Brighton Children’s Parade

A fiesta of colour, costume and live music to kick start the Brighton Festival. 

The annual Children’s Parade is a joyous, loud, disruptive and memorable procession that takes place on the first Saturday of May to officially launch Brighton Festival. Delivered in partnership between The Brighton Festival and Same Sky and enjoyed by participants and spectators since launching in 1986. The free event takes place in central Brighton and has delighted participants and spectators for 40 years. With a different imaginative theme each year, previous parades have seen children dress up as paintings, letters of the alphabet, woodland creatures and street names. 

Throughout the school year Same Sky works with teachers and group leaders to develop their parade displays with the help of Same Sky’s team of dedicated artists. Same Sky then partner with the Festival to coordinate 5,000 parade participants plus the audience who take over the city centre with their own show stopping designs and self-made costumes.  

Bringing people from across Brighton & Hove together along with artists, musicians and choreographers, the annual event is always a whirlwind of colour, music, dance and fun!