Brighton Dome

This beautifully ornate multi-arts venue was first constructed as the Prince Regent's Royal Stables and Riding House in 1803. Brighton purchased the building in 1850 converting it into cavalry barracks before it was re-purposed as a concert venue and assembly hall in 1867. Now a Grade 1 listed building the art deco refit that remains today (with a couple of tweaks to bring it up to modern standards) was overseen by architect Robert Atkinson in 1934/35. Featuring three performance spaces the larger Concert Hall, the Corn Exchange and intimate Studio Theatre (accessed via New Road). Over the years the venue has hosted everyone from Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix to the Eurovision Song Contest (in 1974 when ABBA romped to victory with 'Waterloo'). The Dome is approximately 10 mins walk from Brighton station and there is parking available at the NCP Theatre Car Park on Church Street.

What's On @ Brighton Dome

Greg Davies: Full Fat Legend

8 Dec 2026 - 12 Mar 2027

Star of shows such as Taskmaster, The Inbetweeners, The Cleaner, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Man Down and Cuckoo, this is Greg’s biggest live tour yet.

Joanne McNally: Pinotphile

30 May 2026 - 17 Dec 2026

After the success of her record-breaking tour The Prosecco Express, Joanne McNally returns with her hotly anticipated new stand-up show Pinotphile.

Ray Lamontagne

21 May 2026 - 9 Jun 2026

Rootsy US singer/songwriter with an increasingly intoxicating laidback sound.

The Blindboy Podcast LIVE

18 Oct 2026 - 23 Oct 2026

The Blindboy Podcast LIVE; (Concert Hall)

Mark Simmons

15 May 2026 - 28 Nov 2026

Mark Simmons combines hilarious one-liners with an irresistible love of performing, to resonate with audiences at virtual and in-person events. His award-winning stand-up is a cut above the rest, setting Mark apart on the booking circuit and leading him to perform on some of the most prestigious comedy stages in the UK.

Tom Davis: Spudgun

22 May 2026 - 13 Feb 2027

Tom Davis is back on the road, firing out his freshly cooked observations on life's hot topics. Co-host of the mega-hit podcast Wolf and Owl with Romesh Ranganathan, star of BAFTA and Royal Television Society award-winning comedy series Murder in Successville and BBC One smash-hit comedy King Gary, Tom also has his own special Underdog available to watch on Sky and NOW TV.

Troy Hawke

15 May 2026 - 4 Jun 2027

Fresh from finding and proving decisive links between IKEA, the CIA and the Nazi’s, 1930’s throwback homeschooled investigator Troy Hawke battle a new enemy on behalf of all people everywhere…the saboteur that lurks in our own minds…

10cc's Graham Gouldman & Heart Full of Songs

29 Jun 2026 - 28 Oct 2026

10cc is one of the UK’s most innovative and influential bands. They have announced their return to the UK concert scene with the typically tongue-in-cheek ‘And Another Bloody Greatest Hits Tour’ — celebrating a genre-defying repertoire that continues to captivate audiences across the world.

Nick Mohammed is Mr Swallow: Show Pony

12 May 2026 - 20 Jun 2026

Taskmaster loser and Ted Lasso star Nick Mohammed returns as his critically acclaimed alter-ego Mr. Swallow in the "deliriously enjoyable” Show Pony Mr. Swallow has recently been seen making everyone laugh in Amazon Prime’s hit show Last One Laughing, as well as appearing on numerous episodes of Channel 4’s 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. He made his BBC debut at the 2024 BAFTA Film Awards with - frankly - terrifying results, a lot of which is discussed in Show Pony for therapeutic reasons. Show Pony has been described by Mr. Swallow as “payback for everyone who didn’t come to the last tour” and “my most personal/libelous show to date” and will cover everything from not having his own sitcom to not having his own sitcom… and everything in between (critical race theory). As per - expect magic, music and a whole load of brand new mistakes…

Russell Howard

13 Jun 2026 - 29 Nov 2026

Presenter, actor, and much-loved funny man.

Sindhu Vee

5 Sept 2026 - 25 Nov 2026

Sindhu Vee is an award-winning comedian, writer and actor. Since swapping a career in investment banking for one in comedy, Sindhu has fast become one of the most exciting and sought-after talents on the UK circuit.

Celya Ab: We Must Stop Meeting Like This

12 Sept 2026 - 1 Nov 2026

Have you ever forensically over-thought your life choices? Are they all somehow connected to a passing comment your Spanish teacher made when you were 15? Has it impacted everything from your love life to your career? Following sold-out shows across the UK, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Soho Theatre, Celya AB (One of the most gifted joke writers of her age - Chortle) is back with a new show with her brand of exceptional, not to mention impressively original (British Comedy Guide) jokes and sharp observations. This is a show about breaking free from shame, and what ensues when you do.

Laura Smyth: Born Aggy

24 Sept 2026 - 26 Nov 2026

What if all your dreams come true and you’ve still got the hump? Laura Smyth has had a meteoric rise in comedy! Her debut tour ‘Living My Best Life’ sold out up and down the country; she has supported Jack Whitehall, Michelle de Swarte, Alan Davies, and Jason Manford and appeared on multiple panel shows. She’s even beaten cancer; she’s done all the alternative healing shit you could shake a stick at – and she still thinks everyone’s a dkhead. It can’t just be her, can it?

Thomas Green: Brainstorm

14 May 2026 - 29 Nov 2026

After a significant self-discovery, Green realises his life is a whirlwind full of tangents of his own making, navigating through the impulsive, random and stupid.

Jen Brister: Reactive

20 May 2026 - 11 Nov 2026

Jen Brister is Reactive - or so she's been told. Apparently you don't have to respond to every little thing around you. Finding herself in a constant state of exacerbation at the state of the world and people in general, Brister has been told she needs to chill the hell out. Can Jen find her zen? It seems unlikely to be honest...

Beverley Knight

2 Jun 2026 - 30 Jun 2026

Beverley Knight has been one of the UK's most consistent artists for almost three decades. Back together with her live band expect a fun-filled night where she will perform all of her classic hits and fan favourites along with brand new songs, celebrating her incredible career over the years.

Mike Bubbins

20 Sept 2026 - 17 Apr 2027

Mike Bubbins, star of hit podcast The Socially Distant Sports Bar, and of BBC television comedies Mammoth, Tourist Trap and The Unexplainers, unleashes Throwback, his first ever solo UK stand-up tour. And things may never be the same again. Throwback is a powerful, thought-provoking, visceral hour of stand-up comedy, that pushes boundaries, defies neat descriptions and challenges the audience... As if it is! It’s actually an hour and a half of really funny stories, pretty impressive characterisations, possibly a song (he said he’ll see how that goes), a bit of nostalgia about the good old days, a bit of optimism about the good new days, and Mike generally having a laugh about life and not taking himself, or anything else, too seriously. Having said that, he may, at some point in the show, get very annoyed at berks, whether in the past, the present, or the future. Very annoyed. So basically Throwback is a comedy show about Bubbins sharing, and bringing to life, the stuff that he finds funny. As comedy concepts go, it’s a pretty straightforward one, really.

Maisie Adam: Whatsherface

17 Sept 2026 - 20 Mar 2027

Straight off the back of Taskmaster, A League Of Their Own, and Last One Laughing, Maisie Adam is back with her brand new show Whatsherface. Join the "tall, chaotic one with the weird hair" as she returns with her trademark wit, firecracker gags, and probably a few angry outbursts along the way. A genuine description given by her best friend's Mum at a wedding this year.

James Morrison

12 May 2026 - 28 Aug 2026

Chart-topping singer songwriter with a distinctively soulful voice. Back in the mid-00s, making a dent in the music industry mostly involved a creative and aggressive MySpace strategy. Massively bucking that trend, James Morrison's arrival proved that there was still a lot to be said for a great voice. The Warwickshire singer-songwriter took the best elements of smooth soul and hushed folk and elevated it with vocals that crooned and croaked in all the right places.

Catherine Bohart

28 Jun 2026 - 25 Nov 2026

Catherine Bohart loves control, hates change and is a serial planner. It’s been an interesting couple of years… A blisteringly funny new stand-up show filled with horrendous life advice, cheery nihilism and reluctant self-discovery from one of the UK and Ireland’s most exciting comics.

Marillion

12 Sept 2026 - 2 Oct 2026

While the U.K.'s Marillion aren't the best-known rock band in the 21st century, they've influenced many acts that followed in their wake, directly or indirectly, from Porcupine Tree and Radiohead to the Pineapple Thief and Gazpacho. They are rightfully credited with having established the neo-prog subgenre, and have explored many types of music over the decades that, thanks to their expert musicianship, have celebrated their long, inventive passages for electric guitars and keyboards.

Romesh Ranganathan Will Change Your Life

9 Oct 2026 - 17 Apr 2027

Hi. I’m Romesh Ranganathan and I Will Change Your Life. Tired of trying quick fixes and papering over the cracks in your life? Then you haven’t tried my new quick fix. My latest tour show. It’s scientifically proven to improve your self esteem. Simply standing next to my tour poster will boost your attractiveness to potential lovers. Problems at home? I will teach you how to successfully bottle up your feelings and pour them out to strangers at a variety of theatres and arenas. Watch my new improved show once and you will immediately become a Romesh Rangana-FAN. That’s Romesh Ranganathan’s new tour, guaranteed to CHANGE YOUR LIFE! Romesh Ranganathan is best known for The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan, Parents' Evening, Rob & Romesh Vs, A League Of Their Own, The Weakest Link, Can't Knock The Hustle and his much-loved BBC Radio 2 Saturday morning show, his hit podcasts Wolf & Owl, For The Love of Hip Hop and The Romesh Ranganathan Show. Disclaimer: based on a sample of 3 people who live with Romesh. These claims have not been evaluated by a legal governing body. It isn’t. Presented by Off The Kerb Productions

Anna Lapwood

29 May 2026 - 14 Jun 2026

Hailed as "the dream ambassador for classical music" by Gramophone, organist Anna Lapwood brings an evening of festive organ music to some of the UK's most stunning instruments. Anna Lapwood MBE is an organist, conductor and broadcaster, and is the Organist of the Royal Albert Hall. A terrific protagonist for her instrument, Anna has gathered a following of more than 2 million on social media and performs to sold-out venues around the world. Equally at home with the world's great orchestras and conductors, she has also performed with RAYE, Florence and the Machine, Bonobo and Benedict Cumberbatch.

The End Of The World According To Jonathan Pie

2 Sept 2026 - 29 Nov 2026

Jonathan Pie is coming to terms with the horror of Keir Starmer's Labour and the fact that he voted for it. Meanwhile, Reform are waiting in the wings and Elon Musk is pulling the strings. The far-right are on the march, Trump's having a ball and the woke left still haven't worked out how to get their head out their own arses. The climate is collapsing; AI is about to rule and ruin your life and World War Three feels distinctly possible. Come and see this helpful and hilarious guide to surviving the impending apocalypse. This is The End of The World according to Jonathan Pie.

Urzila Carlson: Fatty on a Yacht

9 Sept 2026 - 30 Sept 2026

Multi-award-winning South African-New Zealander Urzila Carlson is one of Australian and New Zealand's biggest comedy stars, and she's bringing her trademark cheeky wit back to UK stages. An undeniable tour de force of the comedy world, Urzila hasn't stopped since first taking to the comedy stage in 2008.

Kingfishr

14 May 2026 - 26 Aug 2026

Limerick-based 3-piece, Kingfishr, have quickly established themselves as one of the rising prospects in Irish music. Part of the newest generation of Irish contemporaries, the band’s grand, atmospheric tone married with their propensity for catchy melodies has resonated with a wide audience.

The Proclaimers

4 Jun 2026 - 19 Dec 2026

The Proclaimers have carved a niche for themselves where pop, folk, new wave and punk collide as the emotional honesty, political fire, wit and sing-along raucousness of their songs has entertained fans across the world. Amongst their many accolades they have enjoyed Gold and Platinum singles and albums in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. 'My favourite band of all time. They write the most spectacular songs, big hearted, uncynical passionate songs.' -- David Tennant

Bellowhead

10 Nov 2026 - 1 Dec 2026

Vibrant, chaotic and upbeat international folk on a variety of instruments.

Phil Wang: Uh Oh

6 Jun 2026 - 25 Feb 2027

UH OH. Phil Wang’s back with a new stand-up show, and he’s older than ever before. He’s got a moustache now. It bristles with wisdom. His eyes shine with good humour. His shoulders groan under the weight of being the only cool millennial left. Everyone’s an idiot but him. Nice is out. Right is in. The vibe shift is real. Old Wang’s riding it. You know him from one series of Taskmaster, one episode of Would I Lie to You, and one minute of Wonka. Presented by Avalon UK

Breakin' Convention

27 May 2026 - 27 May 2026

The ground-breaking festival of hip hop dance theatre from around the world, and around the corner Breakin’ Convention is coming back to Brighton in 2026! Prepare to be blown away by high-energy, world-class performances from celebrated poppers, lockers, b-boys and b-girls. This year's line-up features Femme Fatale (France/ Mexico/ South Korea), a mesmerising female trio known for their musicality, precision and technique. You’ll also experience some members of the trailblazing ILL-Abilities (Netherlands/Brazil), an all-star crew of differently abled b-boys. All this, plus incredible local talent from Streetfunk - Street Symphony, Project Female, Visual Poets and Thread Temple. Joining for the evening performance is the mighty TRAPLORD, the Olivier Award-winning creation from Ivan Michael Blackstock - a visionary creative behind choreography for Beyoncé and other global names. Exploring masculinity and mental health, TRAPLORD is a powerful fusion of movement and storytelling which challenges racial stereotypes of Black men. Curated and hosted by UK hip hop theatre legend and Breakin’ Convention Artistic Director Jonzi D, this dynamic celebration of hip hop culture will fill the entire venue from stage to foyer with live DJs, graffiti artists, freestyle dance sessions, and much more. Since 2004, Breakin’ Convention, based at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London, has led the global hip hop theatre movement, showcasing trailblazing artists and connecting communities through the power of dance, music, and storytelling Lineup per performance: Matinee: Femme Fatale, ILL-Abilities, Streetfunk - Street Symphony, Project Female, Visual Poets and Thread Temple Evening: TRAPLORD, Femme Fatale, ILL-Abilities, Streetfunk - Street Symphony, Project Female, and Visual Poets

Michael Ball: Glow UK Tour

26 Aug 2026 - 29 Nov 2026

Michael Ball is Britain’s leading musical theatre star, a double Olivier Award-winning, Grammy nominated, multi-platinum recording artist and a hugely popular radio and TV presenter. For over 40 years he has been at the top of his game, starring in musical theatre productions in the West End and on Broadway, winning critical acclaim, a devoted following and awards for his stage work and recording career. Michael’s theatre credits include Edna Turnblad in Hairspray (ENO/Coliseum), Javert in Les Misérables – The Staged Concert (Gielgud Theatre & UK / Australia Arena Tour) Anatoly in Chess (ENO/Coliseum), Mack in Mack and Mabel (Chichester/UK Tour), Sweeney Todd in Sweeney Todd (West End) for which he won the Olivier Award for ‘Best Actor in a Musical’, Edna Turnblad in Hairspray (Original West End Cast) for which he won the Olivier Award for ‘Best Actor in a Musical’, Kismet (English National Opera), Patience (New York City Opera), The Woman in White (West End/Broadway), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (West End), Passion, The Phantom of the Opera, Aspects of Love (West End/Broadway) and creating the role of. Marius in Les Misérables (Original West End Cast). His television credits include the Victoria Wood BBC TV film, That Day We Sang, opposite his Sweeney Todd co-star, Imelda Staunton. He regularly tours the UK as a concert artist and has sold millions of albums over the last 40 years

James Acaster

22 May 2026 - 28 Jul 2026

James Acaster is one of comedy’s most original voices. A whimsical master, he has received acclaim from around the world, including a record breaking 5 consecutive nominations for ‘Best Comedy Show’ at the 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 & 2016 Edinburgh Fringe Festivals. In 2017 he toured the country with a staggering three show ‘Trelogy’, performing Recognise, Represent and Reset consecutively over three nights in each venue.

