Brighton Racecourse will open its doors this Easter, starting today, for a weekend of racing, live music and a wonderland-themed afternoon as the first races of the season get under way.

To celebrate the city’s creative flair, this year organisers have introduced a Mad Hatter hat competition where racegoers can buy, make or take their best hat for the chance to win cash prizes of up to £300.

Inventive dress sense is a core part of Brighton’s culture and Stephen Jones, master milliner to the likes of Princess Diana, Rihanna, Katy Perry and Mick Jagger, echoed this sentiment most recently by exhibiting his work at the Royal Pavilion.

Jones took inspiration from Brighton and the Royal Pavilion for one of his collections on show.

Imagination is key and local hat maker and owner of The Hattic Jill Corbett has shared her top tips for creating bespoke headwear ahead of the festivities.

Corbett, who has been making heads happy since 1990, said: “The people of Brighton on the whole are a less self-conscious tribe.

“Freedom of expression in all areas is entrenched in the vibe generally, and the wearing of hats fits nicely into that.

“A lot of our custom is literally generated by word of mouth around Brighton.

“Our most popular hat over the years has been and continues to be the pork pie hat which gives a very sharp and snappy look.”

Here are some top tips to making a winning hat:

1. Start with a basic bowler or fedora style hat which you can pick up for about £10 in Brighton.

2. Have a needle and thread ready (or a glue gun if you’re not a handy sewer).

3. Get a selection of accessories that you’d like to add to the hat eg buttons, ribbons, bows or anything you’ve created.

4. Then go to town decorating your hat. You can attach just about anything to a hat – you just need to decide what look you’re going for.

5. Get down to Brighton Racecourse and show off your creation and be in with a chance of winning their brilliant hat competition.

Paul Ellison, executive director of Brighton Racecourse, said: “Brighton has a certain vibrancy about it that you don’t find anywhere else and we are really excited to showcase this with our new event day on Saturday adding a little more to the races.

“It’s going to be a fantastic day with so much going on and we’re excited to open our doors for the new racing season.”

This Saturday’s event at Brighton Racecourse will include music from local samba band Barulho, Wonderland themed cocktails in the secret bar, the Mad Hatter hat competition, a mad hatter on stilts and a white rabbit handing out Easter eggs for everyone to enjoy.

You can also catch a free shuttle bus to and from Brighton Station.

To find out more and to buy tickets, visit: www.brighton-racecourse.co.uk/whats-on/mad-hatter-raceday