NOT long after the controversial Beachdown Festival collapsed in 2010, Levellers frontman Mark Chadwick suggested a simple reason for its failure: “being in Brighton is a bit like living in a festival”.

Every weekend The Guide diary is packed with Sussex festivals – ranging from movie celebrations like Brighton’s CineCity and Chichester International Film Festival, to food festivals on Hove Lawns and in New Road, Brighton; arts and crafts with Made and Artists Open Houses, to the biggest open access arts festival in England: Brighton Fringe.

Despite becoming a ticket only affair in 2011 Pride still brings thousands of partygoers to the city from across the world every August.

That’s to say nothing of the events running through the summer – such as Attila The Stockbroker’s grassroots celebration of real ale and music Glastonwick, to this year’s new family-friendly Together The People in Preston Park, and Love Supreme Jazz Festival in Glynde Place.

The international talent in music, stage and the arts which descends on the city in May is being celebrated next year as Brighton Festival marks its 50th anniversary. Previous guest artistic directors have included prize-winning author Ali Smith, Turner Prize-winner Anish Kapoor and musical legend Brian Eno.

What makes Brighton in particular so attractive for a festival?

Brighton Festival chief executive Andrew Comben may have hit on the answer when he first took on the job in 2008: “Brighton has a very strong community of artists and that is an amazingly energetic base on which to build.”

The most obvious way this can be seen is in the growth of the Brighton Fringe, which has more than doubled in size since 2007 to almost 1,000 shows. Brighton residents have not only performed in their own productions, but also operated pop-up venues like The Warren, Spiegeltent or The Old Courtroom for four weeks in May.

Outside Brighton there are regular new additions to the festival calendar – Shoreham’s Wild Life won a UK Festival Award for its debut this June, and Boomerang brought Jessie J, The Vamps and Simple Minds to it inaugural event in Hickstead in September.

And many events punch above their weight – the village of Chiddingly’s annual festival has a roster of musicians, artists and comedians that many small towns would envy, featuring Barb Jungr, Jo Caulfield and the award-winning Benyounes Quartet this year.