IN 1964 the first plans to hold a festival in Brighton were made by Ian Hunter, the eventual artistic director of Brighton Festival.

He submitted a programme of ideas and the event began to attract people from all over.

It is now the largest arts festival in England and one of the major highlights of the international cultural calendar.

In the introduction to the 1968 festival programme, Mr Hunter wrote: “The aim of the Brighton Festival is to stimulate townsfolk and visitors into taking a new look at the arts and to give them the opportunity to assess developments in the field of culture where the serious and the apparently flippant ride side by side.”

Pupils and staff from Ovingdean Hall School for the Deaf can be seen enjoying the festivities in fancy dress.

Do you recognise any of them?

Also pictured are pupils from Studio 88 music school, including Kate Smith the youngest member at four-years-old.

Last year, Brighton Festival celebrated its 50th anniversary with guest director Laurie Anderson at the helm.

Audrey Selby is pictured receiving champagne from Iris Noble during the festival.

Do you know what this was in aid of?

Jointly produced with award-winning community arts organisation Same Sky, the annual Children’s Parade officially launches Brighton Festival and has delighted participants and spectators for over 25 years.

The largest of its kind in Europe, the parade is attended by almost 5,000 children from schools and community groups from across the region and cheered on by many thousands of spectators.

Since 2009, the festival has featured guest artistic directors and in that year it was sculptor Anish Kapoor.