Tickets go on sale for the 60th Brighton Festival at 9am tomorrow (Thursday 19 February) for members and on general sale next Thursday at 10am.
The three-week Festival opens as usual with the Children’s Parade – now in its 40th year – with the theme Read All About It.
The multi-arts line-up is due to feature more than 100 events and more than 140 artists spanning theatre, dance, music, literature, visual art and debate.
It promises five world premieres including Kohlhaas directed by Omar Elerian and starring Arinzé Kene – the first original work to be produced by Brighton Festival.
There will also be a large-scale public artwork where monumental figures will appear along the Hove seafront.
This year will be the 10th Our Place – Brighton Festival’s community-curated strand of programming.
Six Festival exclusives include one-off performances from Patti Smith, Laurie Anderson and the first ever collaboration between Sampa the Great and WITCH.
Patti Smith returns to Brighton Festival for a two-night residency, performing with her long-time collaborators as The Patti Smith Quartet on Tuesday 12 May at the Dome.
Smith will then present an exclusive event for Brighton Festival, An Evening of Words and Music, the next day at the Dome again, to showcase her spoken word and poetry as she combines it with an intimate live musical performance.
Brighton Dome and Festival chief executive Lucy Davies, said: “I thank and celebrate all the people and partners involved in creating this landmark 60th edition of Brighton Festival.
“We honour an extraordinary legacy and look ahead to Festivals to come as Brighton Festival enters an exciting new chapter.
“We will produce original work in theatre and land art and invite truly great artists to treat our beautiful Brighton Dome building as a site.
“The roll-call of artists and the volume of exceptional work taking place with 105 events across 24 days this May proves what a thriving ecosystem our Festival exists within.
“From Making It Out to the Lost Woods Project and the Table Tennis Club, Brighton Festival collaborates with partners in art, nature and civic life across the city and the region.
“Our mission is to enrich the city, to welcome world class artists, and to create lifelong memories for the many audiences who make the Festival so dynamic every May.”
The Festival runs from Friday 1 May to Monday 25 May. To see the programme and buy tickets, click here.
