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If you are looking for specific events please use the event search

Showing 250 results of 681 found for Festival of ideas
The sun glints through a gap in the trees sending a starburst of light across the trees and lush green vegetation
Past event 2026
event

The Lost Woods

The Lost Woods of the Low Weald and Downs

Laurie Anderson- a 78 year old woman with short grey hair is wearing a teal knitted jumper and blue trousers. She's sat in an armchair with her head in her hand and staring towards the ceiling
Past event 2026
event

Laurie Anderson: The Republic of Love

Pioneering artist Laurie Anderson returns to Brighton Festival with a solo version of The Republic of Love; a project about the relationship between government and love.

A group of young people sit around a craft table. They are busy making things and are surrounded by craft materials. One of them wears a paper crown that they have made
Past event 2026
event

Our Place Family Fun Day

Celebrating 10 Years of Our Place

Black and white picture of Joelle Taylor standing in betwwen restroom doors which say 'Gents' and 'Ladies. Joelle is wearing a suit and has her arms crossed.
Past event 2026
event

Joelle Taylor: Queer Narratives Writing Workshop

A workshop focused on exploring queer narratives - based around the processes and ideas behind Joelle Taylor’s new poetry collection, Maryville.

Portraits of Caroline Lucas and Nick Lowles stand against a purple background with a quotation mark in the right corner
Past event 2026
event

How to Defeat the Far Right

Nick Lowles and Caroline Lucas

Kingfishr sitting on a wooden trailer in a field at dusk
Past event 2026
event

Kingfishr

Presented by The Great Escape Festival

A group of primary school children are parading through the streets of Brighton. They are banging drums and a giant phoenix sculpture flys above them
Past event 2026
event

Children's Parade

Same Sky & Brighton Festival

A horse in the shadows, lit in green
Past event 2026
event

Kohlhaas

What happens when justice fails, and one man refuses to let it go?

Six people in burgundy school uniforms on stage. Some are standing on chairs. One is holding a guitar and they all look like they're sining.
Past event 2026
event

Malory Towers

Emma Rice returns to Brighton Festival following the huge successes of Wise Children's North By Northwest (2025)

Two children dressed as ghosts in a cloud of smoke in front of a white wall covered with sheets of paper with handwritten letters
Past event 2026
event

Time Keeps The Drummer

Fevered Sleep

Two people in costumes with painted faces stand indoors; one wears a white tulle skirt with a cream jacket, hat, and holds two American flags, while the other wears a shirt, suspenders and hat.
Past event 2026
event

Dark Noon

A mind-blowing theatrical experience – a brutal reimagining of the history of America

A lady in her 70s with long wavy grey hair wearing a black blazer sings into a microphone with both hands held up in front of her
Past event 2026
event

Patti Smith: An Evening of Words and Music

In an exclusive event for Brighton Festival, Patti Smith presents An Evening of Words and Music

Two circles with the one on the left containing a woman and on the right a group of 5 men. Each circle is bordered by a coloured zig zag ring
Past event 2026
event

Zamrock Allstars: Sampa The Great x W.I.T.C.H.

Zamrock pioneers W.I.T.C.H share the stage with groundbreaking artist Sampa The Great in an exclusive collaboration for Brighton Festival.

Black and white photo of Aldous Harding, a young white woman with long hair that's messily tied up in a half up half down. She's wearing a black long sleeved top and looking at the ground pensively
Past event 2026
event

Aldous Harding

+ Vera Ellen | In partnership with FORM

Ivo Neame, a white man with a buzz cut wearing a black shirt with white dogs on it, sits and plays the piano. An image effect has created a blurred mirror image to the right of the photo
Past event 2026
event

Jazz Connections: Ivo Neame Trio

Multi-award winning pianist Ivo Neame teams up with long-time collaborators Tom Farmer (bass) and James Maddren (drums)

From left to right a black lady with long braided her wearing white and black patterned shorts and shirt holds a microphone, a white man wearing jeans and a jacket sings into a mic in the centre, and a black lady with a dark afro wearing a patterned dress plays bass at the end. They're stood on stage performing to an audience
Past event 2026
event

One World Orchestra

Eighteen global musicians from sixteen countries come together with one bold musical vision for a special opening night party

Beverly Glenn Copeland, a Black transgender man with short curly gray hair stands sideways on looking to the ceiling in front of a blue black drop
Past event 2026
event

Beverly Glenn-Copeland

With F*Choir

A lady in a red dress dances fiercely, looking to the side with both her arms raised in the air
Past event 2026
event

Thikra: Night of Remembering

Akram Khan Company, Akram Khan & Manal Aldowayan

Black and white photo of the Patti Smith Quartet. Left to right there's a short bald man wearing baggy trousers and a long shirt, an older man with grey hair wearing a shirt and jeans, an older lady with long curly grey hair wearing patterened trousers and a black blazer, and a tall younger man with a beard wearing a baseball cap, shirt and casual trousers
Past event 2026
event

Patti Smith Quartet

Patti Smith and her band of long-time collaborators return to the Brighton Dome Concert Hall stage

A black and white photo of a black man wearing a t shirt and a white man wearing a leather jacket standing in front of two bathroom sinks and looking at themselves in the mirror
Past event 2026
event

Asian Dub Foundation: La Haine - Live

Extra 10pm Performance Added Due to High Demand

West African born Angélique Kidjo is visible from the shoulders up. She's wearing a red head scarf, gold multi-hoop necklace, gold hoop earrings and a green silk jacket. She's in front of a red and orange gradient backdrop
Past event 2026
event

Angélique Kidjo

+ Saidi Kanda

A man sitting cross legged on a stage playing the sitar
Past event 2026
event

Mehfils: A Studio Theatre Takeover: Shift Octatonic

The Mehfil Space & zerOclassikal

Man sits cross legged looking to the side and playing the tabla
Past event 2026
event

Mehfils: A Studio Theatre Takeover: Shift Marwa Time

The Mehfil Space & zerOclassikal

Four men sit cross-legged on the floor surrounded by pianos of various sizes. They're looking up towards the camera
Past event 2026
event

KNEEBODY

+ New Generation Jazz Futures

The left side of the image show two people in shirt and ties holding giant speakers in front of their faces. The right of the image shows a man with curly hair and glasses playing a synth keyboard
Past event 2026
event

AK/DK & Danalogue (Live AV)

AK/DK and Danalogue come together to share the stage for a night dedicated to building mind-melting sonic worlds through the most imaginative and authentic use of synths, beats and full-on live performances.

Three men sat on a sofa next to a saxophone. The man in the middle is smiling, on his right is an older man in a lively patterned suit, looking less happy. To the left is a younger man, wearing a cap and pointing forwards.
Past event 2026
event

The Torch

Nigel ‘Kobby’ Taylor

A green arrow against an orange background
Past event 2026
event

Celebrating Humanity, Hopefully

Presented by Lighthouse’s Future Creative Leaders Part of the Youth Curated Weekend

On stage picture of two performers, one is lying on the ground in the foreground and the other is bending down to look at him in the background.
Past event 2026
event

TONIGHT

Bert & Nasi

Two girls creating a magazine with felt tip pens and pictures
Past event 2026
event

Make Mini Zines

Little Green Pig & Young Writers Collective

Impressionist image of a person with their arms spread wide with a gold glowing light behind them
Past event 2026
event

St John Passion

Bach

A picture of a completely blacked out house in the middle of the ocean
Past event 2026
event

KlangHaus: Darkroom

KlangHaus

A picture of Tink & Abra Flaherty hugging on stage
Past event 2026
event

Gen X Gen Z

Tink Flaherty & Abra Flaherty

Picture of three performers dancing on stage at Tomorrowisnowtodayisyesterday
Past event 2026
event

Tomorrowisnowtodayisyesterday

Sung Im Her

Poster for Second Trimester, showing Krishna Ishta and his mother, Geetha Shanka
Past event 2026
event

Second Trimester

Krishna Istha & Geetha Shankar, directed by Milli Bhatia

A picture of three performers on stage wearing helmets and holding hands as they brace for impact while the audience throws cans at them
Past event 2026
event

Philosophy of the World

In Bed With My Brother

Two performers stand dancing in the middle of a dimly lit stage
Past event 2026
event

OUT

Ray Young

Victoria Melody stands with two cut-outs of historical figures raised about her head
Past event 2026
event

Trouble, Struggle, Bubble & Squeak

Victoria Melody

Two adults and a child sit around a table as they make their own radio, a banner in the background reads Rebel Resistors Radio Club
Past event 2026
event

Rebel Resistors Radio Club

Action Hero

In a striking cobalt blue sea, two whales swim around each other
Past event 2026
event

