The annual Brighton Festival Fringe began its Fifth Anniversary with an extraordinary free aerobatic display and various other street activities.

New Road was packed with festivities – a street choir surprised the crowds, its members quietly mingling amongst the throng of people, then spontaneously bursting into song in their midst and inviting passers by to dance and sing with them. Alongside them were three brand new Citroën D3s on display, one part-designed by Orla Kiely, winner of the 2005 Tatler Irish Women of the Year for Design.

There was a variety of things to interest everyone - the RSPB had a stall, their representative, Lou, said it was also about conservation and wildlife as well as birds. The colourful Petrusco Spray Can man sculpture attracted several children and smaller children entertained themselves and their families by putting their faces through holes in timely old fairground- style cardboard cut outs, where there was a noticeably right up-to-date cut out of a bride with tiara and bouquet and a man in Irish guard’s uniform, so children could be ‘Kate and Wills’ for the day. Failing that they could choose to be a dwarf or a cowboy. Adults were also entertained outside the Theatre Royal by a lively local cancan troupe, the Kickerbocker Glories.

However the show stealer of the day was a magnificent aerobatic performance beneath a huge clear heliosphere - a helium balloon which lifted high into the air above people’s heads and crossed from one side of the street to the other. Penny, the highly talented artiste performer, said afterwards that she had been with The Dream Engine for ten years and that they were a totally British company and based in Brighton.

A cosmopolitan mix of people crowded New Road and families sat on the iron seats alongside the park, happily waving streamers and watching passersby. A St Bernard passing through was as big an attraction as those already scheduled and as the street events drew to a close at the end of the afternoon a clever skateboarding dog called Bodhi could be found happily demonstrating his skills along the backstreets of the North Laine. For newcomers to Brighton - North Laine is a good area to explore as you never know what you will find there! Plus there are diverse cafés to suit every palate.

The Brighton Festival Fringe runs alongside the main Brighton Festival,which takes place for three weeks during May every year. It is an open-access mixed arts event, which means the organisers do not book performers, but are approached by people wishing to put events on and be part of the Fringe. Participants vary from complete beginners to showbiz veterans and anyone can put forward an event as part of the Fringe.

The festival runs from 7th-30th May 2011 and there is something for everyone. Don’t miss it!