Everything you need to know about the Children's Parade in Brighton

Children's Parade (Photograph: Brighton Festival)

Look no further, here's everything you need to know about the Children's Parade.

What is it?

Each year the Children's Parade marks the start of Brighton Festival. It has been run for almost 30 years by arts charity Same Sky, and sees more than 5,000 schoolchildren parade through the city. Around 80 schools from across the region study and explore the theme of the parade, before making costumes and carnival structures for the big event.

What's the theme this year?

The theme of the parade changes each year – and this time it's folk tales. The theme was reflects the vision of this year's Brighton Festival guest director Rokia Traoré, who will be bringing her own folk tales from her native Mali to the city. The parade will be led by Rokia alongside schools representing folk tales originating from West Africa. Previous themes have included paintings, letters of the alphabet, woodland creatures and street names.

When and where does it take place?

The Children's Parade takes place on Saturday, May 4 2019. The parade starts at 10.30am in Robert Street and winds down to Madeira Drive on the seafront via Jubilee Street, New Road, North Street, East Street and Grand Junction Road, finishing at around 1pm.

What's the turn-out like?

Around 10,000 usually come out to watch the Children's Parade as it makes its way through Brighton – it's quite the spectacle.

Will there be road closures?Madeira Drive and Dukes Mound will be closed from 6am to 3pm on the day.

There will also be closures from 8.30am to midday at Pelham Street, Trafalgar Street, Pelham Square, Sydney Street, Gloucester Street and Gloucester Road.

From 10.20am to 12.45pm North Road from Tichbourne St to the A23 Marlborough Place will be closed, as will Jubilee Street and Church St from the A23 Marlborough Place to Bond Street.

From 10.30am to 12.45pm New Road, North Street, Castle Square and East Steet will close.

And from 10.30am to 1pm there will be a rolling road closure on the A259 Grand Junction.

Can you tell me more about Same Sky?

You might have heard of Same Sky as it also runs the Burning the Clocks parade in December. It's a Brighton-based community arts charity which runs everything from street parades to water-based theatre, carnivals to choreography; sculpture trails to fire and light spectaculars

More on this year's theme

Pippa Smith, Brighton Festival’s children and family programmer said: “Folk tales are typically stories that are passed down from generation to generation and are often linked to childhood memories, when parents or grandparents would tell them at bedtime. There are so many fascinating folk tales to explore, from the Anansi tales of West Africa to European tales by Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm. We can’t wait to see the wildly imaginative creations that participating schools and community groups will present.”

Rokia Traoré on bringing a flavour of Mali to Brighton Festival