Of Land, Sea & Sky: Sounds of the Ocean

Embodied Sounds

Peaches holding her hands to her hand and wearing pink blush, eyeshadow and lipstick. She has bright blue eyebrows and is covering in a clear slippery liquid
Past event 2026
event

Peaches

+ BIMINI

Cut outs of the four speakers for the Exploring Sankofa event against a red background
Past event 2026
event

Go Back and Get It: Exploring Sankofa

Presented by Lighthouse’s Future Creative Leaders Part of the Youth Curated Weekend

The 3 female dancers in Femme Fatale in a triangle formation, wearing formal trousers and a shirt without the sleeves
Past event 2026
event

Breakin' Convention

Femme Fatale, ILL-Abilities, Ivan Michael Blackstock's TRAPLORD

Balck and white portrait of Jordan Stephens against a yellow background
Past event 2026
event

@ Your Service

Presented by Lighthouse’s Future Creative Leaders Part of the Youth Curated Weekend

Novo Quartet on stage in front of an organ. They all have their bows in the air.
Past event 2026
event

NOVO Quartet

Kaya Kato Møller violinNikolai Vasili Nedergaard violinDaniel Śledziński violaSigne Ebstrup Bitsch cello Caroline Shaw Entr’acteBeethoven String Quartet Op.131   Four “best friends” who met at music college in Copenhagen, the Novo Quartet have gone on to…

Minerva Baroque standing in front of a blue wall smiling
Past event 2026
event

Minerva Baroque

Danni O’Neill sopranoMay Robertson violinIain Hall celloCallum Anderson harpsichord This programme includes music from Handel, Corelli, Purcell & more (full programme below) With the united aim of exploring London’s musical heritage through the lens of Handel’s…

Collection of headshots, featuring three men and two woman
Past event 2026
event

Jerwood Glyndebourne Young Singers with Pianist Matthew Fletcher

Seohyun Go sopranoAngelina Dorlin Barlow mezzoOliver Williams baritoneHector Bloggs baritoneLiam Forrest tenorMatthew Fletcher piano The annual visit by Glyndebourne’s Jerwood Young Artists is always a highlight of our Lunchtime series – a wonderful opportunity for…

Sir Antonio Pappano and Denis Kozhukhin in pink
Past event 2026
event

London Symphony Orchestra

Sir Antonio Pappano conductorDenis Kozhukhin pianoLondon Symphony Orchestra Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 Op. 37Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 Op. 74 Pathétique In his Third Piano Concerto, by turns tempestuous, tuneful and tender, Beethoven typically transformed…

Picture of a silhouette against a cityscape
Past event 2026
event

KlangHaus: Last Haus on Earth

KlangHaus

Ivan, an artist in a blue jacket, stands on Hove Promenade looking up at his Soft Machines, monumental forms made of a hay-like substance
Past event 2026
event

Soft Machines

Ivan Morison

Four musicians holding violins standing in a field with purple flowers.
Past event 2026
event

Chiaroscuro Quartet and Consone Quartet

Chiaroscuro Quartet Alina Ibragimova and Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux violin Emilie Hörnlund violaClaire Thirion celloConsone QuartetAgata Daraškaitė and Hatty Haynes* violinElitsa Bogdanova violaGeorge Ross cello*Hatty Haynes is kindly replacing Magdalena Loth-Hill…

Curtis Phill Hsu wearing a black button shirt and glasses, he is smiling at the camera standing in front of a wooden door
Past event 2026
event

Brighton and East Sussex Youth Orchestra

Peter Davison conductorCurtis Phill Hsu piano (Winner of Hastings International Piano Competition 2024) Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op 18Ethel Smyth The Wreckers OvertureLeFanu Airs and FanfaresSaint-Saëns Danse Macabre Aged 19, US-born Curtis…

Two men pose against a dark background with a large golden harp between them; one man in black sits with his arms resting on his knees, while the other, wearing glasses and a light shirt, stands beside the harp holding it.
Past event 2026
event

Iestyn Davies & Oliver Wass

Iestyn Davies countertenorOliver Wass harp This programme includes Purcell, Debussy, Handel, Schubert and much more (full programme below) In the dazzling Regency splendour of the Music Room at Brighton’s Royal Pavilion, two internationally acclaimed and award-winning…

Inside a cafe, a man wearing a black sequin jacket holds a book called 'Inner Secrets of Card Magic' while stirring a coffee cup
Past event 2026
event

What We Talk About When We Talk About Magic

Unfortunately, due to unforseen circumstances, this event has been cancelled.

A young boy stands at a table tennis table holding a table tennis bat. He is wearing a white t-shirt and is smiling and enjoying himself. In the background are lots of people of all ages playing table tennis
Past event 2026
event

Record Breaking Table Tennis

Brighton Table Tennis Club

Two young children sit at tabled crafting. They are deep in concentration and surrounded by craft materials
Past event 2026
event

Our Place | Arts & Crafts Workshops

Celebrating 10 Years of Our Place

A singular person in a bright orange coat walks through a barren arctic landscape. They are leaving footprints in the snow and there are mountains in background
Past event 2026
event

Of Land, Sea & Sky: TAKKUUK

EarthSonic

Changing Currents is dressed all in black against a plain white background. He looks directly into the camera
Past event 2026
event

Changing Currents - Of Land, Sea and Sky Launch Party

Changing Currents

Black & white portrait of Joelle Taylor next to the cover for Maryville
Past event 2026
event

Joelle Taylor: Maryville

Joelle Taylor brings a staged reading of her new poetry collection to Brighton Festival; a searing, poetic excavation of 50 years of lesbian counterculture.

Cutouts of the STATUS FLO line-up against a purple background
Past event 2026
event

STATUS FLO

AFLO. the poet, Joelle Taylor & Yomi Ṣode

Collage of three portraits of Rebecca Perry, Manish Chauhan & Jon Doyle nest to the covers of all three of their books
Past event 2026
event

New Writers: Rebecca Perry, Manish Chauhan & Jon Doyle

Find out what it’s like to put your first novel into the world. Discover three debut novelists at Brighton Festival as they present their new books with readings and discussion.

A collage of different colours and texture
Past event 2026
event

Create your Dream City: Mixed Media Collage Workshop

Presented by Lighthouse’s Future Creative Leaders Part of the Youth Curated Weekend

Astatine Trio standing in blue dresses at dusk.
Past event 2026
event

Astatine Trio

Maja Horvat violinRiya Hamie celloBerniya Hamie piano Haydn Piano Trio No.44 in E Major Hob XV:28  Hosokawa Trio  Mendelssohn Trio No.1 in D minor   One third Slovenian, two thirds Brightonian and three thirds BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists,…

Sherri Lun wearing a purple top smiling and staring to the left
Past event 2026
event

Sherri Lun

Solo piano

Mithras Trio standing in front of a white wall with black diamond outlines. One member of the trio is holding a violin, and another holding a cello and another with his hands in his pocket. They are all wearing grey suits and blue ties
Past event 2026
event

Mithras Trio

Ionel Manciu violinLeo Popplewell celloDominic Degavino piano Shostakovich Piano Trio No.1 in C minor, Op.8Joy Lisney Petrichor (2022)Schubert Piano Trio No.1 in B-flat Major, D.898 Praised by The Arts Desk for their “intensity and expressive range”, the prize-winning…

Rafael Kyrychenko wearing a navy blue suit leading on a piano. He is staring at the camera and sitting in front of a dark blue background
Past event 2026
event

Rafael Kyrychenko

Solo piano

Delphine Trio in a bright room with a grand piano. Someone is sitting on the piano stall and two musicians are standing either side, with on holding a cello and another holding a clarinet
Past event 2026
event

Delphine Trio

Kenny Keppel* clarinetJobine Siekman celloRoelof Temmingh piano Beethoven Trio in B-flat Major, Op.11Pépin Snow, Moon & FlowersFrühling Trio in A minor, Op.40 With artists from around the world the Delphine Trio won the Chamber Music Prize at the 2025 Royal…

A group of people are dancing with their arms in the air
Past event 2026
event

The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady

Clod Ensemble and Nu Civilisation Orchestra

Portraits of three performers displayed side by side in circular frames, set against a blue background with illustrated characters and floral details
Past event 2026
event

Shakespeare's Sisters

Golden Globe Winner Miranda Richardson, soprano Sophie Bevan & Grammy Winner Christopher Glynn

A performance shot from Mr. Blackpool. Four performers are in various seated and standing positions centre stage, with confetti and extravagant outfits.
Past event 2026
event

Mr Blackpool

Harry Clayton-Wright

Philippa Perry stands smiling with her arms crossed next to the book cover for Shrink Solves Murder
Past event 2026
event

Philippa Perry: Shrink Solves Murder

Hear from the No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read, Philippa Perry as she delves into the world of crime.