Kevin Bridges: Here If You Need Me

14 Aug 2026 - 13 Feb 2027

Kevin Bridges cut his comedy teeth in Glasgow after leaving school at the age of 17. From there, the young comedian began performing around the UK. Bridges made his TV debut at 18, taking part in Channel 5’s So You Think You’re Funny competition at the Edinburgh Fringe. By 2006, Bridges performed his first full-length solo show at the Glasgow International Comedy Festival, his first of many performances at his hometown festival. With his star quickly rising, Bridges started to become a regular face on comedy TV series like Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, Live at the Apollo, 8 out of 10 Cats, and Mock the Week.

Nikita Kuzmin - Supernova!

12 Jun 2026 - 19 Jul 2026

Strictly Come Dancing finalist and fan favourite Nikita Kuzmin takes centre stage in the explosive new dance spectacular Supernova, touring the UK in June and July 2026. Created in collaboration with world-renowned choreographer and BAFTA award recipient Jason Gilkison and presented by international dance sensation Burn the Floor. Supernova is a show fuelled by the firepower of world class performers and creatives from around the world. Expect an evening of electrifying entertainment where artistry meets innovation, and Nikitas trademark charm, power and charisma shine brighter than ever. Get ready the Supernova is about to explode!

Joe Tracini - Ten Things I Hate About Me

18 May 2026 - 1 Jul 2026

Hi, hope you're ok. My show is about hope. It's also about mental illness, good liars, bad ideas, Lorraine Kelly and a gang lord forcing me to hold a raw chicken. But it's mostly about hope. I live with a complex mental illness called borderline personality disorder (BPD) and I started writing this, about that, in January 2020. It's been a long 5 years, but I'm finally here. Please come. I wrote it for you. Joe Tracini is an actor, writer and TV presenter. He's starred in TV shows including Hollyoaks, Coming of Age and The Great Outdoors, and was the host of the BAFTA winning The Dengineers on CBBC. Since March 2020 his social media videos have been viewed over 90 million times. The BAFTA-nominated Channel 4 documentary Me and the Voice in My Head explored the frequently debilitating effects that Joe's Borderline Personality Disorder has on every aspect of his life. His book, Ten Things I Hate About Me is a Sunday Times Bestseller.

Chris Packham's World of Wonder: A Planet on the Edge

1 Nov 2026 - 25 Nov 2026

For nearly forty years Chris Packham has been the voice of nature in the UK. Through his groundbreaking work on The Really Wild Show, Springwatch, Inside Our Autistic Minds and Earth, Chris has devoted his remarkable life to engaging with the natural world - and urging us all to do the same. Join Chris as he opens an encyclopaedia of stories from his lifetime of curiosity and conviction. From a childhood bedroom bursting with feathers, skulls, jam-jars full of tadpoles, snakes and lizards, foxes and badgers, to the wild adventures that shaped his love of nature, and the practical things we can all do in our daily lives to make a difference in a time of crisis. Experience an evening alive with discovery, with the chance to see extraordinary specimens from Chris's own collection up close, hear untold stories from behind the camera, and share in his infectious passion for the living world. If you care about everything that creeps, crawls, slithers and slimes - if you believe the world can still be saved - then this is your night. Because the dinosaur in the room isn't fiction. It's real. And it's demanding your attention!

Leila Navabi: Relay

16 May 2026 - 22 May 2026

A bold, joyful punk-musical one-person show about making a queer family on your own terms, written and performed by award-nominated comedian, writer and composer Leila Navabi. The critically acclaimed show was included in The Guardian's "10 Best Shows to Catch" at Edinburgh Fringe this summer and was nominated for the Brighton Fringe Award for Excellence. Relay blends stand-up, electro-pop musical numbers and hand-drawn animation into a heartfelt, hilarious hour about what it takes to start a family when the odds (and the system) are stacked against you. Leila dives into the wild ride of making a baby at home with her partner, a best mate as the sperm donor, and, naturally, his boyfriend cheering from the sidelines. Navabi unpacks love, ambition, and the chaos of building a family on her own terms. Equal parts absurd and profound, Relay is proof that family is not just what you make it, but how.

Ben Folds: The Paper Airplane Request Tour

15 Nov 2026 - 26 Nov 2026

Emmy-nominated singer-songwriter Ben Folds, celebrated for his wide-ranging, genre-bending catalogue, returns! He currently tours as a pop artist, while also performing for over two decades with some of the world’s greatest symphony orchestras. Folds, who served for eight years as the first ever Artistic Advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, stepped down from his post when Donald Trump announced his takeover of the Center. Just days before the US presidential election, Folds recorded two sold out performances with the NSO which he released as a live album this summer which debuted at the top of the Billboard classical and classical crossover charts. A New York Times Best Selling author, Ben also creates new music for film, tv and theatre, including original songs for an ongoing series of animated Peanuts specials on Apple TV. Ben Fold's Paper Airplane Request Tour is a unique concert format during which the audience is invited to write their favourite Folds song requests on paper, fold them into airplanes, and launch them toward the stage. The concert includes two halves, separated by a short intermission. In the first half, Folds will perform a standard setlist. In the second half, he’ll perform songs requested via paper airplanes launched onto the stage. Those attending are encouraged to bring their pre-made paper airplanes to the show, or they are welcome to use paper and pens made available at the merchandise table to make their own paper airplanes on site.

Nice! Stories and Rhymes with Michael Rosen

7 Jun 2026 - 11 Oct 2026

To celebrate his 80th birthday, Michael Rosen will present a one-man show for children and families, where he performs a lifetime of poetry. The poems Michael will perform will include classics like We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, Chocolate Cake and No Breathing, along with debuting new work that will be published in an associated book celebrating A Life in Poems. NICE! is a show for all ages, from the young to the young at heart!

Sam Campbell

6 Aug 2026 - 26 Nov 2026

I definitely don't know what's going on. I'm not even sure I know what's happening anymore. But I cannot wait to come to your town and respect your traditions. I have been on TV over five times. May I divulge a secret? I have purchased a large metal ring. I will use it to keep all of the keys to the city that are given to me by the mayors I impress with my showmanship. Live comedy is straight up amazing because people gather to watch it in a spectacular setting rather than ogling an evil phone screen in some horrid grey dank little corner. Edinburgh Comedy Award winner, Taskmaster champion & surrealist genius Sam Campbell is an Australian comedian who shot to international acclaim after winning the Barry Award for Most Outstanding Show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (2018) and the Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Show (2022). He conquered Channel 4’s Taskmaster Series 16 in 2023 and has appeared on Would I Lie to You?, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Guessable, The Russell Howard Hour, Live at the Moth Club, Friday Night Live, Bloods, Fisk, QI and various other comedy panel and sketch shows. He’s also a writer-performer on his Channel 4’s blap "Get Real Dude" and the cult series "Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared". His debut Channel 4 series "Make That Movie!" will be released in 2026. He is also the co-host of the podcast "Lucy & Sam’s Perfect Brains" with Lucy Beaumont.

The Adam Buxton Band

12 May 2026 - 24 Jun 2026

Join Adam Buxton and his live band for an intimate evening celebrating the release of his debut album, Buckle Up, out now via Decca. Buxton, our most beloved podcaster, seasoned veteran of GarageBand and the jingle, enlisted Metronomy’s Joe Mount as producer and band leader … “I hoped it would be a Metronomy record with my voice” Buxton initially pondered, also hoping the outcome might sound like “Berlin-period Bowie and Eno going for lunch with Radiohead and Nina Simone at Brian Wilson’s beach brasserie.” Instead came fifteen songs that inhabit the space between heartfelt and silly, where Buxton has comfortably set up shop.

Friday Night is Music Night

5 Jun 2026 - 26 Jun 2026

There’s music for everyone in BBC Radio 3’s Friday Night is Music Night! Join the BBC Concert Orchestra and BBC Radio 3 for an evening of orchestral favourites and unforgettable classical tunes. George Jackson conducts an exciting programme including music by Elgar, Samuel Coleridge Taylor, Grieg, Vaughn Williams and Walton. Plus a special guest singer joins the orchestra to perform songs made famous by Ella Fitzgerald and Nina Simone. Don’t miss this exciting celebration as the BBC’s popular, long-running radio show comes to town!

The Archers: Live at 75

7 Jun 2026 - 26 Nov 2026

To mark this extraordinary milestone, The Archers is stepping out of the studio and onto the stage for a very special national tour. Hosted by comedian and superfan Angela Barnes and set at the beloved Ambridge Flower & Produce Show, this landmark event brings your favourite cast into the spotlight with live performances, on-the-spot sound effects and unforgettable moments from the BBC archives. Along the way, you’ll have the chance to test your knowledge in The Bull Pub Quiz, sing along to the famous theme tune and watch our archivist field the toughest trivia true fans can muster. There will also be the opportunity to put your own questions to the cast - ever wondered how Brian Aldridge sleeps at night after a lifetime of infidelity? Or what Natasha’s next brilliant business idea will be? - and enjoy behind-the-scenes revelations that Lynda Snell herself would be proud to draw out. And, in true Ambridge fashion, expect a little Flower & Produce Show chaos before the night is through. Warm, witty, and steeped in nostalgia, this unique tour celebrates the people, stories and unmistakable soundscape that have made The Archers a national treasure for generations. Experience Ambridge as you've never seen - or heard - it before! Cast to be announced. A Commercial Production Licensed by the BBC.

Saint Etienne

11 Sept 2026 - 26 Sept 2026

Formed in Croydon in 1990 by music journalist Bob Stanley with childhood friend Pete Wiggs, and soon joined by singer Sarah Cracknell, Saint Etienne arose within the context of the indie-dance movement of that era but created a unique sound which – albeit accidentally – paved the way for what would later become known as Britpop.

An Evening with Maggie O'Farrell: Land

4 Jun 2026 - 4 Jun 2026

Maggie O’Farrell is the award-winning author of nine novels, including Hamnet, a breathtaking fictional retelling of the death of Shakespeare’s only son from the bubonic plague. This much-loved novel won the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2020, and this year the celebrated film adaptation starring Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley arrives in cinemas. In June, O’Farrell will return with her highly-anticipated new novel, Land. A multigenerational saga set in 19th-century Ireland, Land centres on the man tasked with mapping the country for the Ordnance Survey. Set in the wake of the famine, and inspired by her own family history, the novel is at once intimate and epic: a portrait of a family navigating a legacy of upheaval and survival with resilience and love. On Thursday June 4 join her at Brighton Dome Corn Exchange for a conversation about this sweeping new novel, the art of writing historical fiction, and re-imagining the lives of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary moments in history. The Book & Ticket bundle includes a stamped author signature copy of Land (RRP £25) - exclusive to the Land tour. These copies can be collected on the night. Presented by Intelligence Squared

Nish Kumar: Angry Humour From a Really Nice Guy

9 Sept 2026 - 25 Nov 2026

The world is in chaos. Inequality is widening, autocracy is rising and political parties are collapsing. In these divided times, what this country desperately needs is Angry Humour From a Really Nice Guy (in many ways it's actually the last thing this country needs, but it's what it's getting so tough luck). The UK’s leading political comic Nish Kumar – co-host of hugely popular podcast Pod Save the UK, former host of axed BBC show The Mash Report, and one of Taskmaster’s greatest losers – is back on tour with a formidable batch of passionate, progressive stand-up for the ages. Kumar is 40. His mind is breaking. His body is worse. Expect existential angst and political disquiet from comedy's cheekiest boy. Nish Kumar was named one of the 50 Best Comedians of the 21st Century by both The Guardian and The Telegraph, with his previous tour playing to sold out crowds across the UK, North America, Australasia and mainland Europe.

Shalamar

13 Jun 2026 - 10 Jul 2026

Shalamar are one of the most successful soul groups of all time, selling 25 million albums worldwide. Formed in 1976, the band enjoyed their first hit single the following year with the Motown inspired medley 'Uptown Festival'. The 'underground soul club' hits continued with 'Take That To The Bank' in 1978, followed by 'Right In The Socket' and the infectious ‘The Second Time Around’, which dominated the airwaves through Autumn 1979. In 1982, the whole world fell under the spell of Shalamar with the release of the Friends album (which sold over on million copies in the UK) and in particular, 'A Night to Remember' – although it was not perhaps the song but the image of Jeffrey Daniel performing the 'Moonwalk' live on British Television for the first time on Top of The Pops that stopped a nation in their tracks. Fast forward 35+ years and the band, still with original members Jeffrey Daniel, Howard Hewitt alongside Solar Records Dick Griffey, daughter Carolyn Griffey continue to thrill audiences all over the world with their stage show. 'A Shalamar concert is a giant party' says Jeffrey Daniel, 'from the moment we step on stage to the moment we finish the audience becomes part of the show - they’re up on their feet dancing and singing along.'

Elvis Costello

12 Jun 2026 - 6 Jul 2026

The veteran singer-songwriter and guitarist, born Declan Patrick MacManus, plays from a selection of his pub rock and new wave hits including 'Alison', 'Watching The Detectives' and 'Pump It Up'.

