, Lewes Climate Hub and Transition Town Lewes have plenty on. See their newsletter here.

News: Glynebourne Festival starts on 16 May (here), while there are two exhibitions running throughout the season (here).

News: Glydne Place is hosting the 10th season of its classical concert series. This includes Alim Beisembayev, who made his Proms debut in 2023 on piano (25 May). More here.

6 May: Garland Day takes places at the Gun Garden at the Castle this May Bank Holiday. The tradition dates back to Victorian times and is free and open to all. More here.

12 May: Lewes-based 360 Botanics is hosting an aromatherapy workshop, 11-12.30pm at The Open Door. £35. More here.

1-2 June: Lewes Music Festival and Lewes Rugby 7s tournament is back for 2024. This two-day festival begins with a rugby tournament in the morning, with the music festival at 12 noon. Eight-piece band Gentleman’s Dub Club are among the acts playing. More here.

Until 27 October: A new exhibition featuring never-seen-before items and artworks from the much-loved illustrator Raymond Briggs is now open at Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft. It’s described as a highly personal show that will bring together 30 items from the late author's estate with over 100 original artworks from his 60-year career. More here.

Family

News: There’s a five-a-side youth tournament at the Dripping Pan for all age groups from U7s to U15s. Lewes FC men’s first team players will act as referees and each team is guaranteed a minimum of three games, each played at the Pan. Teams can be single sex or mixed but will play within the same competition. More here. 

6 May: Southdown Sports Club has a free tennis open morning from 10am until noon on Monday. Junior and adult coaching, playing sessions, racquets available to borrow. No need to book. More here.

Reminder: Worth mentioning again, because it's great: Dad La Soul, which started in Worthing with dad and kid playdates, launched in Lewes last month. Meeting on the third weekend of the month at The Dripping Pan, it’s a chance for dads to bring their children, take part in ‘fun and innovative activities’ and meet new friends at the same time. There’s more here.