Liz Aggiss creaps sideways gripping a small door in the woods, wearing a pink/nude and black dress, black heels, a blond horned wig with intense black eyeshadow and lipstick
Past event 2026
event

Crone Alone

Liz Aggiss

Past event 2026
event

Betwixt

Three Score Dance Company

Bird's eye view of a table with a teapot, a cup of tea, a notebook and a pen
Past event 2026
event

Café Conversation

Zoë Svendsen

Portrait of Gemma Seltzer
Past event 2026
event

Write & Shine: Shorelines

Gemma Seltzer

Portraits of Andi Osho & Dorothy Koomson both looking in the camera and smiling nest to the covers for both of their books
Past event 2026
event

Andi Osho & Dorothy Koomson: At All Costs

Hosted by Fee Mak

A picture of Raymond Antrobus with his hand on his chin next to the book cover for The Quiet Ear
Past event 2026
event

Raymond Antrobus: The Quiet Ear

Award-winning poet Raymond Antrobus was first diagnosed as deaf at the age of six when he discovered he had missing sounds – bird calls, whistles, kettles, alarms. Teachers thought he was slow and disruptive, some didn’t believe he was deaf at all.

A portrait of Selina Nwulu next to the book cover for Black Climates
Past event 2026
event

Selina Nwulu: Black Climates

In conversation with Aja Barber

Past event 2026
event

Feminism for a World on Fire

Natasha Walter, N.S. Nuseibeh, Shahed Ezaydi

Performers stand on the front of the stage looking out at the audience, clapping and dancing
Past event 2026
event

The Age of Consent

Presented by The Chateau & Southbank Centre

Alfie Ordinary in drag with a pink sequin cropped jacket, trousers and pilllbox hat, holding a clipboard and headphones on their neck, a crowd around them wearing headphones
Past event 2026
event

Revealing St James Street

Queer Heritage South

Michael Rosen and MC Grammar standing over a yellow and white background. MC Grammar is pointing at Michael Rosen, and wearing a cap, sunglasses and a gold chain. Michael Rosen has his hand on his hip smiling at the camera
Past event 2026
event

Michael Rosen & MC Grammar: Ridiculous Raps & Rhymes

Get ready to rhyme, rap and ROAR with laughter!

Katie Kirby in front of purple background with white stars. She is smiling. She is next to a photo of her book's front cover 'The Seriously Epic Holiday of Lottie Brooks'.
Past event 2026
event

Katie Kirby: Lottie Brooks’s Diary

The fantastically funny, relatable and CHART-TOPPING Lottie Brooks diary series, by number one bestselling author and illustrator Katie Kirby, is filled with first experiences, friendship fails, embarrassing moments and plenty of laughs. And so is this event! Lottie’s done…

Liz Pichon sitting in front of a colourful background of her illustrations, she is smiling at the camera with her hands together on the table
Past event 2026
event

Liz Pichon

Author of the Tom Gates series & The Mubbles

Christopher Edge smiling in front of a purple background with white stars. He is next to a photo of his book with the title 'Fear Files, Hide and Side'
Past event 2026
event

Christopher Edge: Fear Files

Unfortunately, due to unforseen circumstances, this event has been cancelled.

Book cover for The Case of the Dreaming Dragon by Patrice Lawrence beside a smiling author portrait of a woman against a purple background with white stars.
Past event 2026
event

Patrice Lawrence: The Elemental Detectives

Join award-winning writer Patrice Lawrence to learn about her critically acclaimed series The Elemental Detectives.

Illustrated children’s book cover for This Is Who I Am by Rashmi Sirdeshpande and Ruchi Mhasane next to a smiling author portrait of a woman with long dark hair against a purple background with white stars.
Past event 2026
event

Rashmi Sirdeshpande: This is Who I Am

Discover that we are so much more than where we are from with award-winning Rashmi Sirdeshpande, as she presents her latest picture book, This is Who I Am.

Illustrated children’s book cover for Fantastically Great Women, next to a smiling author portrait of a woman with short brown hair against a purple background with white stars.
Past event 2026
event

Kate Pankhurst: Fantastically Great Women

Join Kate Pankhurst for a wildly wonderful anniversary celebration of the amazing women who changed the world we live in.

Illustrated children’s book cover for Happy Hillsnext to a smiling author portrait of a woman with glasses and her hair in a bun against a purple background with white stars.
Past event 2026
event

Happy Hills: Create a Comic Character with Sophy Henn Workshop

Bring your sketchbooks, pencils and imaginations to help Sophy create a brand new dynamic, dastardly or even darling comic book duo - it's up to you! Sophy will share how she created some of her Happy Hills characters and bought them to life on the page, then we will do…

Colorful book cover for I Tell Myself I’m Awesome by Joshua Seigal beside a smiling author portrait of a man wearing glasses and a plaid shirt against a purple background with white stars
Past event 2026
event

Joshua Seigal: I Tell Myself I’m Awesome

 Award-winning poet, performer and literacy champion Joshua Seigal presents an uplifting event for 7+ that's like pick-and-mix for your mental health.

Adam Buxton playing a guitar and singing on stage
Past event 2026
event

The Adam Buxton Band

Join Adam Buxton and his live band for an intimate evening celebrating the release of his debut album, Buckle Up, out now via Decca.

Leila Navabi in a running pose, wearing a white top and red trousers. They are holding a medicine syringe
Past event 2026
event

Leila Navabi: Relay

A bold, joyful punk-musical one-person show about making a queer family on your own terms, written and performed by award-nominated comedian, writer and composer Leila Navabi.

Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra playing on stage with a projection of William Kentridge's film 'Oh To Believe Another World'
Past event 2026
event

Oh To Believe in Another World: Shostakovich Symphony No.10

Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra

Tenebrae choir standing in all black in a church, they are surrounded by candles
Past event 2026
event

Tenebrae: A Celestial Gift

Nigel Short conductor This programme includes music from Orlando de Lassus, Plainchant, Joanna Marsh, Rachmaninov, Holst and more (full programme below) Renowned for its twin watchwords of passion and precision, the award-winning chamber choir Tenebrae, which…

Brighton Dome Founders Room
venue

Brighton Dome Founders Room

Church Street BN1 1UE

news article

Brighton Festival 2016 Listing Highlights

Contemporary musicLaurie Anderson: Music for DogsUK PremiereTue 10 May, 7.30pm‘Wouldn’t it be great if you’re playing a concert and you look out and everyone’s a dog?’ Laurie Anderson mused while waiting backstage with cellist Yo-Yo Ma. True to form, Anderson made her outlandish…

Laurie Anderson - photo by Tom Oldham
news article

The 50th Brighton Festival launches with Laurie Anderson as Guest Director

The full programme for the 50th Brighton Festival (7-29 May 2016) - the largest and most established curated annual multi-arts festival in England - was unveiled today with experimental artist and musician Laurie Anderson as Guest Director.Renowned for her inventive use…

Rokia Traoré on stage playing guitar

Brighton Festival Guest Directors

Working with artists of international and artistic renown expands the festival's horizons and takes our programme in interesting and innovative ways. Our Guest Directors have helped us discover new works, artists and ideas and push creative boundaries to take Brighton Festival…

news article

Brighton Festival 2015 launches with award-winning author Ali Smith as Guest Director

Brighton Festival - the largest and most established annual multi-arts festival in England - has launched today with award-winning Scottish author Ali Smith as Guest Director. Recently named winner of both the Costa Novel award and Goldsmiths Prize for boldly original fiction,…

news article

2021 Nobel Prize for Literature winner leads global books and debate programme at Brighton Festival

Brighton Festival continues its reputation as an enviable platform for engaging discussion and lively debate with 35 books and debate events for all ages from 7-29 May.Highlights include one of this year’s Festival Guest Co-Directors, Syrian architect and author Marwa Al-Sabouni,…

news article

Brighton Festival 2015 soars to a close

Brighton Festival 2015 - with award-wining author Ali Smith at the helm as Guest Director - came to a soaring conclusion this weekend.Over the three-week Festival - the biggest and most established in England - many of Ali Smith’s ideas, interests and passions were explored…

Children's Parade
news article

Brighton Festival 2016 announces Children’s Parade theme

Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival is delighted to announce that the theme for the 2016 Children’s Parade - which will take place on Saturday 7 May - is ‘Brighton celebrates’.Jointly produced with award-winning community arts organisation Same Sky and supported…

