This year marks the return of the much-missed Children's Parade on Saturday 7 May, following an enforced absence.
Jointly produced with award-winning community arts charity
Same Sky, this
riot of colour and creativity features 5000 school children journeying through the centre of the city.
Pivoting around the Festival theme of Rebuilding, the Parade celebrates the strength and resilience of local communities and what can be achieved when we listen and work together.
This year Brighton Festival has not one but two Guest Co-Directors - Syrian architect and author
Marwa Al-Sabouni and
Tristan Sharps, Artistic Director of Brighton-based theatre makers
dreamthinkspeak.
Marwa and Tristan chose the theme of Rebuilding as the inspiration for this year's programme, exploring it from two different yet complementary perspectives.
Marwa Al-Sabouni has partnered with fellow architect Ghassan Jansiz to build a bespoke community space on Hove seafront, called The Riwaq – the Arabic word for colonnade.
This unique temporary venue will offer an eclectic programme of free cultural and community events from Saturday 7 May, including family sessions, workshops, spoken word performances and music and dance from around the world.
Tristan Sharps' site-responsive theatre company dreamthinkspeak stage the world premiere of a new Brighton Festival Commission, Unchain Me.
Inspired by Dostoevsky's novel The Possessed, in which a provincial town descends into chaos, the action takes place across a range of locations in and around the city.
This thought-provoking
multi-media performance is made possible with support from
The Pebble Trust, whose annual sponsorship of the Brighton Festival Commission series will offer audiences innovative and unique ways of seeing and experiencing Brighton & Hove.
Saturday and Sunday's A Weekend Without Walls programme will bring communities together to enjoy free family pop-up performances from some of the UK's most innovative outdoor companies – from hip-hop dance theatre to contemplative audio tours.
Without Walls also forms part of Brighton Festival's Our Place programme - a free and inclusive celebration of community creativity.
The Festival works in partnership with community groups to select, programme and produce events for and within communities across Hangleton and Knoll, East Brighton, Mouslecoomb and Bevendean.
Brighton Festival will continue its innovative site-specific events with the UK premiere of Witness Stand, also opening this weekend.
Australian artists Madeleine Flynn and Tim Humphrey have commissioned a community of writers and sound artists with a connection to Brighton to create emotive sound installations for audiences to experience at inspiring outdoor sites across the region.
Brighton Festival is celebrating a return to full capacity in 2022, with an extensive international programme of over 150 events taking place across Sussex from 7-29 May.