Aldous Harding

25 May 2026 - 9 Jun 2026

Aldous Harding is a rare artist who defies conventions and categorisation, creating lush, off-kilter indie pop. Shapeshifting vocals transform with every track, tilting and changing mood and atmosphere, while delicate guitars and soft percussion add a shimmering intensity. Live, Aldous Harding is an intense performer, a mesmerising and theatrical presence, that captivates her audience.

In The Night Garden Live

17 Jun 2026 - 12 Sept 2026

In the Night Garden Live is an amazing musical theatre experience for all the family. Children’s favourite CBeebies’ stars -- Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy, Makka Pakka and friends -- are all brought to life on stage with beautiful costumes, magical puppets, enchanting music, and breathtaking projections that make it feel like you're actually in the Night Garden.

Cobrah

27 May 2026 - 29 May 2026

With a style self-described as “BDSM pop” and “gay workout music,” the alluring sound of COBRAH reflects a natural evolution of music originating from the LGBTQ+ community from an artist who makes shapeshifting an art form in itself on releases like her self-titled 2021 EP and 2023’s full-length debut SUCCUBUS.

Wakefire: An Incantion to Summer

20 Jun 2026 - 20 Jun 2026

Having bewitched audiences annually with their much-loved wintertime show, Awake Arise, Lady Maisery and Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith return with their hotly anticipated next alchemic collaboration: an essential incantation to the summertime. With more folk songs collected about the month of May than any other time apart from Christmas, the charismatic supergroup embark on a journey to mark this season with song and spoken word. There is of course morris, mayday and magic. There is also ritual, rave and cider with Rosie. There are countryside cuckoos and city foxes. There is fear for our warming planet alongside the promise of ripening fruit. As with their wintertime show, Awake Arise, this midsummer offering is a multi-layered and surprising celebration of long summer days and effervescent nights.

Embrace

6 Jun 2026 - 28 Nov 2026

Embrace celebrate the 20th anniversary of their massive-selling, No.1 album, Out Of Nothing, playing their biggest selling record in full, along with their other greatest hits.

Michelle Wolf: Best Job in the World

11 Jun 2026 - 24 Aug 2026

Primetime Emmy Nominee Michelle Wolf has established herself as one of the most influential voices in the comedy landscape. Her stand-up specials across HBO and Netflix have garnered critical acclaim and top viewing figures. Wolf has headlined across the world, including her infamous appearance at the White House Correspondents Dinner. Her last sold-out Edinburgh Fringe run scored a prestigious Edinburgh Comedy Award nomination. Wolf is also known for her appearances on The Daily Show (Comedy Central) and The Break with Michelle Wolf (Netflix).

Katherine Jenkins

2 Oct 2026 - 27 Oct 2026

Cherished as one of Britain’s all-time favourite singers, in 2017 Katherine was officially crowned The No.1 selling 'Classical Music Artist of the Last 25 Years’ by Classic FM, and made chart history when her last album ‘Guiding Light’, became her 13th UK Classical No.1 album, further cementing Katherine's position as the world’s most prolific artist in UK Classical chart history. As one of the UK’s greatest musical exports, multi-award winning Katherine has performed all over the world, for the Pope, for Presidents and is a favourite of the Royal Family, having been invited to sing 'God Save The Queen' at Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee, perform at Her Majesty's Coronation Concerts at Buckingham Palace and by special request at Her Majesty's 90th birthday celebrations at Windsor Castle. She has embarked upon numerous sold out tours and duetted with such names as Andrea Bocelli, José Carreras, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Bryn Terfel, Rolando Villazon, and Il Divo, amongst others. Katherine was awarded an OBE at the 2014 New Year’s Honours List for her services to music and charity and wowed audiences and critics alike with her stellar performance as Julie Jordan in Lonny Price’s semi-staged production of Carousel at the London Coliseum in 2017.

Sunn O)))

28 Jun 2026 - 3 Jul 2026

Sunn O))) have been challenging the way we think about music. In that relatively brief time, core members Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson forged connections between the worlds of metal, drone, contemporary composition, jazz and minimalism with startling results while remaining true to the eternal principles of volume, density and weight.

Peaches

15 May 2026 - 15 May 2026

Peaches (Merrill Nisker) burst into transcontinental favour with her very particular brand of cocksure rapping and groovebox beats. Though she came from an underground cauldron of acoustic folk (Mermaid Café), avant-garde jazz (Fancypants Hoolum), and deconstructed noise swarms (the Shit), it wasn't until 2000 that her fearless, political gender play truly raised heads.

Akram Khan Company - Thikra: Night of Remembering

23 May 2026 - 24 May 2026

Past and present converge in a journey through tradition, honouring our ancestors in Akram Khan Company’s final touring production. Imagined as an annual gathering, a tribe of women come together for one night only to awaken the spirit of those who came before them. Through ceremony and shared remembrance, they transcend time, uniting the past and present in a profound act of renewal. Khan draws profound inspiration from diverse cultures that engage in these sacred practices across the globe. With scenography and costume design by award-winning Saudi visual artist Manal AlDowayan, the piece explores the echoes of a colonised past. Featuring an original score by Aditya Prakash (ROOM-i-Nation, 2025), sound design by Gareth Fry, lighting design by Zeynep Kepekli, dramaturgy by Blue Pieta, with an all-female international cast of Contemporary and Bharatanatyam dancers, Thikra weaves a narrative that is at once universal and deeply personal. Together, these creative voices invite us to reflect on our own heritage and the rituals that have shaped our shared humanity. Akram Khan - Director/Choreographer Akram Khan is one of the most celebrated and respected dance artists of today. In 25 years, he has created a body of work that has contributed significantly to the arts in the UK and abroad. His reputation has been built on the success of imaginative, highly accessible and relevant productions such as GIGENIS: the generation of the Earth, Jungle Book Reimagined and Outwitting the Devil Manal AlDowayan - Visual Director / Costume and Scenography Embracing diverse media, Manal AlDowayan’s work encompasses black and white photography, sculpture, video, sound, neon and large-scale participatory installations. Her artistic practice revolves around themes of invisibility, active forgetting, archives, and collective memory, with a large focus on the status of women and their representation. Manal holds a Master’s Degree in Contemporary Art Practice in Public Spheres from the Royal College of Art, London and her works can be found in the collections of the British Museum, London; Centre Pompidou collection in Paris and the Guggenheim Collection in New York Aditya Prakash - Composer & Soundscape Designer Aditya Prakash, an award-winning singer and composer known for his powerful and expressive voice, is one of the foremost young practitioners of Carnatic music. Aditya’s current focus in composition is pushing boundaries within the classical tradition. In his latest solo album, ISOLASHUN, he explores the weight of privilege and the boundaries of tradition in an entirely new creative form. He is currently composing the music for three evening-length dance productions by Akram Khan as well as touring his own solo gig-theatre production ROOM-i-Nation (Brighton Festival 2025), which explores themes of identity, migration and tradition. Supported by Dishoom Permit Room Commissioned by Wadi AlFann, Valley of the Arts, AlUla Primary Co-producing Partner Bagri Foundation

Natasha Walter, NS Nuseibeh, Shahed Ezaydi - Feminism for a World on Fire

21 May 2026 - 21 May 2026

With the rise of authoritarian states, online misogyny and climate breakdown, we see the multifarious, global threats to women’s lives as their safety is being threatened and their freedoms are under attack. We bring together three incredible writers, Natasha Walter (Living Dolls: the Return of Sexism, Feminism for a World on Fire), Shahed Ezaydi (The Othered Woman: How White Feminism Harms Muslim Women) and N.S. Nuseibeh (Namesake: Reflections on a Warrior Woman) to discuss the idea of a more thriving, intersectional and connected feminism. This event will be chaired by Azieb Pool, arts strategist, author and Director of Creative Ambition at People Make It Work. Please note, N.S.Nuseibeh will join the event via video. Stage timings are subject to change Natasha Walter: Natasha Walter's books include Living Dolls: the Return of Sexism, The New Feminism, and Before the Light Fades. She has worked as a journalist for the Guardian, Independent and Observer and is the founder and former director of Women for Refugee Women. She has been Visiting Professor of Women's Rights at Cambridge University and is currently Honorary Professor at the Centre for Climate Crime and Climate Justice at Queen Mary University of London. N.S. Nuseibeh: N.S. Nuseibeh is a British-Palestinian writer and researcher, born and raised in East Jerusalem. Her interests include issues around identity, ethics, inequality and education. She has previously written for the Atlantic and been shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Namesake won the Giles St Aubyn Award first prize as a work-in-progress. Shahed Ezaydi: Shahed Ezaydi is a writer and editor, specialising in features and reporting on culture, social issues and feminism. She was formerly a writer at Stylist Magazine but now freelances for a range of publications. Shahed is also the author of The Othered Woman: How White Feminism Harms Muslim Women, which is her debut book. Azieb Pool: Azieb Pool is an arts strategist, author and Director of Creative Ambition at People Make It Work. Her work centres on how culture connects people, surfaces hidden stories and drives radical change. From 2019–2025 she was Artistic Director & CEO of the Bernie Grant Arts Centre in London. A former Guardian journalist, Azieb is the author of My Father’s Daughter and editor of Fashion Cities Africa.

Ivo Neame Trio - Jazz Connections

20 May 2026 - 20 May 2026

Multi-award winning pianist Ivo Neame teams up with long-time collaborators Tom Farmer (bass) and James Maddren (drums) Ivo Neame is an internationally renowned pianist, composer and bandleader who has established himself as one of the most innovative figures in contemporary European jazz. With his music characterised by a stunning mix of virtuosity, sophistication and playfulness, and his performances known for their dynamic energy and emotional depth, Ivo Neame has received multiple awards. In this special Brighton Festival edition of Brighton Dome's Jazz Connections series, he is teaming up with long-time collaborators Tom Farmer (bass) and James Maddren (drums), as the Ivo Neame Trio for an evening of inventive compositions, rich harmonies and brilliant improvising.

Delphine Trio

20 May 2026 - 20 May 2026

Magdalenna Krstevska clarinet Jobine Siekman cello Roelof Temmingh piano Beethoven Trio in B-flat Major, Op.11 Pépin Snow, Moon & Flowers Frühling Trio in A minor, Op.40 With artists from around the world the Delphine Trio won the Chamber Music Prize at the 2025 Royal Over-Seas League Music Competition. Beethoven’s early “Gassenhauer” Trio, nicknamed after its jaunty set of variations on a catchy operatic tune that was earworming its way around the backstreets (Gassen) of old Vienna, prefaces thirtysomething French composer Camille Pépin’s 2018 set of impressionistic miniatures inspired by famous woodblock images of old Tokyo. To end, a lushly post-Romantic 1925 Trio by Carl Frühling, an unjustly forgotten Austrian-Jewish composer recently championed by the great cellist Steven Isserlis for “the unpretentious warmth, the humour, the gentle charm of his style”. In association with Royal Over-Seas League

Rafael Kyrychenko

19 May 2026 - 19 May 2026

Rafael Kyrychenko solo piano Messiaen Première Communion de la Vierge Liszt Mephisto No.1 Schumann Arabesque Op.18 Schumann Études Symphoniques Born in the Azores, Portuguese pianist Rafael Kyrychenko won First Prize in the keyboard section of the 2025 Royal Over-Seas League Music Competition. His virtuosic programme contrasts Olivier Messiaen’s poetic wartime meditation on the Virgin Mary at prayer with Franz Liszt’s nimble-fingered depiction of the Devil at play, followed by two masterpieces from Robert Schumann’s mid twenties – Arabesque and Études Symphoniques – which both explore the dual aspects of the troubled composer’s split personality that he himself personified in the imaginary figures of the melancholy Eusebius and the manic Florestan. In Association with Royal Over-Seas League

STATUS FLO - AFLO. the poet, Joelle Taylor & Yomi Sode

18 May 2026 - 18 May 2026

Status Flo returns to Brighton Festival bigger than ever, filling Brighton Dome Corn Exchange with an unmissable night of spoken word. Co-programmed by Brighton Dome and our host AFLO. the poet, this edition features two headline acts - T.S. Eliot Prize winner Joelle Taylor and award-winning writer Yomi Ṣode - plus two feature poets, bringing double the poetry, double the energy, and a stage full of some of the most compelling voices in contemporary spoken word. Expect urgent, moving performances that speak to identity, community, and hope, alongside fresh local talent to be announced. Meet Your Host: AFLO. the poet: Award-winning Brighton-based spoken word artist, AFLO. the poet, presents an uplifting night of spoken word featuring fresh local talent and special guests from across the UK. She is an activist and academic who embraces creative expression to disrupt the status quo and inspire social change, using poetry as a vehicle to address hard-hitting topics, particularly racism and mental health, primarily speaking from her lived experiences. Previously an in-house artist for Brighton Dome, she is a significant force directing change in Brighton's creative scenes and continues to sow seeds across the country Joelle Taylor is the author of four poetry collections, and one novel. C+NTO & Othered Poems won the 2021 T.S Eliot Prize, and the 2022 Polari Book Prize and is currently being adapted both for theatre, and into a television screenplay, and was featured on Radio Three documentary Butch. She is a co- curator and host of Out-Spoken Live at the Southbank Centre and tours her work nationally and internationally in a diverse range of venues, from Australia to Brazil. Her novel The Night Alphabet was published in Spring of 2024 and was named both a Spectator and Guardian Book of the Year. Her most recent radio programme A Young Girl’s Guide to Horror was broadcast on BBC Radio Four. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and the 2022 Saboteur Spoken Word Artist of the Year. She was recently honoured with a DIVA Award for Outstanding Contribution and named in the Guardian’s 2024 Pride Power list. Her new collection Maryville was published by Bloomsbury in November. Yomi Ṣode is an award-winning Nigerian-British writer and poet, recipient of the 2019 Jerwood Compton Poetry Fellowship and shortlisted for the Brunel International African Poetry Prize (2021), Arts Foundation Awards (2024), and Malorie Blackman Impact Award (2025). His acclaimed one-man show COAT toured nationally, and his play and breathe… premiered at the Almeida Theatre to rave reviews, winning four Black British Theatre Awards. His libretto Remnants premiered on BBC Radio 3 with Chineke! Orchestra. Founder of BoxedIn and 12 in 12, his poetry collection Manorism was shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize, and the Rathbone Folio Prize. His debut novel, The Interpreter will be published by Viking.

Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra - Oh To Believe in Another World

17 May 2026 - 17 May 2026

William Kentridge director Joanna MacGregor conductor Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra Kim Gunning video operator Janus Fouché | Žana Marović editors Greta Goiris costume & puppet designer Sabine Theunissen set & model designer Duško Marović, SASC cinematographer Shostakovich Symphony No.10 Following a blockbuster season, the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra and their Music Director Joanna MacGregor are thrilled to collaborate with one of the world’s greatest living artists, William Kentridge. Using collage, puppets and masked actors in his animated film Oh To Believe in Another World, Kentridge creates a dream-like “abandoned Soviet museum” to accompany Shostakovich’s powerful Symphony No. 10. Kentridge will introduce this astonishing work from the stage, drawing on the politics of oppression in his native South Africa and around the world. Kentridge writes: How to make a film to accompany a live orchestral performance of a symphony? There are already 80 musicians; there is the shine of the brass, and the excitement of watching the relationship between the conductor and the musicians. Behind this, to put a film. But the story of Shostakovich and his complicated relationship to the state in the Soviet Union provides the material. The central characters of the film are Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin; Shostakovich and his student Elmira Nazirova; the poet and playwright Mayakovsky and his lover Lily Brik. We still feel the emotional journey of the music, independent of its historical moorings, but at the same time acknowledge the particular character of the era from which it comes.

Fantastically Great Women with Kate Pankhurst

17 May 2026 - 17 May 2026

Join Kate Pankhurst for a wildly wonderful anniversary celebration of the amazing women who changed the world we live in. Kate is the author of the genre-defying, million-copy bestselling Fantastically Great Women series, which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year.  The Fantastically Great Women series has inspired a generation of readers to dream big, stand proud and speak out. Girls AND boys should join us to delve into the lives of the most inspiring and influential women of all time, including legendary artist Frida Kahlo, civil rights activist Rosa Parks, scientist Marie Curie, education activist Malala Yousafzai and superstar singer Taylor Swift! Discover how they changed the world and tell us how you will!  With lots of dressing up, a draw along and TONS of fun facts, this is a perfect event for all the family.

Selina Nwulu - Black Climates

16 May 2026 - 16 May 2026

Selina Nwulu, former Young People’s Laureate for London, joins us with her book, Black Climates: Notes on Race, Our Environment, and Visions for Equitable Futures, which uses her poetic and skilful voice to directly address Black British readers who have been previously ignored in mainstream environmental conversations. Hear as Selina talks to writer, stylist and consultant Aja Barber about subjects such as air pollution, prison ecology, disability justice, migration, food, nature, community care, and radical imagination and providing the tools to envisage more equitable futures. This will be a fully masked event to protect our disabled and immunocompromised audience members. Marginalised people have the highest rates of long covid and, in line with the themes of the book, we want the event to be accessible to everyone and part of collective care in the face of climate breakdown.

The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady

16 May 2026 - 17 May 2026

Celebrate the sensuality and power of jazz. Share the floor with a company of outstanding dancers and a 12-piece live band as Clod Ensemble and Nu Civilisation Orchestra join together to present Charles Mingus’ iconic 1963 masterpiece, The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, widely considered to be one of the greatest records of all time. Lose yourself in the music, get up and dance or take a seat and soak up the atmosphere with a drink. Everyone, including wallflowers, is welcome.

Angélique Kidjo

16 May 2026 - 16 May 2026

Five-time Grammy Award winner Angélique Kidjo brings her striking voice to Brighton as part of the Hope Tour Angélique Kidjo is one of the greatest artists in international music with 16 albums to her name. Her discography of music cross-pollinates the West-African traditions from her childhood in Benin with elements of American R&B, funk and jazz, as well as influences from Europe and Latin America. Using her art to explore African diaspora, offer an electrifying take on Talking Heads Remain in Light and reflect on salsa icon Celia Cruz, Kidjo has amassed critical acclaim, with The Guardian listing her as one of their Top 100 Most Inspiring Women in the World. Her latest album Mother Nature includes captivating young creators from West African music, Afrobeat, Afro-pop, dancehall, hip-hop, and alt-R&B. Resulting as a visionary body of work, Kidjo hopes that her songs may inspire the togetherness that leads to transcendent change.

Raymond Antrobus - The Quiet Ear

16 May 2026 - 16 May 2026

Award-winning poet Raymond Antrobus was first diagnosed as deaf at the age of six when he discovered he had missing sounds – bird calls, whistles, kettles, alarms. Teachers thought he was slow and disruptive, some didn’t believe he was deaf at all. Raymond discusses his memoir, The Quiet Ear, setting his story alongside those of other D/deaf cultural figures – from painters to silent film stars, poets to performers – the inspiring models of D/deaf creativity he did not have growing up.

New Writers - Rebecca Perry, Manish Chauhan & Jon Doyle

16 May 2026 - 16 May 2026

Find out what it’s like to put your first novel into the world. Discover three debut novelists at Brighton Festival as they present their new books with readings and discussion. Author of numerous poetry collections, Rebecca Perry launches her first novel, May We Feed the King this year. Manish Chauhan has been shortlisted for numerous short story competitions and now he presents his first novel, Belgrave Road, and Jon Doyle won the Writers & Artists Working-Class Writers’ Prize 2023, and releases his first novel Communion this year. Rebecca Perry is the author of two full-length poetry collections, Beauty/Beauty and Stone Fruit, both published by Bloodaxe Books (2015, 2021), as well as four pamphlets. Her poetry has been shortlisted for awards including the T. S. Eliot Prize, and her first collection won the Michael Murphy Memorial Prize. Her first work of creative non-fiction, On Trampolining, was published by Makina Books in 2023. Manish Chauhan’s short story Pieces was shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award. His work has also been shortlisted for the Galley Beggar Short Story Prize and the Exeter Short Story Competition. Early excerpts of Belgrave Road were longlisted for the Curtis Brown First Novel Award and shortlisted for the Daniel Goldsmith First Novel Prize. This is his debut novel. When not writing, Manish works as a finance lawyer and is now based in London. He aims to reach readers who enjoy the works of Monica Ali and Aravind Adiga. Leicester is his hometown. Jon Doyle is a writer based in Port Talbot, South Wales. He was part of Literature Wales' Representing Wales scheme in 2022/23, and won the Writers & Artists Working-Class Writers' Prize 2023. He holds a BSc and MRes in Zoology and MA in Creative Writing from Cardiff University, and a PhD in Creative Writing from Swansea University. His work has appeared in Short Fiction, Hobart, Ploughshares Online, The Rumpus, 3:AM Magazine, Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction among other places. Communion is his first novel.

Write & Shine: Shorelines - Gemma Seltzer

16 May 2026 - 16 May 2026

An early morning writing workshop, embracing the sea, the light and the horizon. We’ll read poetry and stories shaped by shorelines, consider the power of close observation, and trace the kind of writing that emerges where land meets water. Together, we’ll welcome the morning as a ritual space: using creativity and reflection to explore the quiet joy of beginning anew. Tea & coffee will be provided.

Mithras Trio

15 May 2026 - 15 May 2026

Praised by The Arts Desk for their “intensity and expressive range”, the prize-winning young players of the Mithras Trio are former BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists. Enthusiastic exponents of contemporary music, they pair an early trio by Shostakovich, written in the throes of teenage passion, and a late but lyrically life-affirming trio by Schubert, written in the shadow of his impending death, with Joy Lisney’s atmospheric Petrichor – evoking the scent that rises from the earth when rain falls on dry ground – which Mithras Trio premiered in a live Radio 3 broadcast from the Wigmore Hall in 2023.

Andi Osho & Dorothy Koomson - At All Costs

14 May 2026 - 14 May 2026

We mark the release of Andi Osho’s Most Wanted and Dorothy Koomson’s The Quiet Girls, as they speak to radio presenter and host Fee Mak about what happens when characters take matters into their own hands. We bring together two writers at the top of their game, Dorothy Koomson, (My Best Friend’s Girl, The Ice Cream Girls and The Woman He Loved Before) and Andi Osho (Asking for a Friend, Tough Crowd and the hit TV series Blue Lights) who take us from the world of a prestigious boarding school to the gentrified streets where artisanal coffee shops and microbreweries mean that affordable housing edges further and further out of reach.

Sherri Lun

14 May 2026 - 14 May 2026

Winner of both First and Audience Prizes at the 2024 Birmingham International Piano Competition, and hailed by the Chicago Tribune for her “pinpoint clarity and convincing bravura”, Hong Kong-born, London-based Sherri Lun features three great composer-pianists of the modern era – one Italian, one French and one German – reworking or reacting to the music of earlier times. Busoni transposes Baroque masterworks by Bach from violin and organ to piano keyboard; Ravel creates a suite of eight contrasted waltzes in tribute to Schubert; and Brahms erects a monumental set of variations, plus final fugue, on the foundation of a simple air from a Handel harpsichord suite. In Association with Kirckman Concerts

Patti Smith: An Evening of Words and Music

13 May 2026 - 13 May 2026

In an exclusive event for Brighton Festival, Patti Smith presents An Evening of Words and Music Patti Smith’s five decade-long career boasts extensive achievements as a performer, author, recording and visual artist whose influence on rock music helped reshape the genre. First emerging as a punk-rock pioneer in the New York arts and music scene in the 1970s with the release of her seminal debut album Horses, Patti Smith has since established herself as a prominent cultural voice. From being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, to winning the prestigious National Book Award in 2010 for her bestselling memoir Just Kids, to releasing her latest memoir Bread of Angels in 2025, the punk-poet has been internationally acknowledged for her contributions to music and literature. In this exclusive event for Brighton Festival, don’t miss the chance to hear the social commentary of a cultural icon as she showcases rousing iterations of her spoken word and poetry along with an intimate live musical performance.

Christopher Edge: Fear Files

17 May 2026 - 17 May 2026

Uncover the spooky mysteries of Fear Files: Hide and Seek with Christopher Edge in an exciting and interactive event based on his new middle-grade horror series. Christopher will challenge the audience with some spine-tingling puzzles and mini-quests to unlock the secrets of the Darkive, an online database of the strange and unexplained. Can the audience help Christopher stay one step ahead of the Itter? About Christopher Edge Christopher Edge is an award-winning children’s author whose books have been translated into more than twenty languages. His novels include The Times Children’s Book of the Week Escape Room, and The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day, which won the STEAM Children’s Book Prize. Described by The Guardian as “a writer of genuine originality” and by The Times as “no ordinary author,” Christopher grew up in Manchester, but now lives in Gloucestershire, close to his local library.

KlangHaus: Last Haus on Earth

12 May 2026 - 23 May 2026

A totally unique, site-responsive experience where barriers between performers and audience are dismantled in an audio-visual sensual storm. Part gig, part cinematic installation, KlangHaus unites the raw energy of The Neutrinos with the stunningly evocative visual language of Sal Pittman. Together, they transform the space into a living, breathing canvas of light and sound, navigating a breathtaking spectrum from pin-drop quiet to full-on loud and back again. Performed in a dramatically enhanced domestic setting where you are welcomed into the artists’ personal space, immersed in the present, the sound, the light. We invite you to sit, stand, lean and move in and around the performers for a full-on sensory experience. A Brighton Festival Exclusive. Supported by Arts Council England, Norwich Arts Centre, National Centre for Writing.

KlangHaus: Darkroom

12 May 2026 - 23 May 2026

An immersive, multi-sensory, intense, profoundly emotional and affecting climate-chaos wake-up call. Virtual reality for the ears and eyes. Conceived working with climate themes in collaboration with scientists at University of East Anglia’s Tyndall Centre, Darkroom was originally presented by invitation at Glasgow’s COP26 International Climate Change Conference. Now the 20-minute installation for just six audience members at a time, held in complete darkness, has been updated and reimagined for Brighton Festival. A Brighton Festival exclusive.

Anthony Scaramucci: The All The Wrong Moves Tour

15 Sept 2026 - 15 Sept 2026

Financier, podcaster, political commentator and former Trump White House Director of Communications Anthony Scaramucci comes to Brighton Dome to explore how the United States became so deeply divided, and crucially, how it might begin to move forward Anthony Scaramucci, one of the most recognisable figures in modern American politics, will come to Brighton Dome in September - on the eve of the pivotal US midterm elections - to discuss the United States, ahead of his new book All the Wrong Moves Drawing on his unique experience at the heart of Wall Street, Silicon Valley and Washington, Scaramucci will examine the cultural, political and economic decisions that have fuelled America’s polarisation. Throughout his tour, Scaramucci will expand on the themes of the book in conversation with leading interviewers, offering insight, analysis and sharp-edged commentary on power, populism, media and the future of democracy. Anthony Scaramucci is the Founder and Managing Partner of SkyBridge Capital, an alternative investments firm with approximately $10 billion in assets under management, including Bitcoin. He served as Donald Trump’s White House Director of Communications in 2017 for 11 days before Trump fired him and is the author of three previous books: The Little Book of Hedge Funds, Goodbye Gordon Gekko and Hopping Over the Rabbit Hole, a Wall Street Journal bestseller. Presented by Intelligence Squared

Lucy Beaumont - Bad at Quiz Shows, Good With Weirdos

16 May 2026 - 17 Jun 2027

Lucy Beaumont has had quite the year. She lost a contestant £79,000 on The Wheel, forgot to revise for Mastermind and generally confirmed she’s terrible at quiz shows. So she’s sticking with what she does best - she’s back on the road with a brand new show. Following the success of her sell-out debut UK tour, Lucy returns with Bad at Quiz Shows, Good with Weirdos - an evening packed with chaotic brilliance, mayhem and beautifully surreal storytelling that’s made her one of the UK’s most beloved comedians. Expect tales of going into hiding after Celebrity Traitors, creating cow udder couture on The Great British Sewing Bee and navigating life as someone for whom “normal” has never made much of an appearance. Whether you loved her on Taskmaster, know her from her award-winning sitcom or just appreciate someone who turns everyday disasters into comedic gold, this is the night out you need. Come for the chaos. Stay for the weirdos.

Hollie McNish & Harry Baker

26 Nov 2026 - 27 Nov 2026

Spoken word sets from Hollie McNish & Harry Baker.

African Soul Rebels featuring Les Amazones d’Afrique, Gasper Nali

2 Oct 2026 - 2 Oct 2026

African Soul Rebels featuring Les Amazones d’Afrique, Gasper Nali + support.

Stevie Martin: Clout

7 Oct 2026 - 30 Oct 2026

Stevie Martin has built a significant following and acclaim for her prolific online output which includes a series of regular viral sketches with Lola-Rose Maxwell which have amassed over 20 million views (3 million of which on Tiktok) two hit podcasts (Nobody Panic with Tessa Coates and Might Delete Later with Gina Martin) which collectively receive over 100,000 downloads a month, and a regular long-form improvised comedy book club on Twitch. A writer published everywhere from Vice to the Guardian, Stevie’s first book, Nobody Panic, was published by Hodder Studios and adapts her hit podcast.

Happy Hills: Create a Comic Character with Sophy Henn

16 May 2026 - 16 May 2026

Learn how to create a comic character with Sophy Henn.

I Tell Myself I’m Awesome with Joshua Seigal

16 May 2026 - 16 May 2026

Joshua Seigal discussing his new book of children's poetry, I Tell Myself I’m Awesome.

Jerwood Glyndebourne Young Singers with Matthew Fletcher

18 May 2026 - 18 May 2026

The annual visit by Glyndebourne’s Jerwood Young Artists is always a highlight of our Lunchtime series – a wonderful opportunity for you to talent-scout the opera stars of tomorrow, as exceptional young singers selected from the Festival Chorus, and generously supported in their career development by the Jerwood Charitable Foundation, step out of the chorus line into the limelight to perform their favourite excerpts from across the operatic repertoire.

This is Who I Am with Rashmi Sirdeshpande

17 May 2026 - 17 May 2026

Discover that we are so much more than where we are from with award-winning Rashmi Sirdeshpande, as she presents her latest picture book, This is Who I Am. This beautiful, poetic celebration of children with shared heritage, illustrated by Ruchi Mhasane, was one of the Guardian’s Best Children’s Books of 2025. Join Rashmi as she discusses all the things that make us who we are and how we should be proud of that.  Rashmi Sirdeshpande is a lawyer-turned-storyteller, who was part of the Penguin Random House WriteNow mentoring programme in 2018. As a British Indian child, she didn't get to see many children like her in the books she read, so she is now passionate about writing stories that children from all backgrounds can relate to.

Dark Noon

21 May 2026 - 24 May 2026

A mind-blowing theatrical experience – a brutal reimagining of the history of America Dark Noon by fix+foxy flips the script on the Wild West, envisioning US history as absurd, horrifying and deeply profound. A pioneer town springs up in real time as an extraordinary cast of South African actors rebuild the frontier through an outsider’s lens. With slapstick humour, satire and breath-taking stagecraft, the show comes fresh from five-star runs at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Factory International Manchester, St. Ann’s Warehouse New York and Sydney Festival. Dark Noon transforms Brighton Dome Corn Exchange for a limited run, pulling audiences into a raw, immersive ride through history that confronts power, race and displacement.

Mehfils: A Studio Theatre Takeover: Shift Octatonic

23 May 2026 - 23 May 2026

Join us for a specially curated Mehfil gathering where performers and audience come together to experience the 'rasa' (emotion) of South Asian classical arts. In this first performance forming Mehfil's 'A Studio Theatre Takeover', the Artistic Director of zerOclassikal Jonathan Mayer leads an experimental approach to the use the octatonic scale in a raag setting, colliding and connecting to create a new piece. Shift Octatonic shows the migration of the scale that was made popular in the 20th century by European composers, moving from Persia to the West and now to South Asia, in a revolutionary set of transpositions with electronic raag and taal. Bring or find a rug or cushion in this relaxed setting where you are encouraged to find your own place around the stage. Jonathan Mayer (sitar), William Rees Hoffman (sarod), Robin Christian (bansuri flute), Chandra Chakraborty (vocals), Debashish Mukerjee (tabla) and Carmilo Tirado (electronics), Kathak choreographed by Amina Khayyam

Alison Moyet

4 Oct 2026 - 23 Nov 2026

The tour celebrates 40 years as a solo artist as well as the release of her new album ‘KEY’ on Fri 4 Oct, which features a collection of reworked singles, fan favourites, deep cuts and two new songs. That unmistakable voice - big enough to fill a stadium and yet intimate enough to make you feel as though she’s singing just for you - has taken her on quite a journey with career highlights including two #1 albums, six Top 10 singles, two BRIT Awards and a Grammy nomination.

Rhys James: Chop Logic

10 Sept 2026 - 13 May 2027

A fast, forensic show of big ideas and gag-dense overthinking from one of the nation’s sharpest stand-ups. Rhys has made a discovery that could fix everything. It’s been staring him in the face the whole time, in a mirror held behind his head. If he can ignore his own problems for long enough, he might just be able to solve yours. Star of TLC’s Mock The Week and BBC Radio 4’s Rhysearch, also seen furrowing his brow on QI, Live At The Apollo and his viral U&Dave lecture, ‘I Stalk Strangers Online’.

Earl Sweatshirt

25 Aug 2026 - 3 Sept 2026

Known for a creatively languid style that has swung lyrically from highly personal alt-rap to morbid horrorcore, Earl Sweatshirt helped launch Odd Future into hip-hop prominence around the turn of the 2010s and has since remained among the most unique rapper/producers around. Since making his solo debut with the acclaimed mixtape Earl (2010), his first two albums, Doris (2013) and the seriously (and descriptively) titled I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside (2015), have placed in the upper reaches of the Billboard 200 chart. By the time he released his third album, Some Rap Songs (2018), Earl had either produced or appeared on tracks by most of the Odd Future affiliates, including Tyler, The Creator and Frank Ocean, as well as similarly left-field artists such as Danny Brown and Denmark Vessey. His fourth album, the tightly focused Sick!, arrived in January 2022, and the drill-influenced single "Making the Band (Danity Kane)" surfaced in 2023.

Jazz Emu

9 Sept 2026 - 11 Nov 2026

JAZZ EMU is the viral comedy character sensation from award-winning writer, actor, musician Archie Henderson. Garnering over 70 million views, 430k followers on YouTube, 10 million views and 258k followers on TikTok and over 74k monthly listeners and 20 million streams on Spotify, Jazz Emu has developed an ever-growing avid fanbase over the past couple of years. Following runs at the Soho Theatre & Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Jazz Emu will be touring his hotly anticipated brand-new show, Knight Fever alongside his full live band, The Cosmique Perfectión. Knight Fever sees Jazz and The Cosmique Perfectión’s dreams come true when they secure the coveted slot to perform the headline slot at The Royal Variety Show; at long last, Jazz Emu has a chance to secure his long-coveted Knighthood. But there’s bad news; a series of recent criminal allegations are threatening to snatch the coveted prize from before his very, very, very eyes. Will Jazz and his Contractually-Less-Talented-Than-Him band, be able to put on a Heck Of A Show and secure a Royal Pardon? Or will Jazz’s next performance be in the canteen at Wormwood Scrubs? The only way to find out is to settle in and watch the musical fever dream that is Jazz Emu: Knight Fever.

Ahir Shah

5 Jun 2026 - 14 Mar 2027

HBO and Netflix star Ahir Shah (Live at the Apollo, Mock The Week, Have I Got News For You, QI) is back with his new stand-up show Golden. His last show, Ends, won the prestigious Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Show, sold out shows across the world and was recorded as a comedy special for Netflix. Ahir has also been seen and heard on shows including Ahir Shah: Dots (HBO), Jurassic World 3, Foundation (Apple TV), Richard Osman's House of Games (BBC2), The Last Leg (C4), The Mash Report (BBC2), Frankie Boyle's New World Order (BBC2) and The Now Show (BBCR4).

The Shires

8 Aug 2026 - 20 Nov 2026

UK country superstars The Shires first entered the history books in 2015, when their debut album, Brave, became the first ever British country album to enter the UK Top Ten. Their second album, My Universe, also broke new ground by becoming the fastest-selling British country album of all time and reached the top three in the UK chart. After an incredible two years, Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes, hailing from Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, have fast become a firm favourite in the UK country music scene. Now they’re making their mark in Nashville too. With two gold certified albums under their belt within 12 months of each other and nine playlisted tracks across BBC Music, The Shires are back and they’re raring to go.

Vittorio Angelone

6 Sept 2026 - 7 Oct 2026

Vittorio Angelone is an Italian-Irish comedian who grew up in Belfast. After moving to London to train as a classical musician he eventually made the predictable switch to stand-up comedy. He has risen through the ranks of the comedy world at an incredible speed, building a following with stand-up clips, podcasts and sketches amassing millions of views online.

Midge Ure

12 May 2026 - 30 Nov 2026

Midge Ure, born James Ure, is a Scottish musician, singer-songwriter, and producer known for his work in various bands and as a solo artist. He gained prominence in the 1970s and 1980s, particularly with the bands Slik, Rich Kids, Visage, and most notably, Ultravox. Ure is also recognized for his co-writing and production of the charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and his involvement in organizing Band Aid, Live Aid, and Live 8.

geography

How Geography Explains Our World, With Tim Marshall

28 Sept 2026 - 28 Sept 2026

Tim Marshall is one of the world’s most successful authors on foreign affairs. He’s the writer who put the ‘geo’ into geopolitics with his multi-million selling books Prisoners of Geography and The Power of Geography. Marshall’s principal argument is that without geography we cannot understand the world. Geography explains why China would find it highly difficult to invade Taiwan. The Taiwan Strait is about 130 km wide at its narrowest point, which is roughly three times the distance from Dover to Calais. Any invading force would face inhospitable coastlines, unpredictable monsoons and muddy, tidal beaches. Beijing might decide in time that these are risks worth taking. But these basic and immutable facts of natural terrain still matter hugely in international affairs.

Jon Anderson & The Band Geeks

6 Sept 2026 - 1 Oct 2026

Jon Anderson is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable voices in music as the lead vocalist and creative force behind YES. Anderson was the author and a major creative influence behind the ground-breaking album Fragile as well as the series of epic, complex pieces such as Awaken, Gates of Delirium and especially Close to the Edge which were central to the band's success. Additionally, Anderson co-authored the group's biggest hits, including I've Seen All Good People, Roundabout and Owner Of A Lonely Heart. After 50 years of success in the music business, Jon has worked with many variations of YES, as well as collaborations with Vangelis, Kitaro, Roine Stolt and Jean-Luc Ponty. He has released several critically acclaimed solo albums including Olias of Sunhillow, Song of Seven, Animation, Three Ships, Toltec and Survival and Other Stories and most recently 1000 Hands to name just a few. The Band Geeks began as the house band for the Band Geek podcast, an internet show created by Richie Castellano (Blue Öyster Cult). The band gained popularity on YouTube with their incredibly detailed recreations of music by artists like Queen, Toto, Black Sabbath and Yes, which have earned the Band Geeks over 30 million views. The Band Geeks: Richie Castellano (Blue Öyster Cult) - Bass, Guitar Chris Clark (Brand X, John Entwistle) - Keyboards Andy Ascolese (Kasim Sulton’s Utopia, Celebrating Meat Loaf) - Drums Phil Castellano - Keyboards, Guitar Matt Beck Graziano - Guitar

Juliet & Romeo

12 Nov 2026 - 14 Nov 2026

A retelling of Shakespeare's classic tragedy.

Alice Cooper: Devil on My Shoulder Book Tour

11 Oct 2026 - 20 Oct 2026

Alice Cooper announces the release of his definitive autobiography, ‘Devil on my Shoulder’, published by Ebury Spotlight on 8th October 2026. This long-awaited autobiography finally lifts the lid on one of the greatest lives in music. Building on over sixty years of rock folklore, Cooper will support the book’s launch with an intimate 8-date UK speaking tour. Each evening will feature the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee in conversation with a special guest moderator, followed by an audience Q&A, offering fans a rare glimpse behind the greasepaint and guillotines. There are two, seemingly irreconcilable, Alice Coopers - the murderous, morally corrupt theatrical character who threatened the moral fibre of the western world… and the man who plays him, a sober pastor’s son who has been happily married for 50 years. Along the way, the two became schizophrenically intertwined. And in a haze of pioneering rock n roll, alcohol, drugs, iconic songs and wild gigs, guillotines, slaughtered chickens, legendary friends, rumours, snakes, Ouija boards, surrealism, house fires and car crashes - they nearly killed each other. In the Sixties and early Seventies, Alice Cooper was simply a rock group, but as their lead singer, Vincent Damon Furnier, developed his modern-day Grand Guignol character, Alice Cooper became his stage name. Then, on a wave of global success, he legally changed it to his own. With a career spanning six decades, Alice's story features witty, intimate anecdotes featuring Salvador Dalí, Bob Hope, John Lennon, Groucho Marx, Vincent Price, Frank Sinatra, Erroll Flynn, Bette Davis, Jim Hendrix, Gerald Ford, Andy Warhol, Tiger Woods, to name a few, but he's also an acute observer of dysfunction and despair, wildness and criminality, urges and addictions, transgressions and human goodness. And so he tells his story from both perspectives: angel on one shoulder, devil on the other. Devil on My Shoulder is the definitive memoir from one of the most iconic music artists of our generation.

Hothouse Flowers

3 Nov 2026 - 27 Dec 2026

Since the release of their last CD, 'Into Your Heart' Hothouse Flowers have been playing steadily around Ireland, America, Great Britain, Japan and Europe. Their shows last between two and three hours depending on the level of fever in the room. Most recently their sound has been enhanced and reinvigorated by the return of Peter O’Toole on bass, bouzouki and vocals. Drumming with the band these last ten years is Dave Clarke. Dave has been a drummer in Dublin since the beginning. His commitment to the beat is mesmerizing. His style has been a force in the direction of Hothouse Flowers today. Also playing with the band these days is Dorset man Martin Brunsden on double bass and backing vocals. His musicality adds yet another dimension to the ever evolving sound of the band. There is an unpredictable energy in the band that harkens back to the 'Risk' days. They call upon their grand repertoire to create a show that is unique to the time and place. No two shows are the same. Improvisation can come at any point and allow the men express their brightest and their darkest influences. 'Rock and Roll is not about safety or politeness, it is not about perfection either. It is expression and it is spirit.' Humour is also never far from a Hothouse Flowers night. They do not take themselves seriously however, there is no mistaking the musical integrity among them as they open up to each other in musical dialogue. Fiachna, Liam and Peter are traditional musicians. This allows for moments of ancestral connection. What was a second before a Doors-like workout, becomes an earnest and a timeless offering to the memory of Currachaí na Tra Báine. A song inherited by Fiachna describing the blow inflicted upon a community and a family due to drowning. This moment and moments like these set the Flowers apart from almost any other band of their time and trade. They are carriers of Culture and all of what that entails. Hothouse Flowers came out of tough times. They played the streets and brought the streets to the stages of the world. Individually Fiachna and Liam are enjoying a broadening of their horizons. Fiachna has been producing and presenting radio and television programmes and working as a composer of music for television. Liam has been collaborating with the Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre Company. Still Hothouse Flowers has not yet fulfilled her destiny. The possibilities are endless. The will is there. Ni fada go bhfeicfear.

Alan Carr: Have I Said Too Much?

13 Jan 2027 - 4 Dec 2027

Alan Carr’s back on tour and his lips are unsealed! With a big mouth and a talent for oversharing, Alan’s ready to dish some drama. Expect stories of dipping into the dating pool, navigating showbiz green rooms and a sprinkling of tales from the Traitors turret.

Dylan Moran: We Got This

3 Jul 2026 - 30 May 2027

How can it be you have spent a whole ten minutes staring at a banana? Why do you always do stuff like that? Why do you never do the other really great things where it’s much, much better - and afterwards you don’t want to saw off your own face and post it back to yourself with not quite enough stamps? Also, learn how to make breakfast not even knowing you are out of bed. Diagnose the mirror, reason with the mice and boil yoghurt blindfolded. Enjoy the fruits of hurtling cognitive decline and your neighbour’s sprawling ghastliness, absence of humanity and so, so much more. These times have not been easy. We Got This is the brand new show from BAFTA and Perrier award winning comedian Dylan Moran. It promises to be a joyously furious romp through the frustration and folly of modern day life.

Joshua Idehen

3 Nov 2026 - 16 Nov 2026

Joshua Idehen is a British-born Nigerian residing in Sweden. A spoken-word and poetry artist and musician, he has written poems on the Mercury-nominated albums “Channel The Spirits” by The Comet Is Coming, “Your Queen Is A Reptile”, and mobo-winning “Black Is The Future” both by Sons of Kemet.

Ed Gamble: Fresh Hell

3 Jun 2026 - 26 Jun 2027

Everyone’s annoying cousin, Ed Gamble, is going back on tour in 2027 across the UK & Ireland with some more of his stand up grot. So come and see the self appointed Crown Prince of Visualised Companion Podcasts harrumph about the stage. Co-host of the award winning mega hit podcast Off Menu with James Acaster, host of visualised spinoffs The Traitors: Uncloaked and Taskmaster The Podcast as well as new upcoming panel show Unacceptable airing this summer, Ed’s brand new tour, Fresh Hell follows his biggest ever sold out world tour across Europe, North America and Australia.

The Wonder Stuff & Inspiral Carpets

1 Oct 2026 - 8 Dec 2026

A co-headline showcase of two iconic indie bands, blending The Wonder Stuff’s anthemic charm with Inspiral Carpets’ Madchester groove.

Larry Dean: Hellbent

18 Jun 2026 - 3 Dec 2026

Recently married, emotionally feral. The Gallus Glaswegian Goon returns with a riotous show about refusing to grow up. As seen on SNL, Live at the Apollo, QI and The Royal Variety Performance.

Josh Thomas

11 Nov 2026 - 6 Dec 2026

Josh started doing stand-up 20 years ago. In that time, hes won some prizes and lost a lot of celebrity versions of reality TV shows. His shows Please Like Me and Everythings Gonna Be Okay were international sensations. They dealt with lots of important issues, but this year, he just wants to be silly.

Kim Wilde

26 Aug 2026 - 28 Mar 2027

Kim Wilde burst onto the music scene in 1981 with the classic Kids In America, a worldwide hit. This lead to a stunning career with over 30 million record sales spanning 12 albums and some of the most memorable hits of the 80s including Chequered Love, Cambodia, You Keep Me Hangin' On, You Came, Never Trust A Stranger and Four Letter Word. The 90s saw Kim continue to remain in the spotlight with the albums Love Moves and Love Is, featuring singles including Love Is Holy and the Bee Gee's classic If I Can't Have You from The Singles Collection 1981-1993. In 2013 Kim released the beautiful and critically acclaimed, Wilde Winter Songbook album, which featured her favourite Christmas and winter-inspired songs, both cover versions and original material. With Radio Two playing Hey Mister Snowman at Christmas, Kim played a few select Christmas shows in both the UK and Holland, which she repeated with the release of the special edition of the album the following year.

Make Mini Zines

16 May 2026 - 16 May 2026

Join the DIY publishing revolution and create your own mini zine to take home or swap with other young people! Zines are folded paper publications (like mini magazines/books) that allow you to share whatever you want to say, write and draw. Join local children’s creative writing and mentoring charity Little Green Pig at this imaginative drop-in workshop. Collage, cut and paste, doodle and write about whatever you want to!  Artist and creative Azaria Franco and mentors will demonstrate how to make your own zine. They’ll have creative prompts to help you come up with ideas of what to collage, including ideas themed around future dreaming and time travel.  All materials and equipment provided. Everyone aged 7 to 13 is welcome to take part in this workshop, accompanied by an adult.

Frazey Ford

27 Oct 2026 - 27 Oct 2026

Frazey Ford is best known as the lead singer of beloved alt-folk band The Be Good Tanyas. Her second solo effort, Indian Ocean, is a lush album filled with songs about pain and dealing with tough truths, but also about love, contrition and being bold, which the Guardian called a ‘country-soul gem’ in their four-star review.

Dexys

20 Oct 2026 - 8 Nov 2026

Dexys Midnight Runners burst out of Birmingham in the late 1970s with a fiercely original blend of soul, folk, and new wave energy. Fronted by Kevin Rowland, the band became best known for their global smash Come On Eileen, a track that perfectly captures their knack for mixing heartfelt storytelling with irresistible hooks. Never content to stand still, Dexys constantly reinvented their sound and image, earning a reputation as one of Britain’s most passionate and distinctive musical acts.

Kids

Sport

Record Breaking Table Tennis

25 May 2026 - 25 May 2026

Brighton Table Tennis Club are back with an afternoon packed full of table tennis fun for everyone There will be open access tables, young DJs, refreshments and great music to bring Brighton Festival to a close. The team from Guinness World Records will be with us as we attempt to break some table tennis world records! Can you help us smash them and make world record history?

Rosie Holt: The Illegal Aliens Have Landed!

5 Aug 2026 - 5 Mar 2027

Rosie Holt: The Illegal Aliens Have Landed! Rosie and her MP alter-ego are back, fighting their biggest foe yet. Labour are trying to continue the Conservatives work of stopping the boats while also still appearing left wing," but they have an even bigger problem when UFOs arrive. Will the government stand strong? Or insist they are just waiting for the facts as aliens start to abduct and eat the British public? A sci-fi streaked satire.

Paul Simon's 'Graceland' Reimagined

18 Sept 2026 - 18 Sept 2026

The London African Gospel Choir returns with full band, presenting their critically acclaimed re-imagining and making 40 years of Paul Simon’s iconic album "Graceland". Performed with passion, soul, and electrifying rhythm, this concert brings together soaring voices, vibrant harmonies, and an irresistible celebration of African musical heritage. An unforgettable night of joyful spirit and cultural fusion, the London African Gospel Choir breathes new life into classics like You Can Call Me Al and Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes. Whether you're a longtime fan of the original album or discovering its magic for the first time, this is a live experience that connects generations and transcends borders. Join us at Brighton Dome this September for a wonderful night of celebration. Please note that Paul Simon is not a performer in this show. This is a commercial hire with Brighton Dome acting as venue and ticket agent

Once Upon a Time in Sokoto

17 Nov 2026 - 21 Nov 2026

The award-winning Once Upon a Time in Sokoto tells the epic story of a beautiful but unlikely friendship forged between a slave and her former master. Differences in faith, culture and heritage are overcome in the face of new enemies, in a gripping family drama set against the backdrop of events leading to the creation of Nigeria. Winner of the 2024 Alfred Fagon Award for Once Upon a Time in Sokoto, Nigeria-born Inua Ellams is an internationally celebrated poet, playwright, and artist. He has published four poetry collections and his plays include the hugely popular and critically acclaimed Barber Shop Chronicles (Fuel/National Theatre, UK and International tour) and the award-winning The 14th Tale (Fuel/UK tour) and his retelling of Three Sisters (National Theatre).

Susie Dent: Word Perfect

23 May 2026 - 6 Dec 2026

A brand-new tour of the joys of the English language with Britain’s best-loved wordsmith. Following her hit show The Secret Life of Words, Susie Dent is back with a brand-new collection of facts and stories from the wonderful world of words. Have you ever wondered whether there’s a word for going to the fridge for the umpteenth time in search of something new? Or puzzled over why a group of crows is called a ‘murder’, while owls form a ‘parliament’? Is teen slang actually designed to make us tear our hair out? And just how many words do we need for being drunk? With the help of funny, insightful, and head-scratching examples, Susie will entertain and educate us with her pick of language’s greatest hits. Word Perfect will remind us just how unpredictable, wayward, and utterly magical our mother tongue can be.

Lulu

27 May 2026 - 15 Oct 2026

Transcending generations with a lifetime of global success, which boasts accolades including being a Eurovision winner, a Bond theme singer, releasing the biggest selling record in the US (‘To Sir With Love', 1967), receiving an OBE, opening the closing ceremony for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in her hometown of Glasgow, reaching number one with the biggest boyband since The Beatles, working with David Bowie and now best-selling author! Still going strong as a captivating live entertainer, the UK proudly and ferociously heralds Lulu as one of our most precious pop icons - the glittering jewel in our entertainment cultural crown.

Freya Ridings

4 Jun 2026 - 5 Oct 2026

Freya Ridings announces details of a major UK and Ireland tour in support of her new record. The ‘Blood Orange’ tour will represent Freya’s first full scale headline tour in four years.

Chris Ramsey: Here Man

15 Aug 2026 - 6 Dec 2026

Following overwhelming demand (mainly from his wife Rosie who is desperate to get him out of the house), Chris Ramsey will be back on the road in 2026 with a brand-new stand-up show. ‘Here Man’ is the hotly anticipated follow-up to Chris’ last sell-out stand-up tour ‘2020’ which saw him perform to over 100,000 people nationwide (albeit thanks to Covid, not in the year intended and with a slightly regrettable tour title!). As seen on The Chris & Rosie Ramsey Show, Strictly Come Dancing, and Taskmaster, presenting Children in Need, and co-hosting his weekly mega-hit marital podcast Shagged.Married.Annoyed, alongside (long-suffering) wife Rosie Ramsey.

Amy Spalding: The Dykonic Tour

17 Jun 2026 - 17 Jun 2026

Calling all dykes, divas and non-binary baddies! Are you familiar with: - Navigating the lesbian web like a pro? - How to tell if she’s flirting or just giving you a compliment? - Why a £950 pair of Diesel boots alone does not make you a ‘diesel dyke’? (Something Amy learned the hard way.) If not don’t worry, as luckily breakout star of BBC’s I Kissed a Girl - and everyone’s favourite lesbian big sister - Amy Spalding is on hand to answer all these queer conundrums and more, to help you to live, laugh and love all things lesbian. Join Amy at these special events as she covers everything you need to live your best sapphic life; such as finding community, dating, and navigating breakups; as well as running through queer terminology, how to look the part and key cultural touchstones. Alongside a special guest host, each show will feature stories from Amy’s own gloriously messy journey, heartfelt advice from sapphic elders, as well as the chance to ask Amy your questions. This show is for anyone at any stage of their queerness, whether you’re newly questioning, proudly out - or somewhere in between - this will be the ultimate guide to becoming absolutely DYKONIC, daaarling. The Dykonic Handbook will be published by Bloomsbury on 18th June 2026

Hejira: Celebrating Joni Mitchell

4 Oct 2026 - 5 Mar 2027

Hejira is a 7-piece band set up to celebrate and honour the masterpiece works of Joni Mitchell, mostly from the late ‘70s. Having released the albums The Hissing of Summer Lawns, Hejira, Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter and Mingus (regarded as her ‘jazz period’), Joni then toured briefly with a band formed from the crème de la crème of contemporaneous jazz musicians (Metheny, Mays, Brecker, Pastorius and Alias). The tour was recorded, producing the outstanding live album, ‘Shadows And Light’; it is from this album that the band Hejira is drawing the body of its repertoire. Comprising highly experienced jazz musicians, this band is fronted by the brilliant Hattie Whitehead who not only has - in her own way - assimilated the poise, power and beauty of Joni’s vocals, but also plays guitar with Joni’s stylistic mannerisms. Expect an evening of the ‘great’ songs from Mitchell’s back catalogue, such as Amelia, Woodstock, A Case Of You, Song For Sharon, Edith And The Kingpin etc!

Simon Brodkin

5 Jun 2026 - 20 Mar 2027

Fresh from his sold-out, critically-acclaimed Edinburgh Fringe run and becoming the most viewed British comedian of all time on TikTok, world-famous prankster and Lee Nelson creator Simon Brodkin is back with an outrageous new stand-up show. In Screwed Up Simon rips into celebrity culture, social media, the police, Putin, Prince Andrew and Jesus. Nothing is off limits in this hilarious show, including his own mental health, his family, his five arrests and how he once found himself at an underground sex party.

Marina Hyde: What a Time to Be Alive!

20 Sept 2026 - 26 Sept 2026

Join Marina Hyde, one of Britain’s most popular columnists and podcasts, for a joyous and irreverent evening exploring the biggest stories from Westminster, Silicon Valley, Hollywood and more. Described by Phoebe Waller-Bridge as “the most lethal, vital, screamingly funny truth-teller of our time”, Marina Hyde has become one of Britain’s most popular columnists and podcasters. A Sunday Times bestselling author and co-host of the smash hit podcast The Rest is Entertainment, she has an unrivalled talent for making sense of our stranger-than-fiction times. This September, Hyde comes to venues across the UK for a live show about the state of the world, marking the launch of her new book What A Time To Be Alive! From lambasting the Trump presidency, to the increasing popularity of Nigel Farage's Reform, from the spectacle of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s Venice wedding to the Beckham family feud, she is chief chronicler of our gloriously chaotic age. Join her for a joyous and irreverent evening as she uses her incisive wit to skewer the biggest stories from Westminster, Silicon Valley, Hollywood and much more. You will also have the chance to ask her your questions during the Q&A. 14+

Shed Seven

6 Jun 2026 - 13 Dec 2026

Indie superstars Shed Seven can boast four Top 20 albums and fifteen Top 40 singles. The band from York burst on to the Britpop scene in 1994 and quickly shot to fame. Their hits include Disco Down, Chasing Rainbows and Going For Gold. Shed Seven is made up of drummer Alan Leach, guitarists Joe Johnson and Paul Banks, lead vocals from Rick Witter and Tom Gladwin on bass.

José González

26 Nov 2026 - 31 Jan 2027

It’s easy to overlook the fact that, despite only three solo albums in 18 years, José González has packed out distinguished venues from Sydney to Tallinn – via Berlin, Barcelona and Rio De Janeiro – and even sold out London’s prestigious, 4000+ capacity Royal Albert Hall a full three years after his last acclaimed collection, 2015’s Vestiges & Claws. He has sung with Sia (on Zero 7’s The Garden), dominated the soundtrack to Ben Stiller’s The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, seen his irresistible cover of The Knife’s ‘Heartbeats’ employed in one of the century-so-far’s most striking advertising campaigns (for Sony BRAVIA), won Best Song in a Game for ‘Far Away’ (included in Red Dead Redemption) at the 2010 Spike VGA Awards, and recently his cover of Massive Attack’s ‘Teardrop’ was featured in an iconic scene in The Last Dance, Netflix’s recent documentary about Michael Jordan. He has earned platinum and gold records in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and his Swedish homeland and he recently hit the milestone of a billion streams on Spotify alone.

Gianmarco Soresi: The Drama King Tour

30 Sept 2026 - 16 Oct 2026

Gianmarco Soresi is a New York-based stand-up comedian, actor, and creator known for his sharp societal observation and spry, energetic stage presence. Gianmarco effortlessly commands a room with his animated style, blending upbeat candor with dark comedic beats — which has garnered him critical acclaim from NPR, Esquire, The Atlantic, Buzzfeed, ABC News, and many more. He’s performed stand-up on The Late Late Show with James Corden, Comedy Central, Don’t Tell, The Real Housewives of New York, and was selected as a JFL New Face in 2022. He was also featured on Netflix’s recent multi-comic stand-up series “Verified Stand-Up” which released on the platform in November 2023. Gianmarco has also acted in Billy Crystal's Here Today, Netflix’s Bonding, Hustlers, The Last OG, and is the host of the popular podcast “The Downside with Gianmarco Soresi.” Gianmarco is currently on his “The Leaning In” Tour throughout North America, taking the tour internationally this summer.

Paddy Young: Will Sir Be Laughing Alone?

15 Sept 2026 - 19 Nov 2026

The award-winning stand-up and star of Saturday Night Live UK heads out on tour with a brand new show. You’re born alone, you die alone. That’s true enough. But what happened to that part in the middle?

The Mehfil Space presents: Sanju Sahai and Jason Kalidas

3 Oct 2026 - 3 Oct 2026

Sanju Sahai and Jason Kalidas perform at Brighton Dome this October! Sanju Sahai, also known as Vishnu, is currently one of the finest and most sought after tabla players. He is the direct descendant of Pandit Ram Sahai, the founder of the Benares Gharana. He is the sixth generation of tabla player in the family. Sanju was trained by his guru Pandit Sharda Sahai, a renowned tabla player. He has established himself as an internationally recognized tabla player. Sanju began playing tabla at the age of four, demonstrating his prodigious skilled aged nine in his first public performance. He has accompanied many of India's legendary musicians, such as Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and Aashish Khan (sarod), Pandit Rajan and Sajan Mishra (vocal), Pandit Birju Maharaj and Gopi Krishna (Kathak), Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (guitar), Bhajan Sapori (santoor), Umyalpuram Shivraman (mridangam), Ustad Sultal Khan (Sarangi), and Shrinivas (mandolin), to name but a few. Sanju is also known as a soloist; however, he is not merely a percussionist but an imaginative and sensitive musician.He has performed throughout India, UK, Europe, Middle East, Indonesia, and USA. is recent concert venues include London's Royal Albert Hall where he participated at the 100th anniversary of the proms. He has worked with jazz, Egyptian, Spanish, hip hop, folk and blues music as well as composing ensemble pieces. Sanju has played for BBC TV, Channel East, Asian Net TV, BBC World Service, All India Radio and been published with ARC Music and NA Classical India. Glastonbury Festival, Royal Festival Hall, House of Commons, Salt Lake City for the opening of the Olympics, and worked with Michael Nyman, one of the most celebrated British composers.Sanju is based in London and promotes concerts and musical education through workshops or individual learning. Sanju teaches tabla at London University and schools/colleges throughout the United Kingdom. Bansuri player Jason Kalidas began as a multi percussionist at age 14 and was already living in India for long periods by age 19. He studied Hindustani classical music under his gurus for the last 26 years. He began on Tabla, studying with Ishwal Lal Mishra in Varanasi then going on to intense study in Raag and Bansuri learning with Mehta family of Shenai and Bansuri players and Manoj Dubey. He also studied with Rajendra Prasanna at Panditj home in Delhi. Jasons feels passionate about the spiritual root of Indian classical music and its healing power to awaken the emotions with Raasa (essence of emotional) . His Bansuri playing is known for its depth of feeling and rythmic clarity after his many years learning Tabla. He has performed Indian classical and fusion music all over the west and India in many world class venues and festivals including, Darbar festival, The Place London, Sadlers wells London, The UN headquarters NYC, Macba and Barcelona. Presented by The Mehfil Space: an evening of south Asian classical music.

Fascinating Aida

17 Jan 2027 - 24 Mar 2027

The world’s greatest cabaret troupe is back with a BRAND NEW SHOW! Devilishly funny and gloriously glamorous Dillie, Liza and Adèle, with Michael Roulston on piano, are back on the road following their hugely successful 40th Anniversary Tour. With brand new songs generated by human neural networks and using their combined deep-learning age of 278 years, they have data-mined their back catalogue to bring audiences their greatest, most sensationally analogue show ever! As the saying goes... when the world is going to sh★t, be sure to book tickets to see Fascinating Aïda! Directed by Paul Foster.

Amy Gledhill: Thanks for Having Me

24 May 2026 - 8 May 2027

Amy Gledhill has appeared on the biggest comedy shows on TV, won the most prestigious award in live comedy AND starred in a Netflix blockbuster. Then why can't she nail just one first date, social interaction or trip to the spa. (She is now banned.) Join the Taskmaster alumnus, Last One Laughing's cruelest red card, and co-host of smash-hit podcasts Single Ladies In Your Area and Northern News on her brand new stand-up tour, as Amy Gledhill says Thanks For Having Me to audiences up and down the country. Amy won the Edinburgh Comedy Award in 2024, is triple Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee, National Comedy Award nominee and 1/3 of cult double act The Delightful Sausage. She's also appeared on Live at the Apollo (BBC) Would I Lie To You (BBC), The Jonathan Ross Show (ITV), Never Mind The Buzzcocks (Sky), Run Away (Netflix), Alma's Not Normal (BBC) and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown (C4). Presented by Plosive Live in association with United Agents.

Eric Idle

12 Sept 2026 - 21 Sept 2026

Eric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, playwright, director, and songwriter. co-creator of Monty Python on TV, stage, and five films, including The Life of Brian and The Holy Grail, which he later adapted for the stage with John Du Prez as Monty Python's Spamalot, winning the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2005, a Grammy, a Drama Desk Award, and playing for almost five years on Broadway.

The Damned

7 Jun 2026 - 5 Dec 2026

The Damned are an English rock band formed in London in 1976 by lead vocalist Dave Vanian, guitarist Brian James, bassist (and later guitarist) Captain Sensible, and drummer Rat Scabies. They were the first punk rock band from the United Kingdom to release a single, “New Rose” (1976), release an album, Damned Damned Damned (1977), and tour the United States.

Disabled + Disobedient Golden Hour

4 Jul 2026 - 4 Jul 2026

BSL interpreted by Jill Blackadder & Marco Nardi.

Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

27 Sept 2026 - 27 Sept 2026

Two young virtuosi, Rachmaninoff’s irrepressible Rhapsody and Janáček’s glorious brassfest open our season. Gershwin: Cuban Overture Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Piazzolla: Primavera Porteña Janáček: Sinfonietta Khrystyna Mykhailichenko: piano Emily Trubshaw: violin Joanna MacGregor: conductor For the season’s opening concert, BPO and Music Director Joanna MacGregor perform vivid masterpieces from around the world. Written at his villa near Lake Lucerne in the summer of 1934, Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini - which the composer premiered in America - was an immediate sensation. It’s a dazzling display inspired by Paganini’s last Caprice, pausing only for the famous romantic melody in Variation 18 before a bravura finish. We’re delighted to welcome the 20-year-old Ukrainian virtuoso Khrystyna Mykhailichenko, who performs regularly in Paris, Washington, New York and Vienna, as well as her native Kyiv. After two sizzling, street-smart works inspired by South America - Gershwin’s jazzy homage to Havana, and Piazzolla’s Spring in Buenos Aires played by young British-Polish violinist Emily Trubshaw - today’s concert climaxes with the clashing tectonic plates of Janáček’s Sinfonietta: a delirious earthquake of sound, and a blazing, brassy hymn to liberation. ‘Khrystyna has extraordinary virtuosity and interpretative maturity, as well as completely immersive artistry.’ Frank Piontek, Bayreuth Young Artists Festival The Listening Club Join Joanna MacGregor at Brighton Unitarian Church on Fri 18 Sep for a one-hour, illustrated lecture delving deeper into the concert. Find out more Concert and Season Savers Book 3 or more concerts and enjoy a 15% saving on your tickets, or book all 7 concerts to save 20% (excludes Dido and Aeneazz)

Kian Soltani plays Dvořák

3 Oct 2026 - 3 Oct 2026

When it came to emotion, the composers of the Romantic era never held back. Dvořák Cello Concerto (40’) Franck Symphony in D minor (41’) Marie Jacquot conductor Kian Soltani cello Far from home, Dvořák poured all his heartbreak and longing into a cello concerto like no other: a symphony in all but name, as sweet and as stormy as life itself. Meanwhile, César Franck created a symphony that’s practically a Gothic cathedral in sound - a world of swirling mists and monumental visions, crowned with an unforgettable melody. Marie Jacquot scales its heights tonight, and joins the ‘sublime’ (Gramophone) Kian Soltani in Dvořák’s magnificent Concerto. 10% discount for 2 concerts 15% discount for 3 concerts 20% discount for 4 concerts

The Stravinsky Connection

11 Oct 2026 - 11 Oct 2026

A radiant pairing of two of music’s most dazzling, eloquent composers, Mozart and Stravinsky. Stravinsky: Symphonies of Wind Instruments Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments Mozart: Serenade in B-flat ‘Gran Partita’ K361 Milda Daunoraite: piano Joanna MacGregor: conductor Two luminous composers and a trio of masterpieces. Award-winning Lithuanian pianist Milda Daunoraite is the sparkling soloist in Stravinsky’s piano concerto for wind, brass, double basses and timpani, a neo-Baroque work of intricate dance steps, hair-raising rhythms and humour. Stravinsky finished it in 1924, creating a fresh style after the chaos of the Great War; he had just met his lifelong partner, Vera de Bosset. It’s preceded by Stravinsky’s brief, potent Symphonies of Wind Instruments, premiered in London in 1920 and dedicated to the memory of Debussy. Russian Orthodox brass chorales and chanting winds sublimate into a serene unfolding of litanies, as Stravinsky bids farewell to his former life in Russia. Mozart’s Gran Partita - arguably his most innovative instrumental music - was inspired by virtuoso wind players he heard in Vienna, and there’s no doubt the twenty-six-year-old Mozart threw down the gauntlet in this symphonic-scale work, first performed in 1784. The rich sonorities drawn from lower clarinets, basset horns, bassoons and four horns were an absolute watershed: the musical ambition, operatic dialogue and time-standing-still textures are unsurpassed to this day. Grand, glorious and sublime. ‘Milda has a freshness and fluidity of playing that is like a breath of fresh air...truly joyous.’ Christopher Axworthy The Listening Club Join Joanna MacGregor at Brighton Unitarian Church on Thu 8 Oct for a one-hour, illustrated lecture delving deeper into the concert. Find out more Concert and Season Savers Book 3 or more concerts and enjoy a 15% saving on your tickets, or book all 7 concerts to save 20% (excludes Dido and Aeneazz)

My Homeland

7 Nov 2026 - 7 Nov 2026

Step into a world of hope, possibility and new beginnings. Dvořák My Homeland (9’) Price Violin Concerto No. 1 (25’) Still Symphony No. 4 (26’) Kellen Gray conductor Elena Urioste violin The 20th century saw a flowering of American music. Guest conductor Kellen Grey is passionate about the music of pioneers like William Grant Still and Florence Price - composers whose music sang of freedom, hope, and the endless possibilities of the American Dream. Take a voyage to a new world this afternoon, as Kellen introduces Dvořák’s exuberant overture, Still’s big-hearted symphonic portrait of America, and Price’s gloriously tuneful concerto, with violinist Elena Urioste as soloist. Pre-concert event, 6.45pm Join us for a special free performance in the foyer, given by talented young musicians from Create Music, part of Brighton Dome and Brighton Festival and the Hub Lead Organisation for the Sussex Music Hub. 10% discount for 2 concerts 15% discount for 3 concerts 20% discount for 4 concerts

Dido and Aeneazz: Purcell, Pachelbel and Jazz

15 Nov 2026 - 15 Nov 2026

Baroque, contemporary, rock, improvisation... expect everything from Eric Vloeimans and Brighton Philharmonic Strings. Desyatnikov: Songs of Bukovina Pachelbel: Canon in D Vloeimans: Fatima; Innermission (premiere) Couperin: Le Tic-Toc-Choc Rameau: Les Sauvages Purcell/Vloeimans: Dido and Aeneazz Eric Vloeimans: trumpet Joanna MacGregor: conductor/piano One of Europe’s biggest jazz stars, the brilliant Dutch musician Eric Vloeimans is a trumpeter, composer, record producer and songwriter extraordinaire; he builds timbral textures of the modern, early, traditional and experimental, all underpinned by the poetic beauty of his sound. Fresh from commissions from Holland Baroque and the Calefax Reed Quintet, Eric premieres his new work Innermission for BPO, as well as a fresh jazz take on Purcell’s immortal Dido and Aeneas:the tragic Trojan love story of Dido, Queen of Carthage. Kicking off with Desyatnikov’s gritty, sexy reimagining of Ukrainian folksong,we’ll also hear Johann Pachelbel’s Canon in D - one of Baroque’s most beloved works - and a sassy dance number from Les Indes galantes, a 1735 ballet héroïque by Frenchman Jean-Philippe Rameau. ‘Eric Vloeimans is a disrupter - he’s an improvising trumpeter and composer who regards the term jazz as too limiting to describe his music.’ Positive Feedback ‘Superb music of understated power... uncommon instincts and an astute ear for musical partnerships.’ All About Jazz The Listening Club Join Joanna MacGregor at Brighton Unitarian Church on Thu 12 Nov for a one-hour, illustrated lecture delving deeper into the concert. Find out more

Antarctica: Vaughan Williams and Arvo Pärt

6 Dec 2026 - 6 Dec 2026

Vaughan Williams’ Antarctic, Jonny Greenwood’s shimmering waters, frozen Sibelius and Arvo Pärt. Arvo Pärt: La Sindone Sibelius: The Swan of Tuonela Jonny Greenwood: Water Vaughan Williams: Symphony no.7 ‘Sinfonia antartica’ Elizabeth Watts: soprano Bishi: tanpura Kathy Hinde: Visuals Joanna MacGregor: conductor Women of the Brighton Festival Chorus Exploration goes deep into the psyche. Vaughan Williams wrote a magnificent score for the 1948 film Scott of the Antarctic, then transformed it into his 7th symphony, Sinfonia antartica five years later: a brooding work of genius. Man against implacable Nature had fascinated Vaughan Williams since the Sea Symphony of 1909 and his one-act opera of Synge’s Riders to the Sea in 1927. The expressive humanity in Scott’s doomed journey found its weight forty years later: music that’s uncanny and terrifying, as well as beautiful and rich. We’re joined by the exquisite lyric soprano Elizabeth Watts - whose highlights include the Last Night of the Proms, and performances with Sir Simon Rattle and Michael Tilson Thomas - and the ethereal female voices of Brighton Festival Chorus. Arvo Pärt wrote La Sindone for the Turin Winter Olympics in 2006. Capturing the frozen image of Christ on the Turin Shroud, it’s startlingly dramatic as well as mysteriously fragile. Sibelius’ poetic Swan of Tuonela provides the bridge to Jonny Greenwood’s beautifully fluid workfor strings, flutes and Indian tanpura, inspired by Philip Larkin’s poem Water. The groundbreaking pop artist Bishi joins us, and the remarkable filmmaker Kathy Hinde provides beautiful live visuals. ‘Elizabeth Watts is a national treasure among singers...floating and heavenly.’ The Arts Desk ‘Flawless musicality and extraordinary passion.’ The Times The Listening Club Join Joanna MacGregor at Brighton Unitarian Church on Thu 3 Dec for a one-hour, illustrated lecture delving deeper into the concert. Find out more Concert and Season Savers Book 3 or more concerts and enjoy a 15% saving on your tickets, or book all 7 concerts to save 20% (excludes Dido and Aeneazz)

Harmonium: With Brighton Festival Chorus

23 Jan 2027 - 23 Jan 2027

A mighty choir and orchestra reverberate in John Adams’ visceral tour de force, 'Harmonium' Avril Coleridge-Taylor: Sussex Landscape Beethoven: Piano Concerto no.4 John Adams: Harmonium Joanna MacGregor piano Alice Farnham conductor Brighton Festival Chorus John Adams’ fierce, propulsive tour de force, Harmonium, has become one of today’s most iconic choral works. Setting poems by John Donne (Negative Love) and Emily Dickinson (Because I could not stop for Death, Wild Nights), it embraces an ocean of feeling, with unparalleled emotional intensity. John Adams calls Harmonium ‘a secular cantata’, and it demands a large and fearless choir; we’re thrilled it will be conducted by the equally fearless Alice Farnham, rekindling her close relationship with Brighton Festival Chorus. Avril Coleridge-Taylor’s sensuously dark tone poem Sussex Landscape was composed soon after the outbreak of World War II in 1939. Following in her father Samuel’s footsteps, Avril was a composer, conductor and musical activist, living out her long life in Buxted. Joanna MacGregor plays Beethoven’s most lyrical, searching piano concerto, with its revolutionary opening and slow movement battle between soloist and orchestra - famously described as ‘Orpheus taming the Furies.’ ‘The brio and edge of Alice Farnham’s conducting...vivid, classy playing.’Opera Magazine ‘My works are profoundly affected by American popular music, jazz, ragtime, swing, rock...my personal style does not deny its roots.’ John Adams The Listening Club Join Joanna MacGregor at Brighton Unitarian Church on Thu 14 Jan for a one-hour, illustrated lecture delving deeper into the concert. Find out more Concert and Season Savers Book 3 or more concerts and enjoy a 15% saving on your tickets, or book all 7 concerts to save 20% (excludes Dido and Aeneazz)

Bad Girls and Heartbreakers: Carmen and Kurt Weill

14 Feb 2027 - 14 Feb 2027

For Valentine’s Day we’re gunning for the bad girls and heartbreakers, from Carmen to Lady Macbeth. Bizet: Carmen Suite no.1 Kurt Weill: Speak Low; Surabaya Johnny; September Song Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture Shostakovich: Suite from Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District Jacqui Dankworth: mezzo and narrator Geoffrey Paterson: conductor There’s a luscious swoon of romance in our Valentine’s Day programme, with Tchaikovsky’s electrifying portrayal of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, his most passionate tone poem. But we’re also looking out for the ultimate bad girl, Carmen, in Ernest Guiraud’s arrangement from Bizet’s opera: daring, kittenish and knowing. James Conlon’s virtuosic suite of Shostakovich’s 1934 opera, Lady Macbeth ofMtsensk District, is a staggering achievement. In his creation of Katerina - the titular Lady Macbeth - Shostakovich scathingly laid bare the oppression of Russian women, and hypocrisy of Russian society. With his customary charisma, Geoffrey Paterson conducts a score that is riveting, burlesque and revolutionary. We’re excited to welcome the singer and actor Jacqui Dankworth, whose stylish vocal palette draws on jazz, soul, classical and blues. Jacqui performs Kurt Weill’s songs of love and loss - including a fabulous arrangement of Speak Low by her father, John Dankworth - and narrates Lady Macbeth. ‘In all her incarnations, Jacqui Dankworth exhibits a subtle control of dynamics and voluptuous tonal richness.’ The Guardian Sponsored by Peter Clarke The Listening Club: Join Joanna MacGregor at Brighton Unitarian Church on Thu 11 Feb for a one-hour, illustrated lecture delving deeper into the concert. Find out more Concert and Season Savers Book 3 or more concerts and enjoy a 15% saving on your tickets, or book all 7 concerts to save 20% (excludes Dido and Aeneazz)

Alpesh Chauhan conducts Schumann

6 Mar 2027 - 6 Mar 2027

A symphony brimming with joy and imagination. Felix Mendelssohn Overture, Ruy Blas (7’) Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto No. 2 (23’) R Schumann Symphony No. 3 (Rhenish) (31’) Alpesh Chauhan conductor Sophia Liu piano Schumann’s ‘Rhenish’ Symphony opens in a blaze of glory, and ends at a wine festival! In between comes a guided tour of Cologne Cathedral, all drenched in Schumann’s trademark poetry and warmth. There’s no more tuneful way to take a holiday in the Rhineland (and you don’t even have to leave your seat). First, though, Mendelssohn goes Gothic in a dark and stormy overture, and guest conductor Alpesh Chauhan joins the ‘phenomenal’ (Bachtrack) Sophia Liu in a sparkling French showpiece. This award-winning young star is already causing quite a stir, and she’s the perfect soloist for Saint-Saëns’s champagne cocktail of a concerto. LPO Alexandra Jupin Award recipient. An annual award for an artist making their debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra Pre-concert event, 6.45pm Enjoy the sound of local young talent, as musicians from West Sussex Music, part of the music hub for Sussex, give a special free performance in the Brighton Dome foyer. 10% discount for 2 concerts 15% discount for 3 concerts 20% discount for 4 concerts

Spring Awakening: Birtwistle, Satie and The Firebird

21 Mar 2027 - 21 Mar 2027

A compelling journey, through Time’s Winter into Spring’s Awakening. Birtwistle: The Triumph of Time Satie/Debussy: Two Gymnopédies Stravinsky: Firebird Suite (1919) Joanna MacGregor: conductor In a creative career that lasted more than 50 years, the great English composer Harrison Birtwistle showed a deep affinity for folklore, the seasons and the soil: he wrote of Gawain’s journey and the ancient landscape of Silbury Hill, and chose to live near Stonehenge. His breakthrough came in 1972 with the epic The Triumph of Time, hinting at a connection with Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s apocryphal etching of the same name, with its wagons of Time, Death and Fame. The idea of a cryptic, cyclical procession was to return often in Birtwistle’s music, with his favourite instruments - harp, cor anglais, soprano saxophone - narrating. Don’t miss a rare chance to hear this gripping masterpiece, the first-ever in Brighton. After Time’s triumph, Debussy’s transparent, subtle orchestrations of Satie’s timeless Gymnopédies, coaxing spring’s rebirth. Stravinsky’s celebrated Firebird Suite blazes with a different folklore, that of the mythical bird whose feathers glitter and flicker like flames. ‘Visceral theatrical power and vividly dramatic... the gradual accumulation of tension and density in Triumph of Time is still unsurpassed in Birtwistle's output.’ Gramophone ‘Joanna MacGregor has repeatedlydemonstratedher commitment to bringing rarer repertoire to BPO’s programmes, whilst also managing to show theydon’tneglect core repertoire.’Nick Boston The Listening Club Join Joanna MacGregor at Brighton Unitarian Church on Thu 11 Mar for a one-hour, illustrated lecture delving deeper into the concert Find out more Concert and Season Savers Book 3 or more concerts and enjoy a 15% saving on your tickets, or book all 7 concerts to save 20% (excludes Dido and Aeneazz)

Tchaikovsky’s Fifth

3 Apr 2027 - 3 Apr 2027

Unforgettable melodies paired with unstoppable emotion. Bacewicz Overture (6’) R Strauss Horn Concerto No. 1 (16’) Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5 (47’) Delyana Lazarova conductor Felix Klieser horn “With desire and passion" wrote Tchaikovsky on the score of his Fifth Symphony, and he really meant it. All of his genius for melody went into this sweeping sonic autobiography - a musical journey from sorrow to joy, told in tunes that burn themselves onto your heart. No such worries for the teenage Richard Strauss: after all, when your dad’s the world’s greatest horn player, writing a Horn Concerto is the ultimate bit of family fun. Expect wit, poetry and pure high spirits as conductor Delyana Lazarova joins forces with the incredible Felix Klieser - a horn player who’s become a byword for inspiration. 10% discount for 2 concerts 15% discount for 3 concerts 20% discount for 4 concerts

Revolution: Nigel Kennedy, Beethoven and Jimi Hendrix

25 Apr 2027 - 25 Apr 2027

Revolutionary classical superstar Nigel Kennedy stars in BPO’s season finale, playing two of his favourite composers: Beethoven and Jimi Hendrix. Beethoven: Violin Concerto Jimi Hendrix: Hendrix / Kennedy arrangements Nigel Kennedy: violin Joanna MacGregor: conductor Propelled into international stardom at an early age, Kennedy remains the bestselling classical violinist of all time. Mentored by Yehudi Menuhin and Isaac Stern, his virtuosity, pioneering style and mass appeal have brought fresh perspectives to music of all kinds, from jazz and klezmer to Baroque and improvisation. He reimagined the ground-breaking music of Jimi Hendrix in the recording The Kennedy Experience, performed here alongside Beethoven’s symphonic violin concerto: an unsurpassed work of joy, daring and exhilaration. Nigel Kennedy’s collaborations have encompassed Sir Paul McCartney, Kate Bush, The Who, Robert Plant, John Lord, Jeff Beck and Ian Dury, and he’s won BRIT Awards, ECHO and Bambi awards in Germany and multiple Grammy nominations. Don’t miss what will be a fantastic evening of innovation and revolution. ‘I’m always improving and I want to get better and never hit a plateau. I find it an amazing adventure.’ Nigel Kennedy Sponsored by Julian Pelling The Listening Club Join Joanna MacGregor at Brighton Unitarian Church on Thu 22 Apr for a one-hour, illustrated lecture delving deeper into the concert. Find out more Concert and Season Savers Book 3 or more concerts and enjoy a 15% saving on your tickets, or book all 7 concerts to save 20% (excludes Dido and Aeneazz)

Simon Amstell: I Love it Here

22 Oct 2026 - 25 Oct 2026

Presented by Show And Tell Simon Amstell returns on tour with a brand-new stand-up show - funnier, truer, and more healing than anything ever before or after. I Love It Here is the latest creation from the internationally acclaimed comedian and filmmaker behind the Netflix stand-up special Set Free and the feature films Benjamin and Carnage. At a friend's beach house just outside Los Angeles, Simon finally finds peace: he is in love, free, released from the need to perform. But when an invitation arrives from the man who first ignited his teenage desire, that fragile calm is thrown into chaos. What follows is a desperate, hilarious attempt at surrender, during a night of overwhelming stimulation - the raw material for this extraordinary new show.

Ezra Furman

20 Oct 2026 - 28 Oct 2026

Ezra Furman can feel the future barrelling toward the now. Inside the world of her new album, All of Us Flames, the end of the patriarchal capitalist empire seems both imminent and inevitable, a turn down a path we can't see yet but can't avoid, either. The heat of a different world throbs just behind the skin of this one; all around us, openings to it flicker. They vanish almost as soon as they've appeared. But they keep appearing, as if daring us to hold them open, to widen them until they turn into a way. A singer, songwriter, and author whose incendiary music has soundtracked the Netflix show Sex Education, Furman has for years woven together stories of queer discontent and unlikely, fragile intimacies. She has a knack for zeroing in on the light that sparks when struggling people find each other and ease each other's course. All of Us Flames widens that focus to a communal scope, painting transformative connections among people who unsettle the stories power tells to sustain itself.

Trainspotting the Musical

15 Jul 2026 - 13 Mar 2027

Thirty years on from the film that changed everything, TRAINSPOTTING: THE MUSICAL storms the stage. WRITTEN BY IRVINE WELSH with MUSIC & LYRICS BY STEPHEN MCGUINNESS & IRVINE WELSH and DIRECTED & DEVELOPED BY CAROLINE JAY RANGER, this is the story of the outsiders, the rebels, a brand-new, expectation defying musical, pumping in live and loud defiance across the West End stage. Cult heroes of youth culture: Renton, Sick Boy, Begbie, Spud, Tommy, and Kelly are back, alongside an ensemble cast and a live band. Featuring some of the electrifying tracks from the film that defined a generation, together with catchy, confrontational and celebratory original songs, set to become singalong, dance-along classics, this is more than nostalgia amplified, it's a genre-defying new musical that speaks to our contemporary malaise of defiance in the face of an uncertain future. Radical, invigorating and life-affirming, this provocative, unforgettable experience will have even the most sceptical leave on a consciousness-altering high. TRAINSPOTTING IS NOT JUST A SHOW. IT'S A MOMENT. IT'S A MANIFESTO. IT'S WHO WE ARE. CHOOSE LIFE.

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