Rokia Traoré photograph by Fototala King Massassy
news article

Brighton Festival 2019 Guest Director Revealed

Award-winning Malian singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Rokia Traoré named as the eleventh Brighton Festival Guest DirectorRegarded as one of Africa’s most inventive musicians, Malian singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Rokia Traoré is known for the variety…

news article

Brighton Festival 2015 announces full programme of events

Clear your diaries in May as England’s largest mixed arts festival returns with award-winning author Ali Smith as its Guest DirectorBrighton Festival – under the watchful eye of award-winning author Ali Smith as this year’s Guest Director – has announced its full programme…

caravan
news article

caravan 2016 programme announced

caravan, a partnership between Farnham Maltings and Brighton Festival presents a three-day biennial curated showcase of the best new theatre from across England to an international audience of festival organisers and programmers. This press release announces its 2016 programme.caravan…

news article

Festival Hot Seat... The Last Resort

In the first of a new blog series we caught up with artists Tristan Shorr and Rachel Champion aka Art Of Disappearing to find out more about upcoming Brighton Festival commission The Last ResortCan you tell us what your show is about?The Last Resort takes a wry look…

Still image from Rokia Traoré musical and theatrical project Dream Mandé Djata photography by Danny Willems
news article

INTERVIEW: Brighton Festival 2019 Guest Director Rokia Traoré

Regarded as one of Africa’s most inventive musicians, Malian singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Rokia Traoré is known for the variety and range of her practice - from her theatre work with Toni Morrison and Peter Sellars to her musical collaborations with Damon…

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New sponsors announced as Brighton Festival 2015 launches full programme of events

A plethora of new sponsors have pledged to support Brighton Festival as award-winning Scottish author Ali Smith takes the role of Guest Director in its 49th year. Southern Water, Gatwick Airport ,The Montefiore Hospital, Riverford Organic Farms and solicitors Griffith Smith…

Southern Water Beach Clean
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5 Minutes with Southern Water's CEO Ian McAulay 

A long-standing supporter of Brighton Festival, Southern Water are generously supporting the community-led events Our Place and the Children's Parade, as well as the Without Walls programme this year.We speak to the CEO of Southern Water, Ian McAulay to learn more about…

Dr Blighty photo by Victor Frankowski
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Record-breaking 50th Brighton Festival comes to a dazzling conclusion

The three week celebration of the arts was the most successful in its history with more people engaging with the festival, both as audiences and participants, and more tickets sold than ever before.Drawing inspiration from Brighton Festival’s origins as a celebration of…

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Interview: Brighton Festival Photography with Summer Dean

Summer Dean is a freelance photographer/film maker and artist based in Brighton.We caught up with her to find out what she’s doing to keep creative during lockdown and take a look back at some of her favourite Festival images from the last few years.What is your role at…

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Books & Debate Highlights: Beloved children’s writers, spoken word artists and acclaimed novelists assemble in this year’s expanded programme

Award-winning author and Brighton Festival 2024 Guest Director, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, brings Julia Donaldson, Michael Morpurgo, former Guest Director Kae Tempest and more together this May.Storytelling SensationsIllustration: Steven LentonOn 11 May in the Concert Hall,…

Brighton Festival Children's Parade 2018
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Interview: Pippa Smith and Sarah Parsons

Pippa Smith is the Festival children’s events producer and in 1987 she co-founded Same Sky, a community arts organisation that still works alongside Brighton Festival to produce the Children’s Parade 30 years later. We sat down with Pippa and Sarah Parsons, Same…

Cast of My Left Right Foot (pre-show)
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Brighton Festival's Relaxed Events

It's important to us that everyone who wants to get involved in Brighton Festival is able. This is why we sought out Lydia Wilkins' opinion on how to create an accessible range of events so that everyone is able to find something they will enjoy. We have helpfully…

Brighton Festival Children's Parade 2019
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Brighton Festival 2020 Children’s Parade will Celebrate Nature’s Marvels for the Year of Biodiversity

Brighton city centre will be filled with a sea of colour and creativity next May as thousands of children, parents and teachers celebrate the natural world at the annual Brighton Festival Children’s Parade.Next year’s theme, Nature’s Marvels, will celebrate the wonders…

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Festival Fifty: Producers' Standout Moments

In our 50th year, five producers look back and share their personal highlights of past festivals, from hunting around the globe to find and reconstruct the score to Laurence Olivier’s Henry V, to wiping sheep sneezes off Anish Kapoor’s C-Curve. Philip Morgan,…

Bang Said The Gun at Brighton Festival 2017
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Festival Hot Seat: Bang Said the Gun

Bang Said the Gun calls themselves poetry for people who don't like poetry. Co-founder, Dan Cockrill, is here to tell us why. Firstly, can you introduce your show and tell us what it is about?BANG! Said The Gun is a poetry event for people who don’t…

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City Reads 2016 novel announced

Paul McVeigh’s novel The Good Son becomes Brighton’s ‘Big Read’ as part of the 50th Brighton FestivalBrighton-based author Paul McVeigh’s The Good Son – shortlisted in The Guardian’s ‘Not The Booker Prize’ annual list – has been chosen for City Reads 2016. Delivered by…

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Be part of Gillian Wearing’s A Room With Your Views

Turner-Prize winning artist Gillian Wearing is seeking participants to be part of a unique, global, collective filmmaking project - one of the largest of its kind ever to be produced - for a new commission, A Room With Your Views, as part of this year’s Brighton Festival…

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Interview with Director of caravan Gavin Stride

The caravan showcase has been run by Farnham Maltings within Brighton Festival since 2008 and introduces a curated group of England’s brightest performance artists and companies to festival organisers and programmers from around the world; with the ambition…

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Winners announced for competition to raise awareness of water scarcity

Brighton Festival, Brighton & Hove environmental education (BHee), Brighton & Lewes Downs Biosphere and Southern Water have announced the winners of the Our Water Matters competition.The competition saw primary-aged children challenged to think of ways that they,…

A group of children holding blue fish at the Children's Parade
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Brighton Festival Children’s Parade Returns with theme of Rebuilding & Hope for 2022

Brighton city centre will once again be filled with a sea of colour and creativity as thousands of school children, teachers and volunteers celebrate the return of Brighton Festival Children’s Parade after a two-year gap on Sat 7 May 2022.The theme for next year’s parade…

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Five of the best…Female Filmmakers at Brighton Festival

After picking up a lifetime achievement award at the European Film awards last year, the amazing and iconoclastic French filmmaker Agnes Varda commented by saying ‘What I have noticed is that it is very sweet to receive this award but when I see the nominees here, I feel…

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caravan Showcase Returns to Brighton Festival 2020

caravan, the biennial showcase of England’s brightest independent performing artists returns to Brighton Festival from 10 to 12 May 2020.The three-day showcase presents the best new performances made in England to an audience of international and national commissioners,…

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Thrilling seaside mystery Malamander is chosen for Young City Reads 2020

A reading project for primary school children has revealed Malamander has been chosen as the Young City Reads title for 2020. Brighton Festival and Collected Works CIC selects one book for children across Brighton & Hove, Sussex and beyond to read,…

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Interview with caravan showcase artist Andy Field

 Andy Field is an artist, writer and curator and is one of the participating artists selected to take part in caravan, the biennial showcase of English performance as part of Brighton Festival. We spoke to him about how he’s adapted from creating a physical…

2023: Nabihah Iqbal

Musician, DJ and broadcaster

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Festival regular and former Guest Director Hofesh Schecter brings bold new work to Brighton Festival 2018

We caught up with internationally celebrated choreographer Hofesh Shechter to discuss his latest work, Grand Finale, a bold new piece featuring 10 dancers and six musicians. As concisely as possible, can you describe Grand Finale?Grand Finale is a work for ten…

Brighton Festival celebrates Random Acts of Neighbourliness with Hangleton & East Brighton residents as part of Your Place 2018
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Your Place artist Kate McCoy on neighbourhoods, Pritt Sticks & shared landmarks

Your Place is a partnership project run by the Brighton Festival, Brighton People's Theatre and two resident led, community development projects on either side of the city: Due East and the Hangleton and Knoll Project. With a steering group of local people from both communities…

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Behind the Scenes: Andy Field, author

The Book of Brighton & Hove is an invitation to see the city through the eyes of some of its youngest inhabitants. Ahead of its book launch at The Riwaq, we had a chat with The Book of Brighton & Hove co-creator Andy Field.‘We hope that by seeing the world through…

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Behind the Scenes: Extraordinary Bodies

Claire Hodgson and Billy Alwen are the Artistic Directors of Extraordinary Bodies, a collaboration bringing together the talent of D/deaf, disabled, and non-disabled artists, creating a unique space where diverse bodies are welcome. We spoke to them about their show Human, taking…

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University of Sussex students help create treasure hunt inspired by local history for Our Place at Brighton Festival

