Once Upon a Time in Sokoto is one of the highlights of Brighton Dome's autumn 2026 season (credit: Brighton Dome)
Brighton Dome has unveiled its autumn 2026 season, and it is a big one. Across the venue's three historic stages, the Concert Hall, the Corn Exchange and the Studio Theatre, this autumn brings world-class theatre and dance, sublime classical concerts, chart-topping and cult music names, a flagship comedy festival, spoken word, family shows and a month of Christmas treats.
Running from September to December across more than 100 events, the programme is proudly rooted in Brighton and Sussex, championing the city's own artists alongside international talent and household names, from Alison Moyet and Van Morrison to naturalist Chris Packham and lexicographer Susie Dent.
There is genuinely something here for everyone, so we have laid out the whole season below, colour-coded and grouped by month. Tap a category to filter it down to what you fancy, from comedy to classical, theatre to Christmas, and follow any event through for tickets.
The full autumn calendar
Every show, month by month. Tap a category to filter the cards down to what you fancy.
September 2026
Music
Earl Sweatshirt & MIKE
Thu 3 Sep · 7pm · Concert Hall
Cult US hip-hop, raw and hypnotic, opens the season.
Brighton Dome brings high-quality theatre and dance to its historic stages all autumn. Highlights include Once Upon a Time in Sokoto (17 to 21 November, Corn Exchange), a bold new Inua Ellams production, and dance company Lost Dog's Juliet & Romeo (12 to 14 November), a witty, grown-up take on Shakespeare's lovers who this time survived. Thick & Tight: Natural Behaviour (13 October) blends dance, drag and satire, while Fatt Butcher: Congregational (30 October) delivers riotous cabaret.
The Studio Theatre hosts a run of bold new work fresh from the Edinburgh Fringe, including Lung Theatre's Woodhill (9 to 10 October), Man or Bear (7 October), YESYESNONO: Nation (12 to 14 November), Louise Orwin: FAMEHUNGRY (27 to 28 November) and spoken-word favourites Hollie McNish and Harry Baker (26 to 27 November). Local artist AFLO. the poet also returns with his popular Status Flo spoken-word nights.
Classical music
The Concert Hall's superb acoustics host a rich classical season. The London Philharmonic Orchestra returns twice, with Kian Soltani playing Dvořák's Cello Concerto (3 October) and a celebration of 20th-century American music led by violinist Elena Urioste (7 November). The Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra runs a full Sunday series, from Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (27 September) and The Stravinsky Connection (11 October) through to the atmospheric Antarctica (6 December).
Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins brings her 25th anniversary tour to the Concert Hall on 6 October. The much-loved Coffee Concerts chamber series runs on Sunday mornings with free tickets for ages 8 to 25, and The Sound of Silent Cinema (20 September) showcases the Dome's own organ live. The festive season closes with Christmas with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (13 December).
Music from every corner of the world
The contemporary music line-up is huge. Legends include Van Morrison (30 to 31 October), The Damned (25 November) and Dexys Midnight Runners (1 November). There is a strong thread of much-loved names too: Alison Moyet (10 October), Michael Ball (22 September), Freya Ridings (17 September), Lulu (15 October), Midge Ure (23 November) and Ben Folds (26 November).
Indie and cult favourites land throughout, with Shed Seven (24 November), Embrace celebrating 30 years (17 November), The Proclaimers (11 November), Saint Etienne (25 September), Stereolab (4 September), Earl Sweatshirt & MIKE (3 September) and prog favourites Marillion (13 September). Add folk-big-band energy from Bellowhead (16 November) and global sounds from African Soul Rebels (2 October), and there is barely a genre left uncovered.
Comedy big-hitters
Beyond the festival, the Concert Hall welcomes a stream of household-name comedians. Kevin Bridges plays multiple dates with Here If You Need Me, and there are shows from Russell Howard (28 to 29 November), Greg Davies (8 to 9 December), Chris Ramsey (13 November), Phil Wang (27 November), Jonathan Pie (23 to 24 September) and rugby star turned comic Joe Marler (5 November).
