ART: GRAFIK WARFARE Studio Wonderland Sat and Sun 4th & 5th, 11th & 12th Dec
Edgier than The Edge balancing an octahedron on the end of a knife, Grafik Warfare invades Kemptown to offer up limited edition paintings, stencils, street art, clothing and more, from artists with names like Mishfit, T.Wat and Eyesaw. It’s part of a festive edition of Open Houses, the citywide invite for strangers to snoop through front rooms looking at some of the most spanking local art, which saw record visitor and venue numbers during its last venture in May. (BM)

FILM: CINECITY Various venues until Sun 5th Dec
Maybe it’s the UK Film Council’s execution via Dynamo Dave’s ever-swinging axe, but Cinecity seems to have been a little low-key this year. The line-up’s still brilliant though, featuring everything from showcases of shorts by Brighton filmmakers to a talk by British Film Institute Artistic Director Eddie Berg at Lighthouse, a live soundtrack to a Derek Jarman film at the Duke of York’s and a documentary on Britain’s shipping industry – voiced and scored by Carl Barat and Klaxons’ Anthony Rossomando – at the Sallis Benney. (BM)

TALK: THE SPACE Komedia Tues 7th Dec
Getting the chance to watch Frank Skinner for slightly more than the price of a continental pint in the Komedia vicinity seems implausible, not least in a month when Mr Fantasy Football could probably earn more sacks than Santa if he was sticking to the day job. Such is the admirable lure of The Space, which almost nonchalantly announces that Barry Norman is also popping along this time for a chat with the hosts and a Q&A session. However they do it, we want a copy of their address book. (BM)

COMEDY: THE HUMBLE QUEST FOR UNIVERSAL GENIUS Upstairs at Three and Ten Fri 10th Dec
Dan Antopolski’s gags and staggering capacity for tomfoolery are frequently inspired, although his precise level of genius probably falls a bit short of universalism. Still, the infantile geek superhero and fringe favourite plays the Three and Ten as part of his UK tour earlier in the evening, and then bowls up for this boxing-style ding dong against Nick Helm, with both comics attempting to outwit each other during duels over a range of topics under the watchful eye of host Mark Allen. (BM)

EVENT: COMIC AND FANZINE FAIR Cowley Club Sat 11th Dec
If you’re the sort of bleeding pen and ink devotee who can’t stroll through a zinefest without the mocking lyrics of cult punk pillagers Anal Beard’s ‘Fanzine Nerd’ ringing in your ears, now’s the time to pull yourself together and stand proud in the face of a thousand badges and over-eager grins. There are more than 40 fanzine writers from Brighton’s prolific comic-making community here, plus a Manga portrait artist for your portraiture pleasure and bands later on. It’ll be bloody lovely. (BM)

NINE LESSONS AND CAROLS FOR GODLESS PEOPLE Dome Sun 12th Dec
Robin Ince is an atheist but enjoys Christmas so has put together a celebration of science (with songs and jokes) for fellow non-believers. Importantly this is not about Christian bashing, more like The Royal Variety Show meets the Royal Institution Christmas lectures. It’s never happened outside of London before but previous guests over the last couple of years have included Jarvis Cocker, Ricky Gervais and, of course, Richard Dawkins. As Ince says, “The only thing that will make people give up the comfort blanket of mysticism is showing them wonder.” (JK)

COMEDY: KNOCK2BAG COMEDY Proud Brighton Ballroom Sun 12th Dec
The award for December’s most random comedy gig goes to this one, with a line-up about as predictable as the bus times when there’s a spot of rain. Mulleted anachronism Paul Foot resurfaces with the show Noel Fielding directed in Edinburgh, Channel 4 haircut Alex Zane returns to his roots to provide a smattering of showbiz, and Pyecombe’s finest roadside café extraordinaire Brian Gittins bumbles along for the ride. They might be utter shit (except Gittins, who’s an indisputable local treasure), but it’s got to be worth witnessing. (BM)

EVENT: ARE YOU SITTING COMFORTABLY?The Basement Weds 15th Dec
Wandering down the Basement steps is usually an immersive experience – the glow of red lights in the winter darkness outside gives it away – so when they devise a candlelit rabbit warren with an atmosphere pitched somewhere between a 1950s tearoom and a deranged children’s party, you know you’re in for intensity. Storytelling terrors White Rabbit (last seen throwing a Summer Solstice all-nighter down there) run wild with the themes of macabre, horror and supernatural surprises. Not bad for a Wednesday. (BM)

ART: CRANE KALMAN CHRISTMAS EXHIBITIONCrane Kalman until Fri 31st Dec
Samuel Hicks has won the attention of multinational ad execs since his debut show at Crane Kalman, a series of photographs showing dust blizzards and blistering sunrises from trips through New Mexico, Texas, California and Nevada. He returns as part of a group show featuring joyously bizarre pictures of magical dogs by Tim Flach, a series of portraits of the artistic hoi polloi from the 60s and 70s by David Steen and iconic black and white portraits of Steve McQueen which were recently released by his widow. (BM)

FILM: FELA!Duke of York’s Thurs 13th Jan
Ever seen a Nigerian afrobeat musical? Us neither, but we’re hoping this will transport us mentally into sunnier climes and distract us from the weather, for a couple of hours at least. Telling the inspirational story of Fela Kuti as an artist and political activist, this film has been nominated for a raft of awards for its captivating songs, choreography and styling. Grab a coffee, snuggle down into the Duke of York’s sofas, and enjoy escapism at its finest. (JMM)

WORDS BY JAMES KENDALL, JENNIFER MARSHALL MCHATTIE, BEN MILLER