Our Sponsors' Top Picks for Brighton Festival 2018
We asked a few of our sponsors what they were most excited about for Brighton Festival 2018. Here are their top picks.
Abi Radford from Best of Brighton Holiday Lettings
How many events do you attend in Brighton Festival and how do you choose what you see?
Not as many as I would like! There is always so much choice so it is hard to pick what I want to see. I always try to choose an event that is different to anything I have ever seen before!
What are your top 3 picks of the Brighton Festival 2018 programme and why?Well, naturally I’m going to say The Arms of Sleep that Best of Brighton Holiday Lettings are supporting! But, in honesty I think this will be a lovely event and we’re so delighted how well it fits with our brand. Although this may sound cliché, I really have tried to pick 2 more – but there is just too much choice. There really is something for everyone and I honestly don’t think I could narrow it down to 3!
Why are you supporting Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival?
Everyone that works at Best of Brighton is a true Brightonian and we love to get involved in as many local events as possible. The Brighton Festival is a fantastic showcase for our city and it is something that we are very proud and excited to be a part of!
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Gary Miller from GM Building
How many events do you attend in Brighton Festival and how do you choose what you see?
This year I have booked to attend 13 events, but I expect I may well catch a few more like the Your Place event in East Brighton, which was great last year.
Are you a regular audience member at Brighton Dome year-round?
Yes I do go to events throughout the year, mostly music events, I am a big fan of the Spectrum gigs organised by Brighton Dome, where for £6.00 you get to see up to 4 up and coming local bands performing (I do also like getting my money’s worth)
What are your top 3 picks of the Brighton Festival 2018 programme and why?
Difficult question, this one as there is, as usual, quite a wide variety of events on. So I am hoping, that as yet, I don’t know what my favourite will be. I am however looking forward to the events at the Brighthelm centre (Wot no fish, Elephant and Castle, and The Humours of Brandon et al) Kneehigh’s production of Tristan & Yseult was excellent last year so I am looking forward to The Flying Lovers Of Vitebsk. The list goes on, best advice is take a chance, and even if what you see is maybe not what you expected, chances are you will remember it long after that meal out or night down the Pub.
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Victoria King from Griffith Smith LLP
How many events do you attend in Brighton Festival and how do you choose what you see?
Being a corporate sponsor means we get to attend the festival launch event. This is a great opportunity to hear from the Guest Director, learn about some of the events in the calendar and speak to others at the launch. The brochure is then read several times and key events highlighted!! As a firm we send the brochure to all staff members with a link to the website and encourage people to attend something different from the programme!
Are you a regular audience member at Brighton Dome year-round?
Brighton Festival is always the highlight of the year for me but I do regularly attend music gigs at Brighton Dome – the intimacy and range of artists is a massive positive.
What are your top 3 picks of the Brighton Festival 2018 programme and why?The children’s Parade feels like the start of Summer – a great way to kick off the festival period! It is such a popular event and brings together the whole community. The Arms of Sleep stood out when reading the programme and from the launch event – such an unusual event with a brilliant concept and definitely intriguing. The String Quartet's Guide to Sex and Anxiety is another event that stood out from the launch event – I always try to go to something that is slightly outside of my comfort zone, but the write up to this really resonated with me and I am excited to attend!
Why are you supporting Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival?
As a firm supporting such a historic and important part of the city feels right. Our history dates back to 1881 and with our recent rebrand, our strap line resonates with our partnership of Brighton Dome & Festival; Modern Practice. Traditional Values.
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Matt Briel from Lulu.com
Why are you supporting Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival?
For Lulu, being involved with the Peacock Poetry Prize, as part of the Brighton Festival, is a great opportunity to encourage a younger generation of writers. We believe there’s always a place for poetry in the broader community, outside of the tight-knit artist circles and indie bookstores. Poetry is often the first form of creative written expression for kids, offering a safe space to express their feelings. And this year’s Poetry theme of 'Hard Work' is perfect for motivating true expression in the current emotional, environmental, and political climate.
What are your top 3 picks of the Brighton Festival 2018 programme and why?
- Adopt an author
- The Journey to Publication
- Young City Reads
As a company that is passionate about story telling we believe that any event that supports sharing and promotion of written and verbal storytelling, and the encouragement of those storytellers whatever their age, is to be applauded and supported.
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CEO Ian McAulay from Southern Water
How many events do you attend in Brighton Festival and how do you choose what you see?
