Brighton Fringe 2012 – programme launched!

The 2012 programme for England’s largest fringe festival, taking place on 5th-27th May, was unveiled on 20th February with a colourful launch party at The Old Market, one of Brighton’s premier arts venues. Launching the online brochure and priority booking period for Friends of Brighton Fringe in the company of participants, supporters, partners and Friends of Brighton Fringe, incoming director Julian Caddy revealed a stunning line-up encompassing over 675 events housed in 191 venues across the city, an array of site-specific work and one of the largest street festivals in the UK. In May, Britain’s favourite seaside city will play host to panoply of cultural events from theatre to visual art, from dance to comedy, from music to film. With Citroën as the headline sponsors for the second consecutive year, Brighton Fringe 2012 promises to be the biggest and best yet.

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In a wide-ranging speech, Caddy outlined a festival that offers a market place for performers to showcase their work and an exciting arena for audiences to discover and participate in new, challenging and captivating cultural experiences. He stated that the open access nature of Brighton Fringe is in contrast to the curated nature of Brighton Festival and, as such, compliments their work perfectly, going on to say that it ensures a creative chaos, a chaos that leads to a place of discovery, a place where a hidden gem can be found on every street corner, a place where polished jewels sit amongst rough diamonds.

This year’s highlights include Dip Your Toe – Brighton Fringe’s response to the Cultural Olympiad’s ‘The Boat Project’. Six Victorian custom built bathing machines will be scattered around the city to house a broad range of performances with both strong community links and wider international elements. With puppet shows, audio and live performances, galleries and even a camera-obscura, the machines will also welcome the Olympiad’s boat when it arrives in Brighton on the first stop of its maiden voyage in May. New venues abound, including The Warren in Churchill Square, which, with a bold, cross-genre, accessible and vibrant programme, is opening up free fringe performances to completely new audiences.

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Brighton Fringe 2012 also boasts the biggest kids’ festival ever with puppets, comedy and storytelling. The first ever dedicated family venue, The Hurly Burly will take up residence in the front gardens of St Peter’s Church where a host of child-friendly shows will take place during the day, switching to more adult-orientated work in the evenings.

The aim of the Family Fringe is to provide local and visiting families with quality arts. This is to include theatre, puppetry, live music and arts based workshops.

The Hurly Burly will be bringing their beautiful pop-up venue, festival atmosphere and team of performing stewards, ushers and waiters, to central Brighton on the Green in front of St Peters Church. The Hurly Burly venue is a solar powered venue, made up of a 1980’s converted school bus with a cotton canvas marquee attached. The crew, The Artillery Of Love will be stewarding the event and warming up the crowds with choreographed dance routines and skits.

The Hurly Burly is the country’s leading performing arts festival venue and regularly tours Shambala, Bestival, Electric Picnic and many other festivals.

The Hurly Burly marquee will act as the main venue for all Family Fringe ticketed and free events and also provide family meals and refreshments! You will even be able to buy breakfast here before watching a morning performance.

The Green will be transformed into a wonderland in the style of a vintage fair, with games, activities and walkabout theatre.

Family Fringe will be working with reputable children’s arts companies such as: Long Nosed Puppets, Rainbow Collectors and Dr Brown. Installations and workshops will be facilitated by: Circus Kinetica (recycled arts and crafts)

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Family friendly and kids shows will also be taking place at other venues during Brighton Fringe, and here are some highlights:

Magician Peter Campbell-Wells presents his dazzling troupe of eerie entertainers in Spook Circus, at the Laughing Horse @ The Temple, on several dates between 5th-27th May.

The Amazing Adventures of Little Red is a smash hit family musical, about a girl in a red hood who must defeat an evil fairy queen and save the world (13th, 20th and 27th May at the Friends Meeting House.

Snow Play comes to The Warren on 17-20th May – when Mr Green comes back from holiday to find Mr White in house its the start of a brrrilliant adventure … performed by Cbeebies Patrick Lynch!

The Big Grin (26-27 May): Mr Punch’s 350th birthday party by the sea with puppet shows galore, family fun, drop-in activities and backstage tours!! At Brighton Fishing Museum.

And there are numerous other theatre shows for kids, just check the Brighton Fringe brochure for full details, and see the Child Friendly Brighton calendar for May 2012.

Family fun days include the glorious St Ann’s Well Gardens Spring Festival, the Deans Festival and Friends of Saltdean Lido Fun Day.

Comedy shows especially for kids, include the Comedy Club 4 Kids at the Komedia on 26th May, and James Campbell’s Comedy 4 Kids on 13th May.

All this and the amazing Fringe City, Brighton’s free outdoor showcase of fringe performances. In 2011, over 40,000 people attended Fringe City over three fantastic days of performances, stalls, sideshows, dance-offs, acrobatic balloonists, roaming choirs, mechanical horses and surreal walkabout performers. Fringe City 2012 will take place every Saturday throughout in May in the New Road area of Brighton.

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Set in a city with a unique heritage that has set the pace, diversity, creativity and innovative thinking locally, nationally and beyond,

Brighton Fringe 2012 is set to be the most memorable in its history.

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For the complete listings of all Brighton Fringe events, shows, performances and activities, pick up a brochure or visit the Brighton Fringe website

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For up-to-date listings and event contact details, please visit the Brighton Fringe website

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All family friendly and child friendly events and shows will be listed on the Child Friendly Brighton events calendar (for May 2012)!