A treasure hunt will take place through the streets of Hangleton this weekend, after students and staff from the University of Sussex successfully collaborated with a local storyteller for Our Place a part of Brighton Festival. Final year undergraduates…

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An Introduction to Brighton Festival 2015

Learn more in our introduction to Brighton Festival from our Chief Executive Andrew Comben. This year's Brighton Festival Guest Director is award-winning Scottish author Ali Smith. Recently named winner of both the Costa Novel award and Goldsmiths Prize for boldly…

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Share your West Pier memories for Brighton Festival 2015 finale event

Brighton Festival and acclaimed visual performance company And Now are looking for members of the public to share their memories and thoughts relating to Brighton & Hove’s West Pier and the evolving nature of the city’s population. The oral histories will be recorded…

Brighton Festival Children's Parade 2018
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Brighton Festival Children's Parade 2018

Picasso’s Dove of Peace and Munch’s The Scream among the creations at the Children’s Parade 2018Celebrating art from the likes of Picasso, Salvador Dali and many more, 20,000 people packed the streets on Sat 5 May as the 52nd Brighton Festival launched with the Children’s…

Summit
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Andy Smith on writing and directing Summit

Andy Smith’s play Summit has its preview at Brighton Festival on 8 & 9 May. Here he gives an insight into the creative process.Up to now, most of the theatre that I make has involved writing things for me to perform. I have always said that at some point I would like…

Brighton Festival celebrates Random Acts of Neighbourliness with Hangleton & East Brighton residents as part of Your Place 2018
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Your Place 2018 explores Random Acts of Neighbourliness with Hangleton & East Brighton residents

People are united by postcodes, but a new initiative as part of Brighton Festival’s Your Place - two weekends of free arts and cultural activities in Hangleton and East Brighton delivered in partnership with Brighton People’s Theatre - has been asking local residents…

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Brighton Festival welcomes Bernie Sanders for special Festival Extra event

Former Democratic candidate for President of the United States Bernie Sanders will speak about his new book Our Revolution at a special Brighton Festival Extra event on Thursday 1 June, with tickets on sale from Wednesday 3 May at 10am (members pre-sale Tuesday 2 May at…

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Festival Hot Seat: Last Dance: The Wave Epoch

Last Dance: The Wave Epoch is a unique collaboration between grime DJ and producer Elijah, musician GAIKA and visual artists Haroon Mirza and Jack Jelfs. Alli Beddoes, Lighthouse's Artistic Director and CEO tells us more about…

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The making of... Brighton Festival 2015 trailer

By Leonora Lonsdale of Hoi PoilloiOne day I received a call from Pete Shuttleworth, a Producer who I had long wanted to work with, saying he had a job for me. It was for the Brighton Festival and the brief was to try and create a visual piece to accompany Ali Smith’s…

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Visual Art Highlights: Everyone is invited to play and have fun at interactive installations, special screenings and immersive exhibitions

This May, children and adults can get involved and celebrate the wonder and magic of the everyday with our vibrant visual art programme.

Brighton Festival
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Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival Supports #FreelanceTaskForce

Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival is committed to supporting freelance theatre and performance creatives during these uncertain times. Along with more than 138 other arts organisations we signed this open letter and are offering a paid freelance contract for three…

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Behind The Scenes: Raising The Nation

Meet Paul Lindley, the award-winning social campaigner and bestselling author determined to inspire a brighter future for our children.

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Eddie Otchere's Brighton Festival photo picks

Acclaimed photographer Eddie Otchere immersed himself in the city during this year’s Brighton Festival, soaking up the atmosphere, camera always in hand. Eddie facilitated workshops at Your Place in Hangleton and East Brighton and set up The Bright Room –…

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Take part in creating a new show for Brighton Festival 2023!

Are you looking to get involved in a creative project for the new year? Do you have an interest in writing, performing, or theatre design? Brighton People’s Theatre (BPT) is looking for local people to get involved in creating a family-friendly musical, The Songbird…

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Round-up: Audience Reactions

Wow – what a month we have had! We’ve enjoyed every second of Brighton Festival 2019, and we hope you had a blast too. Here's a quick look back at what audiences had to say...Flight“Flight was deeply moving, breathtakingly beautiful and utterly necessary work of storytelling.…

Brighton Festival Children's Parade Thank You!
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Children’s Parade at Home Sat 2 May, 10.30am for 5 minutes

Help us keep the spirit of the Children’s Parade alive this year and have your own mini parades at home! All of us at Brighton Festival, and our artists at Same Sky were so sad to cancel this year’s Parade, that when received an email from Tobias at Balfour…

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Brighton Festival 2024 starts this weekend with a vibrant, hopeful programme of events for adults and children alike

The three-week city-wide celebration begins this Saturday, 12 May.This year’s opening weekend is brimming with interactive installations, exhibitions, theatre, dance and music. Come on down!Priceless FunPhotography: Leap Then LookStop by the Royal Pavilion Gardens where…

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Grime, art and science collide to re-imagine culture for Brighton Festival

Last Dance: The Wave Epoch is a unique collaboration between grime DJ and producer Elijah, musician GAIKA and visual artists Haroon Mirza and Jack Jelfs that imagines what culture will be like in 2000 years time.Devised and created at the world’s largest scientific…

Your Place 19
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Calling all artists to take part in Your Place at Brighton Festival 2019

Brighton Festival’s Your Place - two weekends of free entertainment in Hangleton and Knoll and East Brighton, in partnership with Brighton People’s Theatre and community steering groups – returns next May 2019. Artists and performers are invited to submit creative ideas…

Aditya Prakash plays a double-headed drum, alarge projection of his face behind him
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Theatre highlights for Brighton Festival 2025 include actors Meera Syal & Himesh Patel and reinventions of classic stories

Our sensational theatre and performance programme includes multi-artist showcase and Brighton Festival Exclusive Brown Girl in the Ring featuring our Guest Director Anoushka Shankar, Meera Syal CBE and Indira Varma, Nikesh Shukla’s world premiere of Wembley starring Himesh…

Boho Gelato's Syrian Flavoured Ice Cream Supports Children's Big Read Brighton Festival
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Boho Gelato's Syrian Flavoured Ice Cream Supports Children's Big Read

In honour of this year’s Young City Reads book, The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Raúf, Brighton-based artisan ice-cream parlour Boho Gelato has created a Syrian-inspired flavour, on sale until the end of the summer. The book follows the moving story…

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Behind the scenes... on GLOW

With the highly anticipated children’s show GLOW opening today, Professor Anna Franklin from the Sussex Baby Lab discusses how their studies on infant vision, colour perception and what babies find most stimulating helped theatre company Flying Eye create the showWhat have…

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Who are The Storytelling Army?

Ahead of this year's intimate storytelling events in Queen's Park and Worthing Pavilion Cafe, Stef O’Driscoll from nabokov tells us more about these special events that join people from all walks of life in enjoying a simple meal together and hearing each others storiesWho…

2010: Brian Eno

One of popular music’s most innovative and influential figures, Brian Eno crafted a highly personal programme in 2010

A young person looks out, standing in front of a brick wall
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5 Minutes With the Co-Director and Artists From the Exchange

The Exchange is an exciting new collaboration between internationally acclaimed artists and young people in Brighton & Hove. 

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Pioneering artist and musician Laurie Anderson announced as Guest Director for 50th Brighton Festival

Brighton Festival is delighted to announce that the Guest Director for 2016 is the pioneering artist and musician Laurie Anderson. Anderson will take the helm as Brighton Festival marks its milestone 50th year, celebrates its unique, energetic and creative city, and reflects…

Swan Lake / Loch na hEala
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Our sponsors' top picks for Brighton Festival 2017

We asked a few of our sponsors what they were most excited about for Brighton Festival 2017. Here are their top picks.How many events do you attend in Brighton Festival and how do you choose what you see? 10 or moreAre you a regular audience member at Brighton Dome year-round? YesWhat…

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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 LettingsHow many events do you attend in Brighton Festival and how do you choose what you see?Not as many as I…

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Brighton Festival puts community at its heart in a successful return to full-scale for 2022

Brighton Festival 2022 saw a welcome return to scale for England’s largest curated multi-arts festival, with over 150 events, exhibitions and installations taking place across the city between 7 and 29 May. This year’s programme included 10 Brighton Festival Commissions,…

The Complete Deaths at Brighton Festival
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Key commission revealed as 50th Brighton Festival takes shape

The Complete Deaths – performed by physical comedy company Spymonkey and directed by Tim Crouch – is the first show revealed as part of the 50th Brighton Festival programme.A Brighton Festival commission, the world premiere is a partnership between two Brighton-based artistic…

