What's On THIS SPRING & SUMMER

The whole family will be inspired by this year’s Brighton Festival

The annual three-week celebration of arts and culture, which takes place across Brighton, Hove and East Sussex, starts on Saturday 6 May, with the beloved annual Children’s Parade taking place on Sunday 7 May.

Other family-friendly highlights include: the UK premiere of FrenchNorwegian theatre company Plexus Polaire’s Moby Dick, a visually stunning adaptation suitable for children aged 6 upwards that brings the classic story to life using puppets; the energising We Touch, We Play, We Dance, in which dancers invite babies and toddlers to join them in a warm-hearted and playful performance; Little Murmur, an event for those aged 7 upwards that uses dance, technology and humour to explore the challenges of dyslexia; and The Sleeping Tree, an immersive environmental sound scape that will transport families from Brighton Dome’s Concert Hall to the Sumatran rainforest.

Brighton Festival’s Young Readers programme will welcome wellknown children’s writers to read their latest works and host workshops, including former Children’s Laureate Jacqueline Wilson and writer of the Tom Gates series, Liz Pichon. Thomas Taylor will be introducing readers to the latest instalment of his Festergrimm series and Rashmi Sirdeshpande, author of Good News: Why the World is Not as Bad as You Think, will take a humorous and informative look at the amazing things happening around the globe. For younger children, bestselling illustrator of Giraffes Can't Dance, Guy Parker-Rees will host a messy arts and crafts session!

Brighton Festival runs from 6 to 28 May.

For the full programme, including details of all family events, see p.5 and visit: brightonfestival.org