FIVE thousand schoolchildren are preparing to kick off Brighton Festival with a fun-filled parade through the city’s streets.

More than 80 primary and secondary schools will take part in the annual Children’s Parade, said to be the biggest of its kind in Europe.

A colourful procession filled with joyful music, colourful costumes and jubilant youngsters will move through the streets of Brighton this morning.

In preparation for the event, schools around the city have been making costumes and floats interpreting this year’s theme of poetry in motion.

Brighton and Hove Prep School pupils have been busy preparing for their performance inspired by Eleanor Farjeon’s poem Cats and are hoping for a purr-fect performance.

The Year 6 girls will form a samba band playing drums, while Year 5 children will follow behind with feline- inspired choreography.

It will be prove quite a spectacle with 70 pupils from the school in Radinden Manor Road, Hove, in cat T-shirts and cat eyes.

Meanwhile children at West Blatchington Primary School are getting ready for their performance after weeks of preparation by staff, parents and pupils designing and painting their float and making outfits. Spectators can expect lots of colourful clowns and bright balloons from the school which has selected the poem Clowns by Margaret Mahy.

The event has been produced by community arts charity Same Sky for 25 years and attracts some 10,000 spectators every year.

John Varah, artistic director of Same Sky, said: “We are delighted to be once again opening Brighton Festival with the Children’s Parade, and a particularly great theme, poetry in motion.

“There has been a really enthusiastic response from schools this year and poems have been chosen ranging from Shakespeare to Tolkien. But it is how the schools have interpreted the poems that is really exciting.”

The parade will be led by the Hot 8 Brass Band who will bring New Orleans style to the city as it leads the procession, which starts at 10.30am from Kensington Street and heads for Madeira Drive.

ROAD CLOSURES

During the Children’s Parade there will be the following road closures:

6am-3pm – Madeira Drive and Dukes Mound

8.30am-12pm – Pelham Street, Trafalgar Street, Pelham Square

8.40am-12pm – Sydney Street, Gloucester Street, Gloucester Road and Kensington Street

10.20am-12.45pm – North Road, Jubilee Street and Church Street

10.30am-12.45pm – New Road, North Street, Castle Square and East Street

10.30am-1pm – A259 Grand Junction (rolling road closure)

Community answers

Brighton Festival Children's Parade 2017

"Add your pictures of the Brighton Festival Children's Parade as it makes its way round the city."

We asked for your responses - this is what you sent.

From Aoife Boylan

Your pictures

The Argus: Children's Parade 2017Children's Parade 2017
The Argus: Children's Parade 2017Children's Parade 2017
The Argus: Children's Parade 2017Children's Parade 2017
The Argus: Children's Parade 2017Children's Parade 2017

From Community contributor

Your pictures

The Argus: St Luke's Primary School with their Loch Ness Monster.St Luke's Primary School with their Loch Ness Monster.
The Argus: St Luke's Primary School with their Loch Ness Monster.St Luke's Primary School with their Loch Ness Monster.
The Argus: St Luke's Primary School with their Loch Ness Monster.St Luke's Primary School with their Loch Ness Monster.
The Argus: St Luke's Primary School with their Loch Ness Monster.St Luke's Primary School with their Loch Ness Monster.

From Experienced Optimist

Your pictures

The Argus: The parade moving along East Street.The parade moving along East Street.
The Argus: The parade moving along East Street.The parade moving along East Street.
The Argus: The parade moving along East Street.The parade moving along East Street.

From Angeline Muca

Your pictures

The Argus: My daughter Jessica very excited and about to start the children's parade route along with myself in happy clown theme for west Blatchington primary school.My daughter Jessica very excited and about to start the children's parade route along with myself in happy clown theme for west Blatchington primary school.
The Argus: My daughter Jessica very excited and about to start the children's parade route along with myself in happy clown theme for west Blatchington primary school.My daughter Jessica very excited and about to start the children's parade route along with myself in happy clown theme for west Blatchington primary school.

From Ada Elliott

Your pictures

The Argus: Rudyard Kipling Primary and Nursery school with our snowdogs!Rudyard Kipling Primary and Nursery school with our snowdogs!
The Argus: Rudyard Kipling Primary and Nursery school with our snowdogs!Rudyard Kipling Primary and Nursery school with our snowdogs!
The Argus: Rudyard Kipling Primary and Nursery school with our snowdogs!Rudyard Kipling Primary and Nursery school with our snowdogs!
The Argus: Rudyard Kipling Primary and Nursery school with our snowdogs!Rudyard Kipling Primary and Nursery school with our snowdogs!

From Anna Kingswood-Parsons

Your pictures

The Argus:
The Argus:
The Argus:

From Community contributor

Your pictures

The Argus:

From Charlie Brown

Your pictures

The Argus:

From Community contributor

Your pictures

The Argus: Children's parade Brighton 2017Hangleton Primary SchoolChildren's parade Brighton 2017Hangleton Primary School
The Argus: Children's parade Brighton 2017Hangleton Primary SchoolChildren's parade Brighton 2017Hangleton Primary School
The Argus: Children's parade Brighton 2017Hangleton Primary SchoolChildren's parade Brighton 2017Hangleton Primary School
The Argus: Children's parade Brighton 2017Hangleton Primary SchoolChildren's parade Brighton 2017Hangleton Primary School

From Sam Scrivens

Your pictures

The Argus: My beautiful grandaughterMy beautiful grandaughter

From Emma Harmer

Your pictures

The Argus: Rory from Peacehaven HeightsRory from Peacehaven Heights

From Clarissa Loughridge

Your pictures

The Argus: Childrens Parade in BrightonChildrens Parade in Brighton
The Argus: Childrens Parade in BrightonChildrens Parade in Brighton
The Argus: Childrens Parade in BrightonChildrens Parade in Brighton

From Donna Hawkins

Your pictures

The Argus: Childrens parade Elm Grove cp schoolChildrens parade Elm Grove cp school
The Argus: Childrens parade Elm Grove cp schoolChildrens parade Elm Grove cp school
The Argus: Childrens parade Elm Grove cp schoolChildrens parade Elm Grove cp school
The Argus: Childrens parade Elm Grove cp schoolChildrens parade Elm Grove cp school

From Candy White

Your pictures

The Argus: Lucie-lee Catlin - Coombe Road SchoolEnjoying the parade with her friends and teachers!Lucie-lee Catlin - Coombe Road SchoolEnjoying the parade with her friends and teachers!
The Argus: Lucie-lee Catlin - Coombe Road SchoolEnjoying the parade with her friends and teachers!Lucie-lee Catlin - Coombe Road SchoolEnjoying the parade with her friends and teachers!