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Contemporary Music Highlights: Our vibrant programme features local and far-flung artists and boundary blurring gig-theatre

This May, our contemporary music programme invites everyone to experience the wonder and joy of shared musical experiences, with artists from across the world and closer to home, from Brighton legends to Grammy nominated artists.Feel The RhythmOn 7 May, legendary West African…

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Premieres and new commissions take centre stage in Brighton Festival’s theatre, dance and circus programme

World premieres from acclaimed theatre innovators dreamthinkspeak and choreographer Charlotte Spencer, join UK premieres from contemporary circus company Circa and a new Brighton Festival Commission from the legendary Hofesh Shechter Dance Company at this year’s Brighton…

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Brighton Festival 2020 is Cancelled for First Time in 53-Year History

It is with great sadness we announce that Brighton Festival 2020 is cancelled.Based on the latest government advice around social distancing measures and the peak of the Covid-19 epidemic in the UK is projected to coincide with the timing of the Festival in May, all planned…

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Musician and Composer Anoushka Shankar Announced as Guest Director for Brighton Festival 2025

The critically-acclaimed sitarist, composer and activist returns to Brighton Festival, this time as Guest Director! ‘I have loved the beauty, energy and eclecticism of Brighton since I was a teenager and I’m elated to now have the chance to get involved in programming…

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Brighton Festival announces award-winning author Ali Smith as Guest Director for 2015

Brighton Festival - the largest and most established annual multi-arts festival in England - is delighted to announce that the 2015 Guest Director is award-winning Scottish author Ali Smith.The announcement comes hot on the heels of Smith’s winning of the Goldsmiths Prize…

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Screenwriter and novelist Frank Cottrell-Boyce announced as Guest Director for Brighton Festival 2024

We are thrilled to announce award-winning author and screenwriter Frank Cotterell-Boyce will be our Guest Director for Brighton Festival 2024.

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Brighton Festival Thanks Everyone At Home

1500 ticket buyers have donated back their ticket purchases to Brighton Festival after it was cancelled due to the coronavirus crisis. As a thank you for the public’s on-going support and generosity, Brighton Festival is offering a selection of free online events, featuring…

Most participatory Brighton Festival ever comes to a close
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Most participatory Brighton Festival ever comes to a close

We look back at Brighton Festival 2018, highlighting some choice stories, facts & figures, alongside a few words from Guest Director David ShrigleyAs the first locally-based Guest Director, David Shrigley was the most active and present yet – involved in more events…

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Sponsorship support lifts Brighton Festival to new levels of success

Brighton Festival 2015 - the largest and most established of its kind in England - came to a soaring conclusion last month, buoyed up by a plethora of new and returning sponsors who provided invaluable support for the event while also gaining significant exposure for their…

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Brighton Festival launches programme with David Shrigley as Guest Director

The full programme for Brighton Festival 2018, the largest annual, curated multi-arts festival in England, was unveiled today with the Turner Prize-nominated visual artist and Brighton resident David Shrigley (b.1968) as Guest Director.Best known for his darkly humorous…

Pay it Forward at Brighton Festival
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Brighton Festival invites audiences to celebrate UK Pay-It-Forward Day

In celebration of UK Pay-It-Forward day on Sat 28 April 2018, Brighton Festival is inviting audiences to join the global philanthropic movement and enable more people to enjoy ticketed events at Brighton Festival. This is the second year that the scheme has run following…

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Brighton Festival unveils The Riwaq – a bespoke colonnade on Hove seafront

Syrian architects Marwa Al-Sabouni and Ghassan Jansiz bring a unique architectural element to this year’s Brighton Festival by building a temporary community arts space on Hove seafront in the form of a traditional Arabic arcade.

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Brighton Festival 2025 dance and circus highlights celebrate exceptional companies and choreographers from across the world

Our dance and circus programme features ground-breaking global choreographers and companies, including thrilling co-commission Theatre of Dreams from world-renowned Hofesh Shechter Company; world premiere of AYNA by British-Turkish choreographer Ceyda Tanc; mesmerising…

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Brighton Festival returns with an opening weekend of parades, premieres and outdoor performances

Brighton Festival kicks off this weekend, 7 and 8 May, with an eclectic programme of world and UK premieres, pop-up community events and live performances across the city.2022 marks the return of the much-missed Children’s Parade on Saturday 7 May, following an enforced…

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Postcards from Brighton Festival 2026

Our very special 60th edition of Brighton Festival wrapped up last weekend. Over 100 events took place all over the city, including the first ever Brighton Festival production, over 25 free events, performances and workshops and more than 140 performers from around the…

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Classical music highlights at Brighton Festival 2025 span centuries and generations

Our breath-taking classical programme sees our Guest Director, Grammy-nominated Anoushka Shankar, perform her father Ravi Shankar and Philip Glass’ album Passages for only the second time ever in the UK; plus a UK premiere, and thrilling performances from celebrated cellist…

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Brighton Festival 2017 goes down a storm

The 51st Brighton Festival - with acclaimed recording artist, poet, playwright and novelist Kate Tempest as Guest Director - came to a storming conclusion last weekend. The three-week celebration of the arts saw events take place in more venues across the city than…

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Architects bring Arabic colonnade to Hove seafront as part of Brighton Festival 2022

Syrian architects Marwa Al-Sabouni and Ghassan Jansiz will bring a unique architectural element to this year’s Brighton Festival by building a temporary community arts venue on Hove seafront in the form of a traditional Arabic arcade.The Riwaq - the Arabic word for colonnade…

Black background. A male and female performer swinging in the air like a pendulum, reaching it's highest point, where the male performer in a wheelchair hangs upside-down, with the female performer upright leaning on him, both attached to black circus straps
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Premieres and new commissions take centre stage in Brighton Festival’s theatre, dance and circus programme

World premieres from acclaimed theatre innovators dreamthinkspeak and choreographer Charlotte Spencer, join UK premieres from contemporary circus company Circa and a new Brighton Festival Commission from the legendary Hofesh Shechter Dance Company at this year’s Brighton…

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The History of Brighton Festival from 1814–1967 by Phillip Morgan

Long-standing employee of Brighton Festival, Phillip Morgan presented a special talk on our history at our Taster Day earlier this month. Phillip shares ten interesting facts about the Festival...1. The first ever Brighton Festival was held in 1814, the festival took place…

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Laurie Anderson is Guest Director of Brighton Festival 2016

Brighton Festival is delighted to announce the pioneering artist and musician Laurie Anderson as Guest Director for 2016.Anderson will take the helm as Brighton Festival marks its milestone 50th year, celebrates its unique, energetic and creative city, and reflects on the…

Photo of Hofesh Schechter

2014: Hofesh Shechter

Critically acclaimed choreographer, dancer, musician, composer and performer Hofesh Shechter helmed the 2014 Festival

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Celebrated global artists lead contemporary music programme at Brighton Festival 2022

Acclaimed international performers, including Grammy-nominated jazz trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire; the celebrated Orchestra of Syrian Musicians; and incendiary Latin jazz big band New Regency Orchestra; top the bill at this year’s Brighton Festival, from 7-29 May. As audiences…

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Behind the Scenes: Artists Doyel Joshi & Neil Ghose Balser

Doyel Joshi and Neil Ghose Balser are the powerhouse couple behind Mumbai-based art studio Howareyoufeeling – and the masterminds behind the Brighton Festival 2025 brochure covers (four different ones, for the first time in history). They are also the creators of the mass…

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Sponsorship opportunities for 50th Brighton Festival

Local businesses are being offered a unique opportunity to be part of a major historical landmark next year as Brighton Festival - the largest and most established annual curated multi-arts festival in England – celebrates its 50th year of bringing arts and culture to the…

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Brighton Festival joins the Big Give 2025 campaign to raise funding for free events programme

Today marks the launch of our Big Give fundraising campaign which will raise money towards free to attend events during this year’s Brighton Festival, 3-26 May. We are hoping to raise £10,000 in a week, which will offer thousands of people the opportunity to enjoy high…

David Shrigley
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David Shrigley on Brighton Festival 2018

We chatted to David Shrigley about his experience guest directing this year's Brighton Festival. Here's what he thought...When we asked what had prompted you to say yes to being Guest Director, you said that you thought it would be fun. How have you found the experience…

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Contemporary music highlights for Brighton Festival 2025 feature big names, epic female artists and exciting global talent

Guest Director Anoushka Shankar will be performing her new album Chapter III: We Return to Light for the first time in the UK. Our exciting line-up of strong female talent also includes Arooj Aftab and Nadine Shah.Electronic artist Max Cooper is bringing his groundbreaking…

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Our 60th edition: Brighton Festival 2026 is here!

