Brighton Dome and Festival Ltd

Analysis

Brighton Dome and Festival Ltd is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Brighton. It was registered in October 1966, 60 years ago. Its declared purposes cover arts/culture/heritage/science, which this site groups under arts, culture, heritage and science. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 00889184). It says it provides human resources, provides buildings/facilities/open space and provides services.

In the financial year ending March 2025, Brighton Dome and Festival Ltd reported income of £16.3m and spending of £17.3m, spending 106% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income grew from £10.3m to £16.3m (+57%), an average of +12% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2024, when income rose by 28%. Over the whole period it spent 100% of the income it received.

Among 17,634 England and Wales charities whose main cause is arts, culture, heritage and science and that reported income, Brighton Dome and Festival Ltd sits at the 100th percentile: it is one of the largest 1% in its cause. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 99th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Newcastle Theatre Royal Trust Limited (£16.3m), Plymouth Marine Laboratory (£16.4m) and Active Luton (£15.7m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 54%, donations and legacies 40%, trading 4.6% and investments 1.1%. Charitable activities took 93% of spending and raising funds 1.0%. Reserves of £1.6m would cover about 1 months of spending at that rate. It employed 201 people.

Data notes from the register: Spending has exceeded income in each of the last three reported years, so the charity has been drawing on reserves or other funds.