What a feast of joy, laughter, music, colour and youth is Brighton Children’s Parade - held on the first Saturday of the city’s May festival. This year’s procession could not have enjoyed better weather, and after parading through town, thousands and thousands of schoolchildren, teachers, parents and friends concluded by parading down Madeira Drive, along a resplendent Brighton Beach.
The Brighton Festival Children’s Parade was first held in 1985 having been conceived as a way to open the Brighton Festival, which itself dates back to 1967. The Festival aimed to promote arts and culture across the city, and the Children’s Parade was introduced to reflect these values in a joyful, community-centric way, engaging young people in the creative arts. The inaugural parade involved only a handful of local schools. Over the years, it has grown significantly and today included large groups mostly from around 60 schools (and institutions) across Brighton & Hove and nearby areas.
The Parade is produced by Same Sky, a Brighton-based community arts charity dedicated to creating inclusive public art and large-scale outdoor celebrations. Its members work closely with schools and teachers, providing guidance, artistic support, and materials for the construction of costumes, banners, and large puppets used in the parade.
The Children’s Parade theme this year was chosen by musician Anoushka Shankar (who also led the procession) under the New Dawn banner of the overall festival.
- Things we want to Change: What can get better, what do we want to bring into the world?
- Things we want to Cherish: What do we want to keep, and remind people is vital to us?
- Things we want to Chuck: What should we stop doing to make a better world?
Local press reports and photographs can be found in The Argus and Brighton and Hove News.
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