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…

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Brighton Festival looks forward to 2021 with Lemn Sissay returning as Guest Director

Following Brighton Festival’s digital programme during lockdown, poet and author Lemn Sissay MBE has confirmed he will return as guest director in 2021. Brighton Festival at Home featured a selection of artists and events that were due to take place across the…

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First shows announced for Brighton Festival 2018

Hofesh Shechter: Grand FinaleBrighton Festival co-commissionThis latest work from internationally-celebrated choreographer (and Brighton Festival 2014 Guest Director) Hofesh Shechter is a spectacularly bold and ambitious new piece featuring ten dancers. Designed by Tom…

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Brighton Festival 2020 Guest Director is acclaimed poet Lemn Sissay MBE

Lemn Sissay is a passionate and powerful voice whose performances are humbling and exhilarating.– Kate Tempest, 2017 Brighton Festival Guest DirectorThe acclaimed British and Ethiopian poet, playwright, broadcaster and speaker, Lemn Sissay MBE has been announced…

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Welcome to the Imagine Nation with Lemn Sissay Brighton Festival 2020

The acclaimed British and Ethiopian poet, playwright, broadcaster and speaker, Lemn Sissay MBE has launched Brighton Festival 2020 welcoming everyone to the Imagine Nation from 2 to 24 May 2020.Brighton Festival is the largest annual, curated multi-arts festival in England…

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Brighton Festival 2020 Highlights

The acclaimed British and Ethiopian poet, playwright, broadcaster and speaker, Lemn Sissay MBE has launched Brighton Festival 2020 welcoming everyone to the Imagine Nation from 2 to 24 May 2020. Since it was first established in 1967, Brighton Festival has given artists…

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Theatre Highlights: Refurbished Corn Exchange and Studio Theatre welcome back premieres and international productions to Brighton Festival 2024

The newly refurbished venues open their doors to Brighton Festival for the first time since 2016. This year’s expanded international theatre programme features UK theatre premieres from Canada, Belgium and Mexico, plus a radical retelling of Shakespeare and the world premiere…

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Outdoor and Community Highlights: Brighton Festival 2024 celebrates community with fun, accessible and inclusive events across the city and beyond

With more free and pay-what-you-feel events than ever, this year’s Festival invites everyone to experience the hope, wonder and magic of the arts in a city-wide celebration of community from 4-26 May 2024. Explore our highlights...

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Behind the Scenes: Hamlet

Chela De Ferrari is the founder of Teatro La Plaza, the trailblazing Peruvian company bringing a visionary reworking of Hamlet to Brighton Festival 2025.Inspired by the famous monologue, 'To be or not to be', a remarkable cast of actors with Down syndrome breathe new life…

The Orchestra of Syrian Musicians performing on stage
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Celebrated global artists lead contemporary music programme at Brighton Festival 2022

Acclaimed international performers, including Grammy-nominated jazz trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire; the celebrated Orchestra of Syrian Musicians; and incendiary Latin jazz big band New Regency Orchestra; top the bill at this year’s Brighton Festival, from 7-29 May. As audiences…

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A world of wonder: the Brighton Festival 2024 programme is here

A magical celebration comes to Brighton and beyond this May, with over 120 events across music, literature, theatre, circus and more.

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First Show Announced for Brighton Festival 2020

Brighton Festival, the biggest annual multi-arts festival in England returns next year from 2 to 24 May 2020 with a world première by Hofesh Shechter Company.Double Murder is a thrilling new two-part contemporary dance for our times, led by the multitalented choreographer…

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Brighton Festival returns with an opening weekend of parades, premieres and outdoor performances

Brighton Festival kicks off this weekend, 7 and 8 May, with an eclectic programme of world and UK premieres, pop-up community events and live performances across the city.2022 marks the return of the much-missed Children’s Parade on Saturday 7 May, following an enforced…

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Reinventing circus for new generations and audiences at this year’s Brighton Festival

This year’s Brighton Festival hosts ground-breaking contemporary circus performances which push the boundaries of the art form to include new audiences and inspire future generations to take up circus skills.

A man stands at the centre of a poolside wearing a yellow top and red shorts, in front of blue water
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Behind the Scenes: Francesca Baglione / Miss High Leg Kick, live artist

We had a chat with Francesca Baglione (Miss High Leg Kick) in a Behind the Scenes, to hear about her aromatic performance Eau de Memoire, coming to Hangleton Park as part of A Weekend Without Walls for the opening weekend of Brighton Festival.

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Announcing Lucy Davies as new Chief Executive of Brighton Dome, Brighton Festival and Create Music

We are thrilled to share the news that Lucy Davies will join us to become our new Chief Executive in the new year. Lucy is currently Executive Director at the Young Vic Theatre, where she has overseen major productions such as a 24-hour non-stop performance of The…

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Brighton Festival is coming: 1-23 May 2021

We are delighted to be working with Lemn Sissay on Brighton Festival 2021, continuing his role as guest director following last year’s cancellation due to the coronavirus pandemic.Soon after the cancellation of last year’s Festival, Lemn and the team began planning the…

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Festival Hot Seat… Breaking the Rules

How and where will it be staged? In All Saint’s Church, Hove (very fitting as the play is set part in Gesualdo’s chapel and partly in his head!) – it is half a concert/half a one man play – and our wonderful director Nicholas Renton (best known for his TV work on Musketeers,…

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Your Place returns for Brighton Festival 2018

Brighton Festival’s Your Place - two weekends of free entertainment in Hangleton and East Brighton, delivered in partnership with Brighton People’s Theatre - is set to return for 2018 following last year’s inaugural programme.Hosted by local community centres, and programmed…

Photo by Victor Frankowski
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INTERVIEW: Brighton Festival 2018 Guest Director David Shrigley

The visual artist and cartoonist on following in the footsteps of the illustrious roster of Brighton Festival Guest Directors, his love of art, music and football and why he decided to make Brighton his homeWhen you were first approached to be Guest Director of Brighton…

Brighton Festival Chorus
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5 things you didn’t know about Brighton Festival Chorus

We caught up with Brighton Festival Classical Programmer and long standing member of the Brighton Festival Chorus, Gill Kay to find out more about the prestigious choir...Brighton Festival Chorus was formed to sing in Brighton Festival in 1968, the second Brighton Festival…

Kate Tempest Guest Director Brighton Festival

2017: Kae Tempest

The Guest Director for Brighton Festival 2017 was the acclaimed recording artist, poet, playwright and novelist

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Behind The Scenes: No Love Songs

We spoke to writer Laura Wilde and her partner, rockstar frontman of The View, Kyle Falconer about their 5-star gig-theatre show coming to Brighton Festival this May.No Love Songs came out of Laura and Kyle’s real experiences of parenthood during a challenging time. Laura…

BTN BikeShare Bikes Next to The i360
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5 Minutes with BTN BikeShare

BTN BikeShare is kindly supporting Rider Spoke by Blast Theory as part of Brighton Festival this May. We speak to Matthew Thompson, BTN BikeShare Manager at Brighton & Hove City Council about the theme of care and their involvement with Brighton Festival.As the theme…

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Behind the Scenes: Charlotte Spencer, choreographer and artistic director

We caught up with Charlotte Spencer to discover more about the world premiere of her new Brighton Festival Commission, Written in the Body.

A dancer with long purple hair floats underwater with their arms above their head
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Behind the Scenes: Emma Critchley, visual artist

We caught up with artist Emma Critchley to discuss Witness, a compelling three-screen film installation and meditation on disappearing glaciers, which has its UK premiere at this year’s Brighton Festival.

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Behind the Scenes: Yaron Lifschitz, artistic director

We go Behind the Scenes with Yaron Lifschitz, artistic director of the Australian circus company, Circa, to find out more about their upcoming Brighton Festival show and UK premiere, Sacre.

Thank you from Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival
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Thank you for your support

It is with great sadness that we have had to close the doors of Brighton Dome and cancel Brighton Festival in light of the current climate. As you can imagine, this wasn’t an easy decision to make but something we felt was right for not only our audience…

Eddie Otchere
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Interview: Eddie Otchere

Best known for his photographs depicting hip hop culture since the 1990s, acclaimed photographer Eddie Otchere will be creating The Bright Room, a community darkroom at Brighton Festival. We caught up with Eddie to find out moreCan you tell us about your involvement in…

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5 Minutes with Octopus Energy Community Ambassador Renata Noronha

We speak to Renata Noronha, People Power Community Ambassador at Octopus Energy about their involvement in Brighton Festival and their People Power scheme. As the theme of this year’s festival is care, what does care mean for you?For me, care means love, generosity,…

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Brighton Festival is #HereForCulture

Brighton Festival is able to bring events back to audiences thanks to support received today from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund.We are amongst 2,300 cultural organisations who have been allocated more than £300 million by Arts Council England to help…

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Brighton Festival announces major new commission for 2016 inspired by untold story of First World War

Brighton Festival - alongside commissioning partners 14-18 NOW and Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove - has today announced a major new commission inspired by the untold story of the hundreds of thousands of men who travelled from India to fight for the Allies…

Volunteer at Brighton Festival
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Become a Brighton Festival Volunteer!

