7 hours Ago
Brighton Festival 2025 is set to host 45 free events throughout May. The festival, which runs from May 3 to May 26, will feature a range of activities and performances from local, national, and international artists and groups. These events will provide thousands of people with the opportunity to enjoy high-quality performances, art, and activities at no cost.
Last year, more than half of the total number of festival attendees, 78,000, attended free events. A standout feature of this year's festival is the participatory art project, "How Dark It Is Before Dawn." Artists Neil Ghose Balser and Doyel Joshi are inviting everyone to create their own interpretation of this year's festival theme, "New Dawn.
" The project will culminate in an art installation over the closing weekend, celebrating a collective "New Dawn." The artists will also set up pop-up circles of 108 red chairs facing east throughout the festival, encouraging people to reflect on the theme. Lucy Davies, chief executive of Brighton Dome and Brighton Festival, said: "Our free events are more important than ever.
"Free access to shows, events, and creative opportunities are a vital part of our offer to Brighton’s community. "Some of the festival’s most ambitious and joyous events are open to all." The festival will kick off with the children's parade on May 3, featuring thousands of students from more than 60 schools across the city.
The students will explore the theme of "Our Voice." Over two weekends, newly commissioned shows from outdoor arts experts Without Walls will take place at various locations across Brighton and Crawley. These free, family-friendly events will include traditional and contemporary dance, an interactive water installation, trapeze, puppetry, and physical theatre.
They will explore themes such as climate change, the natural world, and the power of human connection. On May 25, award-winning percussionist Sarathy Korwar will lead a percussion parade along Brighton seafront. The 30-piece band, made up of young musicians from the South East, will play music specially composed for the festival.
The band will create sounds inspired by futuristic folk music, marching bands, South Asian temple processions, and UK carnivals. The festival will also feature a live birdwatching experience, "The Hide," led by artist Tilly Ingram. The experience will explore her struggles as a woman with a non-visible disability and the story of a disabled white-tailed eagle.
Returning to the festival after a successful debut last year is a full day of table tennis for the whole family on May 26. Brighton Table Tennis Club will set up 20 tables, music, and food inside Brighton Dome Corn Exchange for everyone to enjoy. The festival has been awarded £10,000 Big Give match-funding to help with the increased costs of free events.
Donations made by the public to Brighton Festival via the Big Give in March unlocked this funding and helped raise £20,000 towards the festival’s free events programme..
