A fiesta of colour, costume and live music

Opening Brighton Festival, the annual Children's Parade has been delivered in partnership with Same Sky, and enjoyed by participants and spectators since launching in 1985.

Working with parents, teachers and 5000 young people from across Brighton along with artists, musicians and choreographers, the annual event is always a whirlwind of colour, music, dance and fun!

With a different theme each year, children from over 60 schools and community organisations (as well as teachers and parents), create costumes and props in the lead up to the parade. Often an event itself, schools offer master-classes in the art of papier-mâché, gluing, painting and using cardboard and split cane to create the magnificent props, to be paraded through the streets of Brighton alongside live music, dance and a lively atmosphere no matter what the weather.

Previous themes:

1996 - Celebrating 100 years of film

1999 – Tunes and Tales

2000 – Masquerade

2001 – Around the World in 80 Minutes

2002 – Paradise Gardens

2003 – City Streets of Brighton

2004 – Children’s Classics

2005 – All the World’s a Stage

2006 – World Cuisine

2007 – Inventors and Inventions

2008 – Children’s Games

2009 – The Elements – Earth, Air, Fire and Water

2010 – The Planet

2011 – The Rights of a Child: The Right to a Future, to Play, to Nurture and to an Education

2012 – A Story of Stories

2013 – The Alphabet

2014 – The Arts (Dance, Theatre, Song and Painting)

2015 – Taking Flight

2016 – Brighton Celebrates

2017 – Poetry in Motion

2018 - Paintings

2019 - Folk Tales from around the world

2020 - Children's Parade at Home.