Join us at our volunteer drop-in evening on Thu 8 Mar, 5pm - 7pm Be part of the action and volunteer with Brighton Festival 2018.If you are passionate about the arts, Brighton Festival 2018 would love to hear from you! Members of staff from various Brighton Festival…

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Brighton Festival film screening celebrates learning disabled workers

Brighton Festival & Carousel’s Oska Bright Film Festival are presenting a special film screening event entitled Lose Your Head at Duke’s At Komedia on Wed 23 May, celebrating learning disabled workers in a selection of short films from around the globe. Carousel’s Oska…

2016: Laurie Anderson

The experimental artist and musician took the helm as Guest Director in 2016 as Brighton Festival celebrated its milestone 50th year

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Behind the Scenes: Andy and the Odd Socks

Andy Day brings his band, Andy and the Odd Socks, to Brighton Festival for their ‘sock n’ roll’ show on Sunday 22 May. We went Behind the Scenes to find out more about the show.

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What's On In Worthing

Make the most of the Festival's final week by widening your horizons and getting over to Worthing, where for the first time ever, a range of fun, family-friendly events are springing up across Brighton's neighbouring town. To help you pick and choose what to do and see,…

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Gillian Wearing: ‘A Room With Your Views’

Turner Prize-winning British artist Gillian Wearing will present the world premiere of Your Views - one of the largest collaborative film projects ever to be produced - at HOUSE, Brighton’s festival of visual art, and Brighton Festival 2016 – the largest and most established…

Laurie Anderson - photo by Tom Oldham
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Laurie Anderson on...

… Brighton Festival 2016’s theme of ‘home and place’:‘I’m really happy to be part of Brighton Festival this year. I love the theme, maybe because I’m a working musician and often on the road, the idea of home is pretty appealing. It’s also a great idea for a festival, trying…

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Your Place brings diverse line-up of music, dance, theatre and spoken word events to Hangleton and East Brighton communities

As part of a new partnership with Brighton People’s Theatre, Brighton Festival has been working with local residents and festival artists to programme an exciting and diverse line-up of free music, dance, theatre and spoken word in the Hangleton and East Brighton communities.Hosted…

Arinze, a black man, stands behind a black chair, his hands resting on its back. Around and above him is an orange light, the air filled with smoke
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A landmark hit: Kohlhaas, the first ever Brighton Festival production

Last weekend, we opened the 60th edition of Brighton Festival with a world premiere: Kohlhaas, our first ever original work produced in house. Directed by Omar Elerian (Misty, The Chairs, Rhinoceros) and starring Arinzé Kene (Misty, Girl From The North…

A pencil illustration of a Souk
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Architects bring traditional Arabic colonnade to the seafront as part of Brighton Festival 2022

Syrian architects Marwa Al-Sabouni and Ghassan Jansiz will bring a unique architectural element to this year’s Brighton Festival by building a temporary community arts venue on Hove seafront in the form of a traditional Arabic arcade.“The Riwaq will be buzzing, filled with…

A group of performers stand on stage. They are happy and smiling, with a live band playing behind them.
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Big names. Exclusive collaborations. Unexpected musical encounters.

The contemporary music programme for Brighton Festival’s landmark 60th edition is bursting with global icons, one-off collaborations and boundary-pushing performances across Brighton Dome’s three historic venues.

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Behind the Scenes: Richard Gregory, director

In this Behind the Scenes, we spoke to Richard Gregory, co-artistic director of theatre company Quarantine, and Director of 12 Last Songs.

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Behind The Scenes: Neolithic Cannibals

Meet Simon James, the self-trained sound artist from Whitehawk, Brighton, who’s using sound art to give a voice to young people in his local community as part of his Brighton Festival 2024 exclusive, Neolithic Cannibals: Deep Listening to the Unheard.Simon James is a local…

Young actors playing Romeo and Juliet lay on a skate park floor, leaning on their arms and staring at each other.
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Behind the Scenes: Tanushka Marah, director

We caught up with Tanushka Marah, Artistic Director of Windmill Young Actors, who brings the award-winning youth ensemble to Hollingdean Skatepark on 21-22 May to tell the tale of young people torn apart by clan and class, as part of Brighton Festival.

Our Place
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From Your Place to Our Place

Back in 2017, Brighton Festival Guest Director Kate Tempest was inspired to initiate Your Place, a project with the aim of taking the Festival out to the communities of Brighton & Hove who might not be able to participate in cultural and artistic events. For Brighton…

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Volunteer Spotlight: Volunteer Coordinator, Dee

More than 100 volunteers work at Brighton Festival each year. A volunteer herself, Dee helped to co-ordinate it all. She talked to us about what it’s like to work behind the scenes and how she fit her role around her studies.What does your role involve?This year I am working…

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Fifty years on the edge

50 Springs. 50 Festivals. 50 opportunities, in the words of the first Festival Director Sir Ian Hunter, to ‘…take a new look at the arts and [have] the opportunity to assess developments in the field of culture where the serious and the apparently flippant ride side by…

A person with binoculars sitting on a deck chair, with a giant pink 'F' next to them
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Brighton Festival is back!

We’re delighted to be back from Sat 1 May with arts outdoors, online and safety back on stage.

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The Wonder-ful World of Brighton Festival: Week 1

Here are some of the remarkable shows and events running 6 to 12 May that will leave you amazed, inspired, and full of hope for a better world.

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‘Impressive and captivating’: carnation at Brighton Festival

Step inside the Big Top at Black Rock this May at carnation: the revolution is coming and i have nothing to wear and experience a rollercoaster of large-scale immersive circus. 

A group of people are dancing with their arms in the air
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Join the party at The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady at Brighton Festival

You’re invited to dance the night away at The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady at Brighton Dome Corn Exchange (16 & 17 May). Step into this unique, immersive performance of Charles Mingus’ 1963 masterpiece, staged by award-winning performance company Clod Ensemble and…

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We’re returning arts safely to the city from this May

We’re delighted to announce our city’s much-loved Brighton Festival will be returning with a celebration of art and culture from 1 May 2021 with guest director, the poet, author and broadcaster Lemn Sissay MBE.

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Children And Family Highlights: Beloved children’s authors, innovative theatre and interactive outdoor art brings fun and magic to Brighton this May

This year’s Brighton Festival is packed with hopeful, wonder-filled events from acclaimed children’s writers, plus children’s theatre, dance and interactive outdoor shows to inspire a sense of fun and play for all ages

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Peacock Poetry Prize to return in Brighton Festival 2015

Annual creative writing competition takes theme of ‘birds’Brighton Festival 2015 has announced the return of the popular Peacock Poetry Prize. The annual creative writing competition, produced by Brighton Festival and Brighton, Hove & Sussex Sixth Form College (BHASVIC),…

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Spreading our Wings with Brighton Festival 2015 Branding

As we swoop headfirst into another jam-packed year of festival goodness we thought we’d tell you a bit more about Brighton Festival 2015’s avian branding.You may have noticed our yellow, big bird, but there’s no hint of Sesame Street about it. Working with our Guest Director…

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Astounding film footage of first Brighton Festival discovered

See extracts in our 50th Brighton Festival filmFilm footage of the very first Brighton Festival in 1967 has been discovered in an attic. The long lost material, shot by former Brighton College of Art students Ian Beck and Tim Grimes, captures the inaugural festival’s many…

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Behind The Scenes: Perfect Show For Rachel

Meet Flo O’Mahony, the Artistic Director ripping up the theatre-making rulebook for her sister to take the wheel at directing, in real-time...

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Behind The Scenes: Triptych, an artwork made up of three pieces…

Meet Ellie Bishop-Williams, Founder and Artistic Director of Project Female, Brighton’s courageous dance company amplifying young people’s call for a better world.

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Postcards From: Opening Weekend

What a weekend! Sun, rain, music, dance and art… Here are just some of the highlights.

Morag Myerscough
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Morag Myerscough’s colourful touring bandstand comes to Brighton beachfront

Contemporary designer Morag Myerscough’s first ever mobile installation, Belonging - a bright, bold, touring bandstand - launches this weekend on the beach level next to the i360. Co-commissioned by Brighton Festival and Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft, Belonging celebrates…

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