Our mission is to inspire and enable artists to be their most creative and to champion the power of the arts to enrich and change lives. We believe in the transformative power of the arts and that they can provide a catalyst for social change for good.
As we know, the hammer blow that COVID19 has delivered to our lives is likely to ripple for some time and is affecting every sector of our economy. Arts venues across the country are facing extremely hard times ahead, potentially financially devastating. 65% of our income disappeared over night.
Each May we produce Brighton Festival, the largest curated annual arts festival in England. Renowned for its pioneering spirit and experimental reputation since 1967, Brighton Festival has become one of the city’s most enduring symbols of inventiveness. The inaugural programme included Laurence Olivier, Anthony Hopkins, Yehudi Menuhin, The Who, The Pink Floyd, Concrete Poetry. So we have a long tradition for attracting the most exciting performers from across the globe, as well as promoting local artists, and bringing fresh, challenging work that opens minds right across Brighton & Hove and beyond.
Since 2009 we have welcomed a major cultural figure to guest curate and enhance the prestige of the artistic programme. Anish Kapoor, Brian Eno, Vanessa Redgrave, Michael Rosen, Hofesh Shechter, Ali Smith, Laurie Anderson, Kate Tempest, David Shrigley and Lemn Sissay have contributed significantly to our innovative programming as Guest Director.
A hub for artists across the region, we commission and support both emerging and established artists and companies, enabling them to develop, take risks and deliver work of the highest quality.
We have provided thousands of memories to treasure and we know our annual Festival inspires lives and enables change for good. We need to fight hard to stay here for our community for the foreseeable. We will need the arts more than ever when we come out the other side of this.
'This Festival brings so much pleasure to so many and is part of the cultural fabric of Brighton & Hove. I hope this relatively small amount helps artists and organisers during these unprecedented times. Good luck! I am looking forward to next year's Festival more than ever!' Brighton Festival Ticket Booker and Donor