Sussex Day Celebrations in Eastbourne

This 16 June (Tuesday) the whole county will mark Sussex Day to celebrate what a beautiful place Sussex is! With stunning landscapes, a wealth of fascinating history and culture in all corners of the town, Eastbourne offers so much to the county of Sussex, for visitors, international tourists and residents - we certainly have a lot to celebrate.

To mark the special day, Eastbourne’s cultural and heritage hubs, the Redoubt Fortressand the Pavilion, will welcome visitors for a day of free festivities and fun! 

The Napoleonic Redoubt Fortress has free entry all day on Sussex Day and you'll be able to handle objects from displays around the military museum, guided by the helpful museum volunteers. 

A fascinating Carry on Curator talk takes place at 2pm which is also free of charge for this special occasion. “Carry on Curator: Pour la canaille: Faut la mitraille” coincides with the run up to the 200 year anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. Come along and meet with museum curator, Damian Etherington for a thrilling interactive discussion about museum artefacts from the Napoleonic era. You'll also have the chance to handle Napoleonic era items and get a new perspective on them. From a Napoleonic General’s jacket and original Times newspapers reporting the Battle of Trafalgar and Waterloo, to a collection of original weapons and more, this is fantastic event not to be missed.

What's more, there will also be two free guided tours (11am and 2.30pm), of the Fortress grounds and the museum. The Napoleonic Fortress was built in the early 1800’s, and it has 24 rooms known as Casemates, at one time it was used to house up to 200 men during times of battle. You can learn lots more interesting facts like this on the guided tours on Sussex Day.

Once you've worked up an appetite from wondering around the fortress grounds making lots of discoveries, then head to the Outpost Cafe where you'll find a special Sussex Day offer of buy one get one free on all hot drinks. You can also tuck into a Sergeants Scone, a Bombardier's Brownie or a Trench Toastie, whilst enjoying the wonderfully vintage themed decor of the Outpost.

For a double whammy of intriguing Eastbourne history and heritage, head to the Pavilion just minutes from the Redoubt and be taken on a guided tour of the extremely interesting Summerdown Camp exhibition. 

During both the tours (11am and 2pm), visitors will learn some of the stories that have been discovered since the exhibition opened in March, as well as hearing more of the personal stories of men and women who recovered and worked at Summerdown convalescent camp in Eastbourne during World War One. 

Sussex Day will be a fantastic day of celebrations for both Eastbourne and the entire county, so please do join us in marking the occasion!