Photoworks Festival 2026

The Photoworks Festival is returning to Brighton and Hove this autumn, with the main opening events scheduled for 2 to 4 October 2026. If you’ve been around the local arts scene for a while, you might remember this as the Brighton Photo Biennial, but the festival has since shifted its approach. This year, the curators are working under the theme 'Un/Stable: Lands, Anxieties, Dreams'. It’s a concept that looks at the precariousness of modern life, exploring how our personal and collective spaces can feel a bit shaky. The idea is to use photography to navigate current anxieties and imagine what different futures might look like, focusing on those areas where our environment and social structures feel less than solid.

The programme is quite varied and moves away from a standard gallery setup to encourage more of a dialogue. You’ll find exhibitions, public talks, and workshops, alongside events like portfolio reviews and conferences. The subject matter covers a lot of ground, including climate change, technology, queer ecology, and social archives. Because the festival aims to deconstruct the usual exhibition format, there’s a focus on interaction, so the tours and discussions are intended to be just as central as the images themselves. It’s less about looking at photos in silence and more about how these images connect to things like identity and community.

In terms of where to go, the festival is taking over several spots across the city, including Brighton Museums, University of Brighton spaces, and various public sites. They are also collaborating with Photo Fringe, so the local photography scene will be particularly busy during this period. The artists involved range from students and those just starting out to well-established international names, which usually brings a good mix of people to the events. While specific pricing hasn't been detailed for every single talk or workshop, the involvement of local institutional partners suggests a combination of free public access and some paid sessions for the more specialised activities. It’s a chance to see how different artists are documenting the ecosystems and social shifts happening around us without the usual formalities of a traditional biennial.