Brighton Festival & Same Sky Bring the Children’s Parade At Home

Brighton Festival and Same Sky are inviting every child to take part in the Children’s Parade At Home to celebrate their creativity and imagination.

The annual Children’s Parade was due to take place on Sat 2 May to officially mark the start of Brighton Festival 2020, but the event was cancelled when social distancing restrictions were implemented due to the coronavirus outbreak.

In partnership with award-winning community arts charity Same Sky, the stay-at-home event is open to everyone to have five minutes of fun during lockdown at 10.30am on Sat 2 May. Participants are encouraged to post their photos and videos on social media with #ChildrensParadeAtHome to capture the parade as a digital get together to share online with friends, family, neighbours and across communities.

John Varah, artistic director of Same Sky, said: ‘Whether you want to conga around your kitchen, wave a flag from your window, blow a whistle from your balcony, shimmy in your sitting room or dress-up on your doorstep – anything goes at the Children’s Parade at Home. We want to celebrate young people’s creativity in all forms and keep the spirit of the Children’s Parade alive.’

Same Sky artists have produced free online art resources to inspire parents and carers to make props with children to wear or play with on the day – from masks to musical instruments. The how-to guides will use recycled materials that can be found around the home.

Andrew Comben, chief executive of Brighton Festival, said: ‘We know how much the Children’s Parade means, not only to the 5,000 children, teachers, parents and volunteers who take part every year but to all the families and visitors who enjoy watching this spectacular community event in the heart of Brighton. As we can’t be together physically, we hope this alternative parade will offer a sense of unity and joy at a time when we all need it the most.’

The largest of its kind in Europe, Brighton Festival Children’s Parade has taken place for over 30 years, with more than 10,000 spectators lining the streets of Brighton city centre each year. The Parade is kindly sponsored by Southern Water.