We are the official Higher Education Partner of Brighton Festival, the city’s annual arts celebration. The 2024 events run from Saturday 4 May until Sunday 26 May.
Throughout the past year we have also been official Education Partner for the Turner Prize 2023. So, this year we are bringing Turner Prize events to Brighton Festival.
About the Festival
Brighton Festival brings together performers, writers and artists from across the world.
As the Festival’s Higher Education Partner we are delighted to provide you with unique access to the Festival programme and the chance to attend events co-created by academics and students from the University.
There will also be chances for our student Digital Media Creators to get involved, too.
Ticket offers for Sussex students
We have two pairs of free tickets up for grabs for students! You could win two tickets to either of the following events:
- Birthmarked – 9 May, 8pm
- Perfect Show for Rachel – 4 May, 7:30pm
To be in with a chance of winning, all you need to do is and add your email address and rank the events in order of preference on this form before 5pm on Thursday 25 April. Visit the form to add your entry.
Please note that we cannot guarantee your first choice. Please see the competition terms and conditions.
What's on
View the whole Brighton Festival programme.
University of Sussex Festival of Ideas
Our Festival of Ideas is back, featuring a dynamic and engaging programme of talks, events and activities, led by students and staff from the School of Media, Arts and Humanities.
As part of Brighton Festival 2024, we'll invite you to listen to bird song, think like a witch and feel the magic with Jeremy Deller!
And, in the run up to the Festival, our student-led Festival of Ideas events start from Monday 22 April - get ready for a mix of talks, workshops, round tables and performances, all free and right here on campus! More details coming soon.
Sunday 5 - Sunday 12 May - Festival of Ideas: Bird Bath
An immersive experience created by ecoacoustician Dr. Alice Eldridge and meditator Alistair Appleton (Mindsprings), transforming buildings into restorative spaces with the soothing sound of local birdsong. Drop into St Peter’s Church in Preston Park for free.
Extra special experiences include Dawn Chorus Breakfast, and Dusk Meditation, Performance and Improvisation.
Friday 10 May - Festival of Ideas: Remember When the Turner Prize Came to Sussex?
Get the inside story on why one of the UK’s most prestigious arts made its way to Sussex and the part the University of Sussex played in its role as education partner in bringing arts to the wider community. Organised in partnership with Towner Eastbourne.
Saturday 11 May - Festival of Ideas: The Radical, Revolutionary Witch
Dr. Laura Kounine discusses her book “Witchful Thinking” with Zoë Howe (author and host of ‘Rock and Roll Witch’ on Soho Radio), exploring the contemporary symbolism of witches in feminism and activism.
Tuesday 21 May - Festival of Ideas: Now That's What I Call Magic with Jeremy Deller
Turner Prize-winning artist and University of Sussex alumnus Jeremy Deller engages in a conversation with Professor Lucy Robinson, exploring collaboration, British history, protest, and pop culture. Organised in partnership with Towner Eastbourne.
Wednesday 22 May - Festival of Ideas: Radical Remembering with Subira Joy
Subira Joy, recipient of a Stuart Hall Foundation Fellowship, explores histories of resistance through creativity and performance.
Combining spoken word, discussions, writing, and more to explore queer and Black activism, archival research and radical lineages, Radical Remembering invites you to challenge how and why we hold our histories.
Friday 24 May - Festival of Ideas: Close-up
Magician Vincent Gambini invites the public to experience a 10-minute performance inside a café, blurring the lines between reality and illusion.
Festival of Ideas - events from our students
A series of free events led by students in our School of Media, Arts and Humanities are starting from Monday 22 April, on campus. Offering a range of events, from African storytelling, to roundtable discussions, to a letterpress masterclass.
View all events and book your free place.
Events in partnership with the Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts
We also have a number of events in the programme co-presented with the Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts (ACCA). View all ACCA events in the Brighton Festival programme.
Brighton Festival on a budget
There are lots of free and low-cost events available in the Brighton Festival programme! Check out what's on in the Festival for free or under £10.
Our place
The University of Sussex is once again supporting Our Place, a free programme of creativity, which takes place in the Brighton and Hove neighbourhoods of Hangleton and Knoll, East Brighton, Moulsecoomb and Bevendean.
This year the programme will see three Artist in Residence projects, which will culminate in artworks to be showcased across the city in May, covering themes of cultural diversity, identity and community.