A large house and gardens with some stalls set up in front. In the foreground is a placard advertising Our Place
Our Place in Moulsecoomb in 2025. Photo by Chloe Hashemi.

10 years of Our Place

Free Events, Outdoor, Family

This May marks the 10th edition of Our Place: a celebration of creativity, working in partnership with community steering groups to select, programme and produce art projects, performances and events, taking place for free in their neighbourhoods. 

A group of people watching an outdoor performance on a stage. The actors are dressed as chefs and the show is taking place in a kitchen.
The Rascally Diner at Our Place in 2019. Photo by Jamie MacMillan.

Originally conceived by former Brighton Festival Guest Director Kae Tempest in 2017, Our Place works with residents in Hangleton, Moulsecoomb and Bevendean and Whitehawk, with the aim of making arts and performance accessible for all. Discover the story of Our Place below and don’t miss our 10th edition celebrations throughout the Festival this May!   

A group of young people playing rock music on a stage at Hangleton Community Centre
Your Place in Hangleton in 2017. Photo by Victor Frankowski.

2017: Our beginnings

Our Place was first launched as Your Place in 2017 by poet, rapper and performer Kae Tempest. Hosted in local community centres, the events featured performances by local poets, bands, dance groups and Kae himself.

Tim Crouch stands facing the camera, holding a white flag in front of himself
Actor and writer Tim Crouch at the first ever Our Place in 2017. Photo by Caitlin Mogridge.

“We thought it was important that [Our Place] represented the wider population of Brighton.” — Kae Tempest, 2017

One performer stands on another's shoulders. Children and families watch them through gaps in the scenery
Our Place in Hangleton in 2019. Photo by Summer Dean.

2019: Your Place becomes Our Place

In 2019, Your Place was relaunched as Our Place. Collaborating with Brighton People’s Theatre and volunteer-run steering groups across Hangleton and East Brighton, Our Place brought a range of events to the communities, including outdoor theatre, circus and dance and the chance to appear in one performance themselves. 

Ida Barr stands with a group of middle-aged people. They are all smiling.
Drag artist and singer Ida Barr with Moulsecoomb residents at Our Place in 2021. Photo by Jen O'Brien.

2021: Expanding throughout our city

In 2021, Moulsecoomb and Bevendean joined Our Place. During ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, the Our Place programme brought performance to residents who otherwise may not have been able to access Festival events. 

Boudicca Collins stands in front of a colourful mural. She is looking at the camera and smiling.
Boudicca Collins with the Hangleton Community Centre mural in 2023. Photo by Andrew Hasson.

2023: Art all around us

In 2023, London-based artist Boudicca Collins collaborated with local Hangleton & Knoll residents, Hangleton Community Centre and the Hangleton & Knoll Project to create a mural for their community.  This colourful and uplifting artwork still appears on the front wall of the Community Centre, welcoming all who visit.

Victoria Melody dressed in Elizabethan costume. She is speaking into a microphone.
Victoria Melody in Re-enactment at Our Place in 2024. Photo by Claire Leach.

2024: From strength to strength

Over the years, Our Place has continued to grow and expand. The project has featured a fascinating and diverse range of artists, from circus performers to drag artists and beyond. At Our Place in 2024, Whitehawk artist-in-residence Victoria Melody created Re-enactment in partnership with the local community. The show was the basis for a stage show Trouble, Struggle, Bubble & Squeak, a light-hearted look at one woman’s quest for happiness by joining a historical re-enactment society, which was revived to a sell-out crowd in the Corn Exchange, was selected for Brits off Broadway festival in New York, and returns to Brighton Festival this year as part of our caravan showcase. 

Lemn Sissay sits on a bench on a grassy lawn alongside a Brighton Festival volunteer. Lemn looks at the volunteer, who is looking at the camera. They are both smiling.
2021 Festival Guest Director Lemn Sissay with a Brighton Festival volunteer at Our Place in 2021. Photo by Jamie MacMillan.

2026 and beyond

This year’s Our Place events take place across our incredible city. To celebrate ten years of Our Place, we’re holding a FREE Family Fun Day at Brighton Dome (4 May), alongside a day of Arts & Crafts workshops (3 May). Expect fun drop-in activities for all ages and a taste of Our Place’s heartwarming community spirit. 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 leads workshops at Moulsecoomb Place, creating a live, interactive performance using giant puppets and music (16 May). 

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

“Our Place is THE talked about event within the whole of the Hangleton and Knoll Community. The benefit to our area that Brighton Festival provides is priceless.” — Gemma Powell, Manager, Hangleton Community Centre

“It’s been a pleasure to support the Our Place Steering Committees in realising their creative visions. With careful thought and consideration, they work with a range of community groups and fill their neighbourhoods with creativity.  We have also worked together on Audience Club, which provides free travel and theatre tickets for Our Place residents to see shows at Brighton Dome and in the Festival.  In 2017 Kae Tempest said ‘I hope it’s the beginning of a much bigger legacy’.  I think you’ll all agree that it is.” — Slavka Jovanovic, Brighton Festival Our Place Producer

Black text on a white background spelling

Our Place is supported by Pembroke.