Thaxted Festival 2026 Events

Welcome to our fortieth anniversary season, with its range of concerts and events across a wide musical spectrum. From Friday 19 June to Sunday 12 July, enjoy a summer of music in the glorious setting of Thaxted in North-West Essex.

Tickets go on general sale from Monday 16 March, but before that our Thaxted Music Lovers enjoy priority booking starting from 16 February. Don’t miss our special prices for younger audiences at many events.

2026 Season Launch

Sunday 22 February, 3.00pm

Expect extraordinary performances and an expansive repertoire from Craig Ogden and the dynamic and innovative guitar quartet Aquarelle in our 2026 Season Launch!

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Opening Night Concert: London Mozart Players

Friday 19 June, 7.30pm

Don’t miss the opening concert of our 40th anniversary season, bringing a feast of elegant Baroque music from our Orchestra in Residence and star trumpet soloist Matilda Lloyd.

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Community Choirs

Saturday 20 June, 10.00am to 12.30pm

A relaxing morning during which local community choirs, including the Thaxted Singers, will join to showcase their current repertoires.

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The Fibonacci Quartet

Saturday 20 June, 7.00pm

Thaxted Festival is proud to present the Fibonacci Quartet, one of Europe’s leading young string quartets, who have already won numerous awards for their playing.

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John Webb’s Windmill: Hard Hat Tours

Sunday 21 June, 10.00am & 11.30am

These tours are an exciting opportunity to see restoration work in progress and learn about the specialist skills and materials needed to conserve this Grade II* building.

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Roderick Williams, Baritone; Susie Allan, Piano

Sunday 21 June, 3.00pm

We are delighted to welcome back baritone Roderick Williams and pianist Susie Allan to perform a wide-ranging programme, themed on the outdoor and natural world.

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Emma Smith: Bitter Orange

Sunday 21 June, 8.00pm

With performances from the Royal Albert Hall to the world’s leading jazz clubs, Emma Smith shows are the hottest ticket in town!

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The Fry Art Gallery: Private View

Wednesday 24 June, 7.30pm

A private view at this gem of a local public gallery, which showcases work by mid-20th century North-West Essex artists who became known as the ‘Bardfield Artists’.

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Sound Explorers: Babies

Friday 26 June, 10.00 & 11.00am

Our Classical Music Sensory Workshops for Babies invite little ones and their caregivers to explore the magic of classical music through play.

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Sound Explorers: Toddlers

Friday 26 June, 10.00 & 11.00am

Our Classical Music Sensory Workshops for Toddlers invite little ones and their caregivers to explore the magic of classical music through play.

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St Martin’s Voices

Friday 26 June, 7.30pm

St Martin’s Voices join forces with Thaxted Festival patron and Classic FM presenter Zeb Soanes in a programme of words and