There is plenty more to close the year, including Sindhu Vee (25 November), Simon Brodkin (8 November), Lucy Beaumont (3 December), and a festive Live At Christmas with David O'Doherty and Sara Pascoe (20 December).
Children and family
There is plenty for younger audiences. In the Night Garden Live (12 September) brings the TV favourites to the stage, and the beloved The Snowman screens with a live orchestra (19 December). Little ones can also enjoy Slot Machine Theatre: Your Toys (28 October to 1 November), Stuff and Nonsense's festive shows including The Adventures of the Little Red Hen (21 to 24 December), and regular Crafty Kids making sessions for ages 3 to 11 across half term and Christmas.
The free Family Day Take Part (7 November) opens the whole venue up for a day of hands-on activities for all ages.
Films, talks and big ideas
The Words and Debate strand is packed with brilliant minds. Naturalist Chris Packham brings A Planet on the Edge (22 November), lexicographer Susie Dent presents Word Perfect (6 December), and physicist Jim Al-Khalili explores the universe (1 November). There are also talks from Caitlin Moran (13 September), Marina Hyde (26 September), geopolitics writer Tim Marshall (28 September) and former White House man Anthony Scaramucci (15 September).
Film and heritage feature too, with the Ocean Film Festival World Tour (7 October), the free Heritage Open Day (20 September), and a full programme of workshops. Foodies are covered by the Brighton Wine Festival (4 to 5 December).
Christmas at the Dome
The season ends in festive style. The headline show is Circa's Duck Pond (23 to 28 December), a jaw-dropping circus reimagining of Swan Lake from the acclaimed Australian company. Around it sit a string of Christmas treats: The Big Christmas Singalong (15 December), ORGANOKE with Ida Barr (18 December), the interactive Ceilidh the Musical (15 to 20 December), and Brighton's own Big Drag Pageant (10 December).
Shoppers can browse the Etsy Christmas Fair (5 December), while the Brighton Gay Men's Chorus (12 December) and Brighton Festival Chorus with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (13 December) both bring seasonal concerts to round off the year.
Brighton Dome Comedy Festival
The season's flagship event, Brighton Dome Comedy Festival, runs across ten days in October, this year in partnership with much-loved city venue Komedia. It brings names including Katherine Ryan, Nish Kumar, Simon Amstell, Sam Campbell, Maisie Adam, Jonathan Pie and many more across all three Dome stages.
There is far too much to fit here, so we have given the festival its own full guide with the complete line-up, dates and tickets.
A short history of Brighton Dome
Few venues in Britain have a story like Brighton Dome. It was built between 1803 and 1808 as the royal stables and riding house for the Prince Regent, later King George IV, as part of his extravagant Royal Pavilion estate. Designed by architect William Porden, the great domed stable block could house up to 62 horses beneath a vast glazed roof, its Indo-Saracenic style inspired in part by the Jama Masjid in Delhi. At the time, the horses were said to be more grandly housed than the Prince's own guests.
In 1850, Queen Victoria sold the Royal Pavilion estate to the town of Brighton for £53,000, and the buildings began their long second life as public spaces. The former stables were converted into a concert hall in 1867, with the neighbouring Corn Exchange following soon after. During the First World War, both were used as a military hospital caring for wounded Indian soldiers, a chapter still remembered in the city today.
The Concert Hall gained its striking Art Deco interior in a 1934 to 1935 redesign by architect Robert Atkinson, and the building was Grade I listed in 1952. Over the decades it has hosted moments of real cultural history, from Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd to the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, where a then-unknown ABBA won with "Waterloo." A major refurbishment of the Corn Exchange and Studio Theatre, completed in 2023, restored and modernised the historic spaces.
Today Brighton Dome is the city's leading arts venue and the year-round home of Brighton Festival, England's largest annual curated multi-arts festival. More than two centuries after the first horses clattered in under its dome, the building is still at the heart of Brighton life.
Brighton Dome autumn 2026: how to book
What: Brighton Dome autumn 2026 season
When: September to December 2026
Where: Brighton Dome, Church Street, Brighton BN1 1UE
