About

Due to a football match taking place at the AMEX stadium (Thursday 14 December, kick off 8pm) please allow additional time for your journey. Trains and buses will be crowded and queueing system will be in place at Brighton railway station for trains to Falmer, and at Falmer after the match.

Martin Green Lighting the Dark

Christmas can be hard.

But ultimately humans are wonderful.

This is Martin Green’s journey through the festive season. Join the Ivor Novello-winning composer on a trip through the challenges and joys of winter, with an all-star cast of incredible musicians.

From ancient pagan rituals to a flashing lit-up Santa, Lighting The Dark takes a musical look at how we have got through the winter over the last thousand years.

Martin Green is a multi-award-winning musician and Ivor Novello Award-winning composer. As a member of Lau he has won four BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards for Best Group, and in recent years his solo work has taken in writing for orchestra and chorus, brass bands, helming documentaries, and co-writing two acclaimed audio dramas.

Joining Martin on this voyage are Laura Jurd of Mercury Prize-shortlisted Dinosaur on the trumpet and the leading storyteller of the new wave of Irish traditional musicians Ultan O’Brien on the fiddle. Together they venture through folk and jazz, offering original takes on familiar Christmas songs — all woven with Martin and Ultan’s engaging storytelling.

Here's what audiences are saying about Lighting the Dark:

“Absorbing. Stimulating. Creative.”

“Filled up my heart.”

“Inspiring. Reflective. Entertaining.”

General information

• Age guidance: recommended for 12+ as dark themes are explored, but younger are permitted at parents’ discretion. Under 14s must be accompanied by an adult.
• Unreserved seating.

Timings

• 7pm Doors to the venue open
• 7.30pm Doors to the auditorium open
• 8pm: Show starts (25 mins)
• 8.25pm: Interval
• 8.35pm Second half (50 mins)
  

Please note that these timings are approximate and subject to change.

Due to a football match taking place at the AMEX stadium (Thursday 14 December, kick off 8pm) please allow additional time for your journey. Trains and buses will be crowded and queueing system will be in place at Brighton railway station for trains to Falmer, and at Falmer after the match.

Services will be most busy for 90 minutes prior to kick off. You may have to wait to board a train or a bus due to large queues.

There is also likely to be heavy traffic on the roads, and alternative car parking arrangements are in place on University of Sussex campus.

For those driving, there is alternative car parking available on campus:

Head for the Jubilee Multi-Story (P7), Park Village (P8) or Lewes Court (P9). Use the Knights Gate Road entrance (off the A27) to campus to access these car parks.

Map of car park locations on University of Sussex campus

See the University’s Parking for Visitors, Parking on Football Match Days and Where to Park on Campus pages for further details.

For those cycling, bike racks and Brighton Bike share docking stations are available as usual.