Our 60th edition: Brighton Festival 2026 is here!

Tue 17th Feb 2026

Brighton Festival 2026, Dance, Visual arts, Theatre, Outdoor, Music, Family, Circus

We’re thrilled to share the programme for the 60th edition of Brighton Festival. This May marks a momentous milestone: not only are we celebrating six decades of world-class performance here in Brighton, but it is also the 40th edition of the Children’s Parade and the 10th edition of Our Place. From 1–25 May, we’re welcoming over 100 events from artists around the globe. Dance, theatre, circus, music, comedy, visual art — it’s all here, and you’re invited to be a part of it.

For the first time

We’re launching Brighton Festival 2026 in style with the very first piece of original work we have produced ourselves: the world premiere of Kohlhaas (1–5 May). An atmospheric, brooding thriller, Kohlhaas asks: what happens when justice fails, and one man refuses to let it go? Directed by Omar Elerian and starring Arinzé Kene (reunited for their first one man show since the Olivier Award-nominated Misty), Kohlhaas is a bold and atmospheric adaptation of Heinrich von Kleist’s 1810 novella Michael Kohlhaas, interrogating what justice looks like when systems are broken.

Performances not to be missed

Don’t miss the world premiere of NoFit State’s carnation: the revolution is coming and i have nothing to wear (2–25 May). Created and directed by Firenza Guidi (Sabotage), carnation combines world-class circus, live music and bold cinematic imagery to explore rebellion, resistance and hope.

Fresh from five-star runs in Edinburgh, New York and Sydney, fix+foxy present Dark Noon (21–24 May). In this absurdist, satirical take on the US frontier era, a pioneer town springs up in real time, pulling audiences into a raw, immersive ride through history that confronts power, race and displacement. From 8–10 May, discover a world without clocks in Fevered Sleep’s Time Keeps the Drummer. Performed by twelve children from Brighton and one adult percussionist, this five-hour durational performance explores time from a child’s perspective. Partially improvised, each show unfolds as a unique, unrepeatable experience, shifting between theatre and live gallery installation.

In Anita’s Room at Brighton Dome, performance artists Klanghaus bring two site-responsive productions specially updated for Brighton Festival (2–23 May). Last Haus on Earthdismantles the barriers between performers and audiences, reimagining live music as a multi-sensory experience, while Darkroom plungesaudiences of six into complete darkness in a powerful and affecting response to climate change. And the world-renowned Akram Khan Company bring their final touring production, Thikra: Night of Remembering. Past and present converge in this seminal journey on tradition, ancestry and the power of rituals, running from 23–24 May.

For the ears

There is an exciting and vibrant programme of music this Festival, with multiple award-winning artists from around the world. The legendary Patti Smith joins us for two unmissable nights, fronting the Patti Smith Quartet for an electrifying concert on 12 May, and an exclusive, intimate Evening of Words and Musicon 13 May.

On 9 May, groundbreaking artist Sampa the Great and Zamrock pioneers W.I.T.C.H. join forces for an exclusive one-off collaboration. Psychedelic rock meets hip-hop and soul in a celebration of music born from independence, resilience and creative freedom.

Former Brighton Festival Guest Director and world-renowned musician Laurie Anderson presents The Republic of Love at the Brighton Dome Concert Hall on 6 May. This immersive, multi-sensory experience weaves together music, language and visual art, featuring hits including ‘Big Science’ and ‘Language Is A Virus’.

For the eyes

Rising between the land and the sea, Brighton-based artist Ivan Morison and Heather Peak present Soft Machines on Hove Promenade (2–24 May). A set of giant sculptures made from natural materials, Soft Machines comments on the porous boundaries between land and humans, gaze and desire, and the private and the public. Built in collaboration with Millimetre and Making It Out, a Brighton-based charity working with people after prison to build skills through creative design and manufacture, Morison and Peak present public art with real social impact.

The visual art line-up also includes the world premiere of Shhh…a sculptural dialogue between Abigail Norris and Isobel Smith (2–31 May). Having met weekly over two years, Norris and Smith observed their work beginning to speak in conversation. This exhibition presents the fruits of these interactions, exploring the tension and dynamism between their two individual practices. What can we see when artists truly listen to each other’s work?

At Phoenix Art Space, artist duo Antonio Jose Guzman and Iva Jankovic present their immersive installation and soundscape A Timeline of Infinite Skies (2 May–28 Jun).Created exclusively for Brighton Festival, their work reflects on Brighton and Hove’s largely hidden or forgotten legacies resulting from the forced migration of enslaved people. Featuring the artists’ trademark indigo-dyed patterned textiles, the work explores the tension between profit, protest and cultural memory. This powerful and moving piece will change the way you look at the city.

Raps, rhymes and world-class writers

This year’s Literature & Words lineup includes a host of eminent writers and spoken word performers. On 8 and 9 May, bold and uncompromising poet Joelle Taylor performs from her new collection Maryville, the highly anticipated follow up to her T. S. Eliot Prize-winning C+nto & Othered Poems. Later in May, catch Joelle again at STATUS FLO, Brighton’s iconic spoken word event series, hosted by Brighton-based sensation AFLO. the poet (18 May). Joelle will be joined by award-winning writer Yomi Ṣode alongside exciting local talent for an unmissable night of inspiring performances.

No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author and TV presenter Philippa Perry (The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read) presents her brand-new crime novel, Shrink Solves Murder on 7 May. Come to hear insights, humour and wisdom from her foray into the world of crime writing — and find out why a psychotherapist makes the best detective! On 21 May, join acclaimed writers Natasha Walter (Living Dolls: The Return of Sexism), Shahed Ezaydi (The Othered Woman: How White Feminism Harms Muslim Women) and N.S. Nuseibeh (Namesake) for a thought-provoking discussion of the future of feminism.

We’ve also got a brilliant range of talks and workshops for younger readers,featuring much-loved authors such as Katie Kirby (Lottie Brooks’ Diary); Rashmi Sirdeshpande (This is Who I Am) and Kate Pankhurst (Fantastically Great Women). Don’t miss Ridiculous Raps and Rhymes (3 May).Former Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen teams up with award-winning rapping teacher and World Book Day ambassador MC Grammar for an action-packed, laugh-filled musical showdown. Pitting poetry against rap in a light-hearted battle of words, this playful and interactive performance invites young audiences to explore the rhythm and joy of language (suitable for ages 7+).

400 years of musical excellence

Our classical programme opens with a bold new staging of Bach’s St John Passion (4 May), performed by the outstanding Britten Sinfonia, young soloists from Les Arts Florissants and the magnificent Brighton Festival Chorus and Youth Choir. On 10 May, Dame Harriet Walter reads from her new book She Speaks!, in which she gives voice to some of Shakespeare’s most intriguing female characters, accompanied by moving performances from soprano Sophie Bevan and pianist Christopher Glynn.

At the Brighton Dome Concert Hall, international star pianist Denis Kozhukhin performs Beethoven’s mesmerising Piano Concerto No. 3 with the London Symphony Orchestra under Chief Conductor Sir Antonio Pappano (8 May). And on 17 May, the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra performs Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10, set to William Kentridge’s animated film Oh To Believe in Another World,a dream-like “Soviet museum” created using collage, puppets and masked actors.

Family fun — from the stage to the streets

On 2 May, the 40th edition of the Children’s Parade marks the start of Brighton Festival with a bang. Thousands of children will light up the streets in a whirlwind of colour, presenting their joyful handmade artworks and costumes. Inspired by 2026 as the National Year of Reading, this year’s parade promises to be spectacular.

To mark the 10th edition of Our Place, Brighton Festival’s partnership with community steering groups to programme free arts workshops, performances and events to in their local areas, celebrations include arts and crafts workshops (3 May) and a free Family Fun Day (4 May) at Brighton Dome. Artist LEO will work with Whitehawk residents on a temporary art trail around the area; and puppeteer Darren East leads community workshops in Moulsecoomb to create a live and interactive performance using giant puppetry, masks and music (16 May).

And we’re presenting two Weekends Without Walls:free outdoor performances celebrating the unique essence of Brighton (16–17 May, 23–24 May).Taking place in locations across the city, the programme includes dance, hip hop, high-wire circus and physical comedy.

Rounding off the Festival on 25 May, Brighton Table Tennis Club are back with Record-Breaking Table Tennis, an afternoon of table tennis fun for all ages and abilities. Join us for a free celebration of sport, community and fun — and maybe even make Guinness World Record history!

We’re proud to present 25 free events across the Festival, with tickets for a further 60 performances priced at £15 or less.

Discover the Full Programme

Brighton Festival 2026 is indebted to the steadfast support of funders Brighton & Hove City Council and Arts Council England; Principal Supporter The Pebble Trust; Major Sponsor Mayo Wynne Baxter; Higher Education Partner University of Sussex; and all sponsors, patrons, members and supporters.

Kohlhaas is supported by Louise and Jamie Arnell. The Children’s Parade is supported by Brighton Girls and Jumpin’ Fun. Soft Machines is supported by the Henry Moore Foundation. Chiaroscuro and Consone Quartets are supported by Margaret Polmear. Comedy and Create Music events and the Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival membership scheme are supported by Mayo Wynne Baxter. Our Place is supported by Pembroke. Ridiculous Raps & Rhymes with Michael Rosen & MC Grammar is supported by Brighton College Prep School. London Symphony Orchestra is supported by Professor David Gann CBE FREng. Festival of Ideas is in collaboration with University of Sussex. Thikra: A Night of Remembering is supported by Dishoom Permit Room.