I attend as many as I can, I try and choose things that will broaden my perspective
Are you a regular audience member at Brighton Dome year-round?
Yes, we are fortunate to have so much cultural activity in Brighton. I really enjoy living in such a vibrant and creative city and Brighton dome is an iconic building with a rich history which is always a pleasure to visit.
What are your top 3 picks of the Brighton Festival 2018 programme and why?Southern Water is supporting A Weekend without Walls in Easthill Park and Brighton seafront this year so this event is definitely one of my top picks. We are excited to be supporting the artists who will be transforming these spaces and meeting our community and inviting them to join the conversation with us about our future plans to ensure the resilience of water and waste water services in the South East. Its going to be an event packed with captivating performers, story tellers, dance and new experiences to explore. Look forward to seeing you all there!
Why are you supporting Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival?
Brighton Festival is a moment every year when Brighton & Hove becomes a hive of art, music, culture and celebration in a way which seems to magnify the essence of the year round city. I’m delighted that Southern Water is supporting it this year and we’re proud to be part of such an amazing event.
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Tara Clifford from Travelbag
What are your top 3 picks of the Brighton Festival 2018 programme and why?We are very excited to be sponsoring Attractor, which of course has to be our first pick!
As a travel company we have always held Australia close to our hearts with our Travel Experts tailor-making holidays to Australia for over 30 years. Attractor is the UK premiere of an enthralling contemporary performance by Australian dance luminaries that is based on the cultural traditions of remote Java.
We are also looking forward to Rear View (we love the idea of a “moving adventure”) and the Arms of Sleep.
Why are you supporting Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival?
We are supporting Brighton Dome & Festival as it is an integral part of the Brighton community and culture. At Travelbag we encourage everyone to discover different cultures and embrace new perspectives - this is true of both travelling to explore a new destination and visiting cultural events such as Brighton Dome & Festival.
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Hugh Jones from University of Brighton
How many events do you attend in Brighton Festival and how do you choose what you see?
Anywhere from five to twenty depending on the programme.
Are you a regular audience member at Brighton Dome year-round?
Yes!
What are your top 3 picks of the Brighton Festival 2018 programme and why?
- Amanda Palmer – A legendary part of the global alternative cabaret scene.
- Ceyda Tanq – Fabulous home grown talent crossing the boundaries between contemporary and traditional folk dance.
- Penguins – One of the best stories in the world
Also highly recommend seeing Michael Rosen and Viv Albertine.
Why are you supporting Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival?
It is a cultural hub of the years arts activities in Brighton
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Laura McDermott from Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts, University of Sussex
How many events do you attend in Brighton Festival and how do you choose what you see?
May is a busy month! I usually see something every single day. I'm not a typical audience member, though, as seeing lots of art is part of my job. I love the energy in the city during festival time, and all the chance encounters with friends, colleagues and artists from all over the world. As soon as the festival programme launches I start planning - carrying the brochure everywhere and marking pages. Then it's a question of making a schedule - fitting it all together in space and time…
Are you a regular audience member at Brighton Dome year-round?
Yes - I am a regular audience member at Brighton Dome year-round. It been interesting seeing the concert hall being used in different ways but I'm excited for when the Corn Exchange and Studio re-open following their refurbishment.
What are your top 3 picks of the Brighton Festival 2018 programme and why?
- The Last Poets, What an incredible, rare chance to see these legendary spoken word artists - whose work (emerging from Harlem in 1968, as part of the Civil Rights Movement) laid the foundations for the emergence of hip-hop.
- Brownton Abbey (with Big Freedia)I've seen Big Freedia perform before and it was one of the best gigs of my entire life - a frenzy of dancing and twerking. Under the skilful curatorial The Marlborough and Brighton Festival, this event will bring politics to the dancefloor, in a joyful, Afro-futurist rave.
- Gob Squad - Creation (Picture for Dorian) Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts has co-commissioned this work with Brighton Festival, LIFT and international partners. Inspired by Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray it's going to involve six local performers and Gob Squad, considering ageing, beauty and what drives our desire to be looked at. Gob Squad are one of my favourite companies - they are sharp, political, playful and irreverent - don't miss this UK Premiere!
Why are you supporting Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival?
The University of Sussex has supported the arts for over 50 years. Brighton Festival is one of the biggest arts events in the national culture calendar, so sponsorship is a perfect fit.
For more information on our full programme, see our whats on page, or our page on sponsorship.