Brighton: Mod Rally continues in style with scooters on seafront

Hundreds of mods are celebrating the second day of the August bank holiday event in Madeira Drive, Brighton. 

Crowds of tourists and locals stopped to admire the polished mirrors, headlamps and paintwork of the scooters lined up on the promenade. 

Rob and Deb Platts are at the rally for a third time this year. 

Rob and Deb Platts came down from Sheffield for the celebrations (Image: The Argus)

Deb told The Argus: "We just love the atmosphere here. 

"It's lovely."

The couple, from Sheffield, hire a van to bring their scooter most of the way down to Brighton. 

Amanda Williams on her scooter in Madeira Drive (Image: Simon Dack)

Amanda Williams first came to the mod rally in her car in 2018 but had a scooter when she was 18 in 1982. 

The 57-year-old said: "I love coming down to Brighton. It's a lovely little holiday. 

"Everyone is so friendly and you don't even need to go anywhere to have a great time. You can sit on your scooter and people just start chatting to you."

• PICTURES: Mods descend on Brighton for annual rally

The prison officer worked overtime in Covid years when the rally was cancelled to save up for her black and pink scooter. 

Now she has a licence, she is able to drive down to Brighton from Hertfordshire for the celebrations. 

Dennis Cronian has been a mod for 60 years (Image: The Argus)

Dennis Cronian was a mod in the 1960s and comes to the city every year for the rally. 

"I come down here for the nostalgia. It is an amazing weekend," he told The Argus.

The Yorkshireman features in classic mod pictures when he first rode a scooter at 14 years old. 

"My daughter saw me on the local TV news when the photographer was trying to find all the subjects of his mod pictures," the 73-year-old said. 

"She said 'Dad, you're on the telly.' It has snowballed from there and now the picture has been all over."

In the 1960s, mods and rockers descended on Brighton with the ensuing riots immortalised in the film Quadrophenia.

Scooter riders have come to the city ever since to celebrate the culture, many of them including a visit to Quadrophenia Alley off East Street, which famously features in the film.

Brighton’s Mod Weekender takes place from Friday, August 24 until Monday, August 28. Events are being held in The Volks club in Madeira Drive as well as Komedia in Gardner Street.