2-25 October 2026 at Various venues across Brighton & Hove
BREMF 2026: Bringers of Dreams
Find out what's coming up at Brighton Early Music Festival 2026. Tickets on sale from 22 July for Festival Friends and 3 August for all.
Date & Time: 2-25 October 2026
Ticket price: Tickets start at £5 and will go on sale to Festival Friends on 22 July, and on general sale on 3 August 2026
Our 2026 Festival takes the theme of Bringers of Dreams. The boundaries between real and imagined, between past and future, between aspiration and fear become blurred when we dream. For centuries, this nebulous tideland of imagination has fuelled ideas for countless pieces of art and music, new inventions, alternative fantastical universes, and provided the backdrop for idealised worlds of change. This year’s festival celebrates our power to dream ambitiously and create a better world, the dreams that visit us in sleep, and the mysteries of the night sky.
Pre-Festival Period: from 19 September 2026
Saturday 19 September Free Polyphony Crawl performances around Brighton
Sunday 20 September Choral workshop led by Donald Greig; plus afternoon Laboratory of Lullabies family concert
Saturday 26 September Instrumental workshop at A=440 led by William Lyons
Sunday 27 September Two half-day workshops on baroque dance
Thursday 1 October Early Music Open Mic with Emily Baines
Weekend 1: 2-4 October 2026
Friday 2 October City of Dreams: a Florentine extravaganza with the Monteverdi String Band, BREMF Consort of Voices and The Royal Sackbut Collective.
Saturday 3 October The Planets (Pre-imagined): an orchestral journey through the 17th-century solar system with Spiritato; plus morning OAE TOTS family concerts.
Sunday 4 October Dream Lab: an afternoon performance of three experimental projects with sessions for audience feedback.
Weekend 2: 9-11 October 2026
Friday 9 October Purcell’s The Fairy Queen with the London Handel Players and BREMF Emerging Artists soloists.
Saturday 10 October BREMF Emerging Artists ensembles showcase and clubnight.
Sunday 11 October Music from 15th and 16th-century Venice with Artemis Consort.
Weekend 3: 16-18 October 2026
Friday 16 October A programme of European and North American Ballads with The Fine Hand
Saturday 17 October Dowland Day: lunchtime concert with Kieran White and The Republic of Viols; early evening concert with Dowland’s Foundry; 9pm late night concert by Ruby Hughes and Jonas Nordberg.
Sunday 18 October An early evening medieval programme from Ymnus, plus afternoon instrumental workshop for instruments at A=415.
Weekend 4: 23-25 October 2026
Friday 23 October BREMF Community Choir with Patrizia Bovi and Leah Stuttard.
Saturday 24 October Lunchtime concert by Nocturnalia; followed by an evening concert including Lassus Lamentations with Utopia Ensemble.
Sunday 25 October End of Festival community SongPath walk in Stanmer Park
