Earlier today, Brighton Dome’s new Chief Executive Lucy Davies helped to launch her first festival alongside Guest Director Anoushka Shankar. This year’s theme is looking towards a ‘New Dawn’, about which Ms Shankar has said “For Brighton Festival 2025, we look towards a New Dawn. Together with the Brighton Festival team, I’ve been shaping a programme that envisions a hopeful future – an emergence from the dark of night into the glow of early morning. For years now there have been many reasons to worry, to lose hope. But we have the power within us to create an alternate future. That’s what Brighton Festival 2025 is about – let’s come together to reflect, lift each other up and take action. This is a festival for everyone to participate in, to connect with, to feel part of. I can’t wait.”
This year’s programme offers a diverse, inclusive wealth of performances from around the globe, with many free and interactive events. A strong music line up will see concerts by Arooj Aftab, Nadine Shah, Amadou & Mariam and Sarathy Korwar plus several ‘mehfil’ gatherings, where music is performed for a small audience to explore the concept of rasa.
Shankar herself will be performing three times: twice in the Concert Hall to play all three parts of her Chapter trilogy, A celebration of Passages by Philip Glass and her father Ravi Shankar, played in its entirety by Shankar and Britten Sinfonia alongside a specially curated ensemble of Indian Classical musicians; and at The Corn Exchange, Brown Girl in the Ring, a multidisciplinary celebration of Britain’s creative talent and inspirational women – all set in a boxing ring! The programme Words in Motion, curated by founder Sweety Kapoor, features Mona Arshi, Bishi, Nikita Gill, Areeba Hamid, Asha Puthli, Meera Syal (CBE), Saloni Saraf, Preti Taneja and Indira Varma.
The Festival kicks off with a party soundtracked by London-based tastemaker and producer Ahadadream and closes with Shiva Soundsystem’s founder Nerm welcoming his friends and top secret star guests to the decks for a special closing party on 25th May.
This is just a taste of an exciting programme with events starting at dawn and going through to the early hours.
Brighton Festival, 3rd – 26th May 2025
For further details and to book tickets click here
Members’ Presale Fri 14th Feb, 9am
General On sale Fri 20th Feb, 10am
