Weekend 1
Sat 1 May
Children’s Parade
4,000 kids, 10,000 onlookers and a beachfront musical finale make for a noisy, fun-filled start to the Festival
10.30am, from Sydney Street
The Selfish Giant – Howard Goodall
Relax after lunch with this full-scale family-friendly orchestral work based on Oscar Wilde’s classic fairy tale
2pm, Concert Hall, Brighton Dome
Jacqueline Wilson
Unmissable talk from children’s writer extraordinaire
4pm, Corn Exchange, Brighton Dome
The Story of a Family – Compagnia Rodisio
A darkly comic peek at normal folk going about their normal business for age 7+
4.30pm & 6.30pm, Pavilion Theatre, Brighton Dome
Apollo: This is for all Mankind!
Eno’s influential Apollo performed live to Reinert’s lunar documentary For All Mankind
9pm, Concert Hall, Brighton Dome
Sun 2 May
Brian Eno: 77 Million Paintings
An exhibition of screens showing endless variations of Eno’s hand drawn images, cut up and re-arranged to entirely original effect: luminous, limitless and lovely
Fabrica, 12noon – 8pm
Flickers: Off the Path
Walk off Sunday lunch with a guided flicker book journey through Stanmer Park
12noon – 6.30pm, Stanmer Park
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Vladimir Jurowski conducts Wagner, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky
3pm, Concert Hall, Brighton Dome
City Reads: From Russia with Love
Revisit this counter-espionage classic and reappraise Ian Fleming’s Bond legacy
7.30pm, Corn Exchange, Brighton Dome
Weekend 2
Sat 8 May
Emily Gravett
Meet Brighton’s two-time Greenaway Medal winner for a whistlestop tour of her best-selling books, from Orange Pear Apple Bear to The Rabbit Problem. Part of 26 Letters
10am, Sallis Benney Theatre
LaLaLuna – Spoon Tree Productions
Whimsical tale combining fantastical imagery, mime, music, film and surreal storytelling
2.30pm & 6pm, Theatre Royal Brighton
I, Malvolio – Tim Crouch
Twelfth Night from the point of view of Shakespeare’s pent-up steward
6pm, Pavilion Theatre, Brighton Dome
Festival Debate: Local or Global?
In economic crisis is our instinct to look after our own?
7.30pm, Corn Exchange, Brighton Dome
Sun 9 May
Richard Goode – Glyndebourne Recital
Take a picnic to the glorious Glyndebourne grounds and then listen to Goode’s piano recital
3pm, Glyndebourne
Mr Toad’s Children’s Book Quiz
Boatloads of fun and games
4pm, Sallis Benney Theatre
This is Pure Scenius!
Trio of consecutive performances from Brian Eno, Karl Hyde, Leo Abraham, Jon Hopkins and The Necks
4pm, 6.30pm, 9pm Concert Hall, Brighton Dome
I, Malvolio – Tim Crouch
‘Uncut’ version of Crouch’s re-imagining of Twelfth Night. For adults only!
10pm, Pavilion Theatre, Brighton Dome
Weekend 3
Sat 15 May
Bodies in Urban Spaces – Willi Dorner
How many people can you squeeze into a doorway? Or a phonebox?
11am, 4pm, 8.30pm, New England Quarter
Macbeth – Cheek by Jowl
Theatrical innovators Cheek By Jowl take on the Bard’s supernatural tragedy
2.30pm & 7.30pm, Theatre Royal Brighton
Rachmaninov Vespers – Brighton Festival Chorus
150-strong Brighton Festival Chorus build an epic symphony of sound
10pm, St Bartholomews Church
Electric Hotel
Grab some headphones and round off your Saturday night with a voyeuristic glimpse into the Electric Hotel
10pm, The Level
Sun 16 May
Funny Bones – DanceXchange and Two’s Company
Costumes made of spoons and buckets filled with water. Lots of water. Caution – you may get wet!
11am & 2pm, Hove Town Hall
Antonia Fraser – My Life with Harold Pinter
In conversation with literary critic Lucasta Miller
4pm, Corn Exchange, Brighton Dome
Something – Movement 12
An evening of excerpts and inserts, works in progress and off-the-cuff experiments
8pm, Pavilion Theatre, Brighton Dome
This is Reasons for Optimism!
Erian Eno is joined by other positive thinkers to grapple with the threats facing mankind
8pm, Corn Exchange, Brighton Dome
Weekend 4
Sat 22 May
A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Shakespeare’s Globe on Tour
Open-air performance by the Globe’s travelling players
1pm & 6pm, Dyke Rd Rest Garden
Best Before – Rimini Protokoll
Grab a game control and join in with this interactive thrilling inventive production
2pm & 8pm, Sallis Benney Theatre
Marine Parade – Animalink
Outstanding theatre from one of England’s most exciting new theatre companies
3pm, 6pm, 9pm, The Old Market
This is Tales of the Afterlives
Brian Eno brings Eagleman’s cult book Sum: 40 tales from the Afterlives to the stage
8pm, Concert Hall, Brighton Dome
The Girl I Left Behind Me
What makes a woman in trousers so appealing in musical theatre?
10pm, Theatre Royal Brighton
Sun 23 May
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt Storyplaytime
Come on a bear hunt with us in this storyplaytime party!
10.30am & 12noon, Jubilee Library
Big Splash (Urban Playground)
Free day of alfresco fun for all the family
12noon – dusk, Brighton Marina
Before I Sleep – dreamthinkspeak
Last chance to see this ultimate promenade production in the cavernous former co-operative building
Timed entry slots every 5 minutes between 6.30pm and 9.30pm
Brian Eno: This is an illustrated talk!
Brian Eno ponders art – do we need it or just like it?
8pm, Concert Hall, Brighton Dome
Park Life The Finale – NoFit State
Large-scale open-air circus finale with NoFit State’s artists and some of Brighton’s finest residents
8.45pm (pre-show), 9.15pm (performance), The Level