Brighton's Burning the Clocks festival to return next month

The Burning the Clocks festival will see an expected 20,000 spectators line the streets to greet nearly 2,000 schoolchildren and other people taking part in a parade through the city.

The procession sees school pupils, residents, local bands, and students from colleges in the city travel through the city centre carrying lanterns and wearing costumes, before arriving at the seafront for a lantern bonfire and a fireworks display.

Robert Batson, executive producer of Same Sky - the organisers of the festival, said: “It has been heartbreaking to cancel the event for the past two years, so bringing it back and in such a big way is going to be so thrilling.

“Between the hundreds of lanterns, the builds our artists are preparing and the fireworks show, the people of Brighton and Hove will be able to find a wondrous relief from the usual winter malaise.

“There’s no better way to celebrate the Winter Solstice.”

Thousands of people are expected to line the streets for the procession through the city centre (Image: Simon Dack)

This year’s event first to take place since the start of the pandemic, which forced its cancellation in 2020 and 2021.

The theme for the event is nature, focusing on the untamed aspects of winter and the ever-changing elements of the world. 

Local artist Jo Coles has created an effigy inspired by the Wildermen of Europe which will be paraded through Brighton and Hove before being ceremonially burned on the beach.

The festival has also launched a crowdfunding campaign to support the event - which costs over £45,000 to produce each year.

Donors to the campaign will be rewarded with different prizes, including personalised lanterns for the parade, limited edition prints and a chance to lead the procession, as well as VIP passes to watch the fireworks display and bonfire from a prime location on the beach.

The annual event culminates in a bonfire and fireworks display at the beach (Image: Ray Gibson)

Residents of the city are able to purchase lantern kits to take part in the parade from multiple stores in the city, including the Booklovers store in Jubilee Library, HISBE supermarket in York Place, Paxton+Glew Gallery in Hanningtons Lane and the Book Nook in First Avenue in Hove.

Burning the Clocks first began in 1993 to provide an uplifting antidote to the excesses of a commercial Christmas season.

The parade will start on New Road at 6.30pm on December 21.