Burning the Clocks takes a fallow year

Same Sky, the creators of Burning the Clocks, have announced that their winter solstice event will be paused for 2025. This will allow for organisation to focus on future planning, whilst running its spectacular national programme of events, and preparing for the event’s return in 2026.

The effigy for next year has already been commissioned, created with the theme, ‘Magicada’. This represents a symbolic rest followed by a noisy awakening. The massive lantern sculpture will be displayed publicly this year in Central Brighton on Sun 21 Dec 2025.

Same Sky will continue to run more than two dozen community arts events across the country in the coming year. Their national programme includes Glow Wild at Wakehurst Kew, Bexley Winter Lights, Jack on the Green in Worthing, Brighton Children’s Parade (in collaboration with Brighton Festival), the Horsham Children’s Parade (in collaboration with Happy Accidents) and the Winter Light Parades across Kent with Cohesion+.

Jane McMorrow, Same Sky’s interim CEO, said: “It was a tough but necessary decision to take a year off from running Burning the Clocks this year in order to focus our resources and allow time to strategically review and secure the long-term future for Same Sky.  

“We’re a small but powerful charity, that has connected communities through shared art projects since we began in 1987 - but in recent years, alongside many other small arts charities, we’ve faced immense funding challenges. We have a tiny core team and each year we’ve only been able to stage the event thanks to every single person associated with the organisation, especially our artists and events team, going above and beyond.

“We also said goodbye to our artistic director this year - John Varah who retired after 34 years at Same Sky - which made this a good moment to review the organisation’s structure and ensure we are secure and fit for purpose to continue to make more positive community impact for many decades to come,” added McMorrow.

The cost to stage large scale community events like Burning the Clocks have soared in recent years - with an expenditure increase of 44 per cent since 2019 and 2024’s costs’ exceeding £50,000.This includes significant logistical costs such as security and stewarding, personnel, equipment, pyrotechnics, and insurance, as well as funding school and community workshops and artistic contributions. Income from supporters, participants, sponsors, and donors helped cover a third of the event’s cost last year.  

Burning the Clocks 2024 was possible due to support from Arts Council England, Hand Brew Co, The Boyne Family, and James Heath and Co. In-kind contributions were also made by Brighton Fringe, Brighton & Hove City Council, Brighton Winter Fayre, Brighton Dome and Festival, Moshimo, Infinity Co Op, The Chilli Pickle and Sea Lanes. The event is made possible because of the momentous effort of Same Sky’s artists, production team, volunteers, donation collectors, bands and musicians, lantern-makers  and other supporters of the event.

More information on Burning The Clocks and the winter solstice event displaying 2026’s effigy can be found HERE.

Image by KaleidoShoots

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