Brighton is busy year-round but summer is busiest, especially during July and August when the beach fills and the seafront bars stay open until midnight. May and June offer warm days, full services, and considerably smaller crowds. September and October have the best chance of still-warm sea and golden afternoon light on the Regency facades.
The Brighton Festival, one of England's largest arts festivals, runs through May and draws performers and audiences from across the country. The Brighton Pride parade in early August is among the largest in Britain and the city fills to capacity that weekend. Winter weekends can be surprisingly pleasant: the piers look good in low light, The Lanes are less crowded, and the seafront has that bracing English-winter quality that the summer version never quite manages.