A group of children smiling and holding hands. Some adults are walking on the grass behind them. The sun is shining.

Join our Big Give, and help support arts for all

Free Events, Announcements

From 17–24 March, Brighton Festival joins Big Give’s Arts for Impact campaign, dedicated to supporting arts and culture charities across the UK. Donations made during this time period will be match-funded by Big Give, doubling the amount of money raised. The campaign supports Brighton Festival’s free-to-attend events programme, providing access to the arts for residents all across our vibrant city. This year, we are proud to offer over 25 free events, with multiple performances meaning more than 100 opportunities to access the arts for free. Here are just some of the events your generosity will help to support: 

A parade of people through the streets of Brighton. Some people are carrying a large orange papier mache octopus float
The Children's Parade in 2023. Photo by Jamie MacMillan.

Lighting up the streets

We’re celebrating the start of this year’s Festival with a bright and colourful 40th edition of the annual Children’s Parade (2 May) in partnership with arts charity Same Sky. The parade features large-scale artworks, incredible hand-made floats and dazzling costumes, painting the streets of Brighton & Hove with colour and music. Hundreds of local children will take part, bringing their creations to life with inspiration from the 2026 theme, Read All About It. 

A group of young people and children sit at a table doing arts and crafts. They are focused on their activities.
Our Place in Moulsecoomb in 2025. Photo by Chloe Hashemi.

A very special 10th edition

2026 is not only the 60th edition of Brighton Festival; it also marks the 10th edition of Our Place, a programme of free arts and performance events, developed in partnership with community steering groups. Originally conceived by former Brighton Festival Guest Director Kae Tempest in 2017, Our Place aims to make arts and performance accessible for all. To celebrate this year’s 10th edition, Brighton Dome hosts Arts & Crafts workshops and a Family Fun Day (3–4 May), featuring fun drop-in activities for all ages. Later in the Festival, land artist LEO creates sculptures that will be on show at a local community celebration (10 May). And puppeteer Darren East will lead workshops at Moulsecoomb Place, creating a live, interactive performance using giant puppets and music (16 May).

 

Discover the story of Our Place here.

An image of Hove Promenade in greyscale with some abstract charcoal sketches superimposed
Preliminary sketches for Soft Machines.

Eye-catching installations

Throughout the Festival, a range of thought-provoking and striking visual arts installations appear throughout Brighton & Hove. Along Hove Promenade, Brighton-based artists Ivan Morison and Heather Peak present Soft Machines from 2–24 May. The large-scale sculptures will be made from natural materials, commenting on the porous boundaries between land and humans, gaze and desire, and the private and the public. Soft Machines will be built in collaboration with Millimetre and Making It Out, a Brighton-based charity working with people after prison to build skills and stable futures through creative design.  

At Phoenix Art Space, artist duo Antonio Jose Guzman and Iva Jankovic present A Timeline of Infinite Skies (2 May–28 June). This immersive installation and soundscape highlights Brighton & Hove’s largely hidden or forgotten legacies resulting from the forced migration of enslaved people. Using their signature textiles, Guzman and Jankovic explore the tension between profit, protest and cultural memory. Over in Newhaven, BN9 Studio hosts Shhh… (2–31 May), an exhibition investigating silence as a charged force, and how dialogue emerges across different disciplines, by artists Isobel Smith and Abigail Norris.

A group of dancers twirling in brightly coloured costumes
Garbh, performing at Without Walls this year at Brighton Festival. Photo by Anne Tetzlaff.

Performance throughout the city

Outdoor arts experts Without Walls are showcasing an exciting range of free performances across two weekends this Festival (17–18 May and 23–24 May), specially curated to celebrate the unique essence of Brighton. Taking place in locations across the city, expect world-class dance, daring high-wire circus and laugh-out-loud physical comedy. Featured artists include Talawa Theatre Company, Daughters of the Wire, and Radical Ritual.

A group of children playing table tennis. One child gasps with joy as they try to hit the ball.
Record-Breaking Table Tennis in 2025. Photo by Chloe Hashemi.

Fun for all the family

Record-Breaking Table Tennis closes out the Festival on 25 May. Hosted by Brighton Table Tennis Club at Brighton Dome Corn Exchange, this whole-day event warmly welcomes families and children to come together for an afternoon of table tennis fun. With lively music and refreshments, everyone is encouraged to join in and give table tennis a go. All ages and abilities are welcome (and there might even be a chance to break a Guinness World Record!)

Find out more about Big Give and how you can make a difference here. 

The Children’s Parade is supported by Brighton Girls and Jumpin Fun. Soft Machines is supported by the Henry Moore Foundation. Our Place is supported by Pembroke.