Brighton Festival 2021 Final Weekend
Brighton Festival 2021’s final weekend concludes with jaw dropping aerial dancers, a drawing robot, contemporary cabaret and future stars of poetry.
On Friday 28 May, a public mural will emerge on a giant canvas outside Greater Brighton Metropolitan College. Robot Selfie is a drawing machine that creates self portraits of the public submitted online and drawn live in real time. After a year of social distancing, Robot Selfie brings strangers together in a piece of public art that will remain on display until the last day of the Festival.
On Saturday 29 May, Abigail Conway’s The Candle Project draws to a spectacular close with a lighting ceremony livestreamed from The Spire in Kemptown. A culmination of a week-long participatory installation in which visitors made their own beeswax candle with a message encased inside, the ceremony will feature soundscapes with contributions from Brighton & Hove based choirs.
Community meets creativity for the fifth year running as Our Place returns to East Brighton, Hangleton and Knoll and for the first time, Moulsecoomb and Bevendean. During May, local residents have taken part in creative events including theatre, dance, music and poetry. Our Place culminates with exhilarating outdoor performances from Without Walls artists at Manor Gym, East Brighton on Saturday 29 May and in Hangleton Park on Sunday 30 May. Open to all, the performances are free but ticketed and include hip-hop, aerial dance and circus.
Folk singer Eliza Carthy and her father Martin present East, a specially crafted evening of musical and poetic works inspired by eastern England’s seaboard with guest appearances by actress Miranda Richardson and singer songwriter Wilko Johnson. And black-bearded diva Le Gateau Chocolat performs a one-night-only cabaret in his first appearance on stage since lockdown. The sold-out show at Brighton Dome will be livestreamed for audiences at home for just £5.
Brighton Girls School hosts storytelling from children’s authors Steven Butler and Steven Lenton, flipped eye publishing celebrate their 20th birthday with readings from writers including T. S. Eliot prize-winning Roger Robinson. And in partnership with Vintage, a selection of bright young poets will perform their work including Jay Bernard and Romalyn Ante.
The festival’s guest director, British and Ethiopian poet, playwright and broadcaster, Lemn Sissay MBE concludes his online project, Tell Me Something About Family with public submissions open until 31 May.
In line with regulations, all ticketed events are required to be booked in advance. All events will be equipped for social distancing, including reduced capacity seating, bookings in household bubbles and full safety measures implemented across all sites.
Full event details and ticket information available from brightonfestival.org
Listings: 28-31 May 2021
Robot Selfie
Greater Brighton Metropolitan College, 28-31 May, FREE
A drawing robot will create a giant mural made up of selfies submitted by members of the public. At a time when we’ve been distanced from each other, unable to touch, unable to gather in public space, Robot Selfie brings us together, strangers next to each other in solidarity.
Without Walls Weekend at Our Place
Manor Gym and Hangleton Park, 28-30 May, FREE but ticketed
Bring your family to your local park to celebrate the return of live performance from hip-hop to aerial dance in joyful style.
Abigail Conway’s The Candle Project Lighting Ceremony
Livestream, 29 May at 8pm, via brightonfestival.org
A culmination of a week-long participatory installation featuring soundscapes with contributions from Brighton & Hove based choirs.
Mark Watson
Brighton Dome, 28 May at 8pm, £17.50
How You Can Almost Win is Mark Watson’s motivational talk about his experience on Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls.
Eliza & Martin Carthy: East
Brighton Dome and Livestream, 29 May at 3pm (in person only) & 8pm, £25/£8
A specially crafted evening of musical and poetic works inspired by England’s Eastern seaboard.
Guess How Much I Love You!
Brighton Girls School, 30 May at 10.30am, £7
Join professional storyteller Liz Fost for a very special event celebrating the 25th anniversary of the beloved tale.
Vintage Poets
Brighton Girls School, 30 May at 4.30pm, £10
Vintage presents some of its new stars for the future: Romalyn Ante, Jay Bernard and Leo Boix.
A Trick of the Eye: flipped eye at 20
Brighton Girls School, 30 May at 7.30pm, £10
Amina Jama, Niall O’Sullivan, Maia Elsner & Roger Robinson celebrate flipped eye publishing’s legacy.
Le Gateau Chocolat: LIMINAL
Livestream, 30 May at 8pm, £5
This specially curated song cycle is a meditation on a forced untethering; where do we go and who do we become when we lose our anchor?
Sophy Henn: Pizzazz
Online, 31 May at 10.30am, £5
The writer and children’s book illustrator discusses her new series following the adventures of Pizazz.
Steven Lenton and Steven Butler: The Nothing to See Here Hotel
Brighton Girls School, 31 May at 1.30pm, £7
An event for all budding authors, illustrators, bookworms, those-suspicious-of-reading and little magical monsters.