This year’s Brighton Festival is full of family friendly events to excite, inspire and engage people of all ages. Read on to see our highlights or click here to see this year’s children and family programme...
Ever wondered what life would be like as an acrobat? Award-winning Australian circus company Gravity & Other Myths give you a glimpse into what it feels like to be jumping, tumbling and falling on stage with their mesmerizing new show Out of Chaos, making its UK premiere at the Festival. Explosive acrobatics are at the centre of this celebration of physics, nature, creation and connection. Suitable for ages 5 and up.
After dancer and choreographer Aakash Odedra found school very challenging and was eventually diagnosed with dyslexia, he learned to communicate through dance. In Little Murmur, a new dance theatre show for everyone age 7+, Aakash uses dance, projections, sound, and a blizzard of paper to show the challenges of dyslexia and how he overcame the odds. There’s also a workshop inviting children to explore their own personality and find their own style of movement -no dance experience necessary!
In our Young Readers programme, former children's laureate Jacqueline Wilson will read from her latest work and share writing secrets; we celebrate 30 years of the world’s bestselling children’s history series Horrible Histories with illustrator Martin Brown; best-selling author of the Tom Gates’ books Liz Pichon and the Beetle Trilogy’s M. G. Leonard draw us into their imaginative worlds; and Thomas Taylor will introduce us to the latest installment of the Eerie-On-Sea Mysteries series, Festergrimm. Be brave with Katie and Kevin Tsang as they take us on an action-packed Journey to the Dragon Realm or have a giggle with actor and author Stephen Mangan and illustrator Anita Mangan as they introduce us to The Unlikely Rise of Harry Sponge. For younger readers, multi-award-winning authors Rachel Bright & Jim Field will host a puppet show, while bestselling illustrator Guy Parker-Rees will lead a messy arts and craft session that will let creativity run wild.
Our annual Children's Parade has been a beloved Brighton Festival tradition for over 30 years and it's back, bigger and better than ever! This year's theme is "One World, learning and growing from each other" and over 5,000 children from local schools will parade through the streets of Brighton in their self-made costumes, showcasing their creativity and talent. Same Sky, the South East's largest community arts charity, work with teachers, students, and volunteers from schools across Brighton & Hove to help create amazing sculptures, choreograph dance routines, and compose catchy parade chants, teaching kids the fun of learning by doing. The parade is perfect for families and completely free, so come along and enjoy the fun!
Click to explore this year's children and family programme and to buy tickets.