EVENTS
BITE Sussex annual 'Meet the Maker' trade networking events
Whilst we're renowned for our high impact food and drink events, none of them are possible without passionate producers, growers, fishers, wine makers, distillers and brewers. We run yearly business-to-business networking events to connect them with hospitality buyers – restaurateurs, bartenders and hoteliers – to join the dots.
Over the years, we've hired a Routemaster open top bus to explore the vineyards of Sussex, taken over hotels for the day and had fun in the sun on Brighton Palace Pier.
Immersive dining under the sea at Brighton Sealife Aquarium
Over the years, we've hosted many fundraiser events at Brighton's iconic Sea Life aquarium. As the world's oldest operating aquarium – opening in 1872 – this Victorian building has seen more than its fair share of history. Lovingly restored by owners Merlin Entertainment, our most recent event saw the team from Isaac At restaurant in Brighton partner with local growers and producers – and the odd bartender thrown in for good luck – create an 'Under the Sea' dining experience themed on the different zones and exhibits in the aquarium. Profits from the event were donated to Sea Life's beluga whale rehoming project in Iceland.
Brighton Cocktail Week
Organised by BITE Sussex (Sharp Media's UK-based food and drink hospitality events brand), we invited Brighton and Hove’s finest to join us for mixed up, messed up, mashed up cocktail madness from 1-9 November 2025.
Following our tried-and-tested cocktail week model, venues are invited to run £9.50 promotional menus featuring spirit and soft brands sponsored by local distilleries and premium national brand. In addition we ran charity events at some of Brighton's most iconic attractions including Cocktails * Canapes Under The Sea at SEA LIFE aquarium, a doggy cocktails open day at Brighton Toy & Model Museum and Reach for the Stars cocktails and fireworks at Brighton i360 on Bonfire night.
The next edition of Brighton Cocktail Week runs citywide from 5-15 November 2026.
Read the Brighton Cocktail Week 2025 report
Meanwhile Mondays
As we were existing the challenges of the pandemic, we worked alongside our friends at My Brighton hotel in Jubilee Street on a programme of monthly 'Meanwhile Monday' pop-ups with guest chefs from Sussex and the south east.
Guests included Momma Cherri, Pulpo Negra, Chef Simon Mckenzie, Angelica Food, Youjuice, Nanima and Boho Gelato (who hosted a frozen supper!).
Cocktails & Canapes at Brighton Toy and Model Museum
We love Brighton's "hidden secret": the Brighton Toy & Model Museum tucked away in the heritage arches beneath Brighton railway station.
The museum is a world-renowned repository for pre 1950s toys and models with displays including priceless railway layouts, vintage teddies and dolls, Mecanno and Lego, Pelham Puppets and so much more.
To support their Trafalgar Street Regeneration Project that will see a new welcoming gateway to North Laine, we've hosted regular Cocktail & Canape fundraisers with local chefs, bartenders and spirit brands, raising around £9,000 to date.
Regency Banquet at the Royal Pavilion in Brighton
Over the year's we've delivered some big events including the Brighton & Hove Food and Drink Festival and Guernsey International Food Festival, but – in terms of complexity – organising a five-course high Regency themed fine dining dinner for 120 guests in the Grade I listed Royal Pavilion in Brighton is hard to beat.
Our chefs were invited to cook dishes inspired by the Regency period and the menus of its one-time head chef Antonin Careme, accompanied by matched wines and tea-based soft drinks.
We raised £3,500 for the Royal Pavilion & Museum Trust.
Spirits NL OneUnit national roadshow & cocktail competition
Spirits NL - the national representation organisation for the spirits industry in the Netherlands - have contracted us for three years to promote their OneUnit initiative: the alcohol in your glass, clearly defined.
In 2024, the theme of The Hague Bartender of the Year competition was OneUnit. In 2025, we hosted roadshow events in major cities across the Netherlands to share the message of conscious cocktails. In 2026, we've added an additional strand to the OneUnit competition and roadshow by offering venue operators complimentary OneUnit bar training and menu design.
The competition finals will be hosted at Perfect Serve Bar Show in Amsterdam in September.
Download the OneUnit 2026 brochure
The Hague Cocktail Week
Founded in 2019, The Hague Cocktail Week is an annual 10 day event celebrating the premium bar scene and wider hospitality of the city of Den Haag in the Netherlands. Every year around 20 bars run promotional menus and events to showcase their offering. Each event concludes with the annual The Hague Bartender of the Year competition hosted at Hilton The Hague.
