Amaze's free BookBench trail is on now and runs to 8 November. 74 sculptures, a map free with a library card, and Once Upon a Trail on 28 October from £4.

Seventy-four sculptures shaped like open books are on display across Brighton & Hove until Sunday 8 November, and the whole trail is free to walk. The Story Trail runs from 12 September to 8 November 2026 and is the work of Amaze, the local charity that supports families with disabled children, in partnership with the public art producer Wild in Art (The Story Trail).

Updated 29 September: the trail is open; Once Upon a Trail on 28 October now starts and finishes at the Colonnade Bar, Theatre Royal Brighton.

More than 30 of the BookBenches are large sculptures designed by named local artists. The rest are smaller ones, decorated by schools, nurseries and community groups across the city.

How it opened

The trail launched with a group read-along in Pavilion Gardens on Saturday 12 September, with artist Fiona Blair, who designed the sculpture nearest the spot (Story Trail Read-along). Amaze also runs a pop-up Story Trail shop in Churchill Square, which doubles as the trail HQ in the map table below.

How to find the benches

There are three ways, and one of them costs nothing.

  • The app. Free on iOS and Android, built for Amaze by Brighton developers DabApps, with codes at the sculptures that unlock rewards. It needs iOS 15 or later, or Android 10 or later. Amaze warned at launch that not every sculpture would be out on day one (the app).
  • The paper map. A £2 donation, or free if you have a library card or a Compass Card. You can also download and print it at home.
  • The sticker book, £5 from the trail shop, with a map inside.

Physical maps are handed out at ten places around the city, and which payment they take varies (map distribution points):

Where Days Payment
Story Trail HQ, Churchill Square Thursday to Sunday Cash or card
The Book Nook Every day Cash or card
Brighton & Hove Buses Travel Hub Every day Cash or card
Brighton Toy and Model Museum Tuesday to Saturday Card only
Hopscotch Art Space, Gloucester Road Wednesday to Sunday Card only
Jubilee Library Every day Cash only
Brighton Museum Tuesday to Sunday Cash only
Hove Museum Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday Cash only
Waterstones Brighton Every day Cash only
Community Base, Queens Road Monday to Friday Cash only

Accessibility was designed in, not added on

This matters more than usual here, because the charity behind the trail exists to support disabled children. Every sculpture has its own access guide on the trail website covering how to find it, public transport, noise levels, parking, and the nearest toilet and Changing Places facilities. All the large sculptures carry an audio description (accessibility).

Compass Card holders get the map free and discounted tickets to the ticketed events.

The one to look out for

A BookBench carrying an image of Sir David Attenborough was made for his 100th birthday on 8 May 2026 by The Postman, the Brighton artist duo known for large-scale public work around the city. Amaze unveiled it that day, the second sculpture to be revealed after Ilona Drew’s “Sweet Memory” (Amaze, 8 May 2026).

Hannah Allbrooke, head of fundraising at Amaze, said at the unveiling: “Sir David is a symbol of wonder and resilience; qualities we see every day in the disabled children and young people we support.” She added that the trail “is about more than just art. It is about connection and belonging.”

Amaze says one in six families in Brighton & Hove and East Sussex supports a child with a disability or special educational needs.

Separately, Dame Julia Donaldson judged a story competition for children and young people on the trail’s learner programme. The winners were announced on 28 August (Amaze).

Key dates for the Brighton Story Trail: the trail runs 12 September to 8 November 2026, the selfie challenge is on 24 September, Once Upon a Trail on 28 October, the farewell weekend 27 to 29 November and the auction on 30 November

The dates still to come

The selfie challenge on 24 September has been and gone. One ticketed evening sits inside the trail, and two events come after it.

  • Once Upon a Trail, Wednesday 28 October, 5pm to 8pm. An evening event where a selection of the benches is transformed for one night, with activities and installations along a route. Tickets are £7.50 for adults, £4 for children, £3 for Compass Card holders, or £20 for a group of four, £18 with a Compass Card. It starts and finishes at The Colonnade Bar, Theatre Royal Brighton, 10 New Road, BN1 1UF, where you collect a map of the transformed benches (details).
  • Farewell Weekend, Friday 27 to Sunday 29 November, at The Wing in the Brighton Centre, entrance on Russell Road rather than the seafront. Every sculpture, large and small, is gathered in one room for the last time, with activities, artists, authors and Santa at set times. Tickets are £10 for adults and £5 for children aged 3 and over, under-3s free, £4 for a Compass Card holder’s child ticket, and £25 for a group of four (details).

Then they get sold

All 30 large BookBenches go under the hammer on Monday 30 November 2026, online and at a live event, to raise money for Amaze. The charity expects the reserve price on each large sculpture to be set at £3,000 (Story Trail auction). The small ones go back to the schools and groups that decorated them.

If you want one, register interest now rather than in November.

What it means for you

It is a free half-term-sized activity that costs nothing to start. Download the app, walk into town, and the trail works. If you would rather have paper, the map is free at Jubilee Library, Brighton Museum, Hove Museum or Waterstones with a library card, so you do not need to spend the £2 either.

Plan the route around the city centre. Most of the pick-up points cluster between the station, Churchill Square and the Pavilion, so Pavilion Gardens is a sensible starting point. The parking in Brighton page sets out the car parks and the controlled zones, and the trains to London page covers arriving by rail.

Check the roads before you drive in on a weekend. On Sunday 1 November the Veteran Car Run finishes on Madeira Drive, and no vehicle outside the run gets onto it that day. Our roadworks and travel page has the current closure list.

More things to do across the city are on our things to do in Brighton page.

Frequently asked questions

When does the Brighton Story Trail run?

From Saturday 12 September to Sunday 8 November 2026. Walking the trail is free.

How many BookBenches are there?

74 in total. More than 30 are large sculptures by named local artists; the rest are smaller ones decorated by schools, nurseries and community groups.

Do I have to pay for a map?

No. The paper map is a £2 donation, but it is free if you show a library card or a Compass Card at any distribution point, and you can download and print it at home. The Story Trail app is free on iOS and Android.

Where can I pick up a map?

Ten places, including Jubilee Library, Brighton Museum, Hove Museum, Waterstones Brighton, The Book Nook, the Brighton & Hove Buses Travel Hub and Story Trail HQ in Churchill Square. Some take cash only and some card only.

Is the trail accessible?

Every sculpture has an access guide covering transport, noise levels, parking and the nearest toilet and Changing Places facilities, and all the large sculptures carry an audio description.

What happens to the BookBenches afterwards?

All 30 large ones are auctioned on Monday 30 November 2026 to raise money for Amaze, with a reserve expected at £3,000 each. The small ones go back to the groups that made them.

Sources