Brighton Festival Children's Parade

The Brighton Festival Children's Parade is officially set to kick off the 2026 festival season on Saturday, May 2nd. This annual event is always the official curtain-raiser for the wider Brighton Festival, which runs through May 25th, and this year holds special significance as it marks the 40th anniversary of the Children's Parade. It’s a massive undertaking, produced jointly by the Brighton Festival team and the local arts charity Same Sky, with support from Brighton Girls school. The scale is impressive, involving hundreds of teachers and students from across Brighton & Hove who spend months creating the elaborate artwork and costumes we see on the day, with participation numbers usually hovering around 5,000 children.

For 2026, the chosen theme is 'Read all about it!', a nod to the fact that this year is the National Year of Reading. Rather than focusing on a single book, the parade will explore the vast world of children's literature by dividing the procession into six distinct genres. Spectators can look forward to seeing creations inspired by Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Traditional Tales, Science Fiction, and the visual storytelling of Graphic Novels and Picture Books. Same Sky plays a crucial role in bringing this vision to life, providing a dedicated artist to collaborate with each participating school and even offering samba masterclasses for teachers to ensure the procession is filled with vibrant, live music.

If you are planning to watch the spectacle, the parade starts relatively early in the morning. The procession begins at 10:30 am on Jubilee Street. From there, the route takes the participants through the city centre, continuing down East Street before concluding the journey on Madeira Drive. As always, the Children's Parade is a public event, meaning there is no cost for spectators to line the streets and enjoy the creativity and colour that marks the start of the festival.