Brighton charity, Same Sky, invites local support to help keep the much-loved winter solstice event running

Brighton charity, Same Sky, invites local support to help keep the much-loved winter solstice event running

Brighton charity Same Sky launched their crowdfunder and the theme for Burning the Clocks 2019, offering exclusive rewards to raise £6.5k to help fund the event.

The annual event will take place at 6.30pm on Saturday 21 December 2019, starting with a parade which runs from New Road to the seafront. The event’s organisers are expecting around 20,000 spectators to attend with 2,000 people taking part in the parade.

Burning the Clocks has a unique theme every year and this year it is a reflective one, in response to the current challenges of global warming, community cohesion and migration. The title is taken from Marcel Proust’s masterpiece “A la recherche du temps perdu”. The theme relates to shared memories, lost things, things we want to keep and treasure and moments that we hold dear and that have “made us”. Above all how we all have a common humanity forged by sharing our lives, loves and memories.

The crowdfunder rewards people with different prizes based on the size of their donation, including personalised lanterns for the parade, limited-edition prints and many gifts from local restaurants and businesses. Donors can also receive VIP passes to watch the event from a prime location on the beach. More info on these deals here:

Same Sky is offering 30 personalised lanterns to crowdfunders who donate £55 or more, which will be decorated with a word of their choice. These also come with two VIP wristbands, allowing donors to bring friends and loved ones with them.

The event will also be supported by a range of restaurants from across the city, offering dining experiences for people donating between £105 and £155. These include Chilli Pickle, Kooks, Terre a Terre, Moshimo and The Ivy in the Lanes. Brighton Dome is also offering four tickets to the ‘Super Sunday’ Christmas show to the person that donates £135 or more.

This year will be local artist Graham Carter’s seventh year creating original prints for Burning the Clocks. To celebrate, Graham has created 30 limited edition prints to people that donate £85 or more. These include A2 giclee prints representing this years’ theme ‘Temps Perdu’.

Local restaurant, The Chilli Pickle, is also sponsoring the event, adding a donation of £1 to every table bill up until 21 December, which will go towards helping Same Sky reach their fundraising target for this year’s Burning the Clocks.

Burning the Clocks receives no guaranteed funding, and relies on fundraising and the support of local businesses to raise the costs needed to run the event. Onlookers watching the parade are asked to contribute funds to donation buckets to help secure the future of the event.

John Varah, Same Sky artistic director said “Our crowdfunder for Burning the Clocks is essential to keep this event alive, as it costs over £30,000 to produce each year and doesn’t receive any guaranteed funding. We’ve been overwhelmed in the past with support from the public who make donations along the route and this is also crucial to cover the growing costs for this fabulous winter parade and celebration on Winter Solstice.

“I’d like to encourage anyone who wants to join us on the parade, or anyone who has enjoyed it in the past, to take a look at some of our new prizes on offer this year. I’d like to say a huge personal thank you to all of the local restaurants and organisations who have donated prizes to help us raise crucial funding.”

As in previous years, Brighton residents can purchase lantern kits to take part in the parade. Lantern kits cost £30 to £33 and contain materials, and four wristbands for people to take part in the parade. These will in stores to purchase t the Brighton Pavilion shop, HISBE supermarket in York Place and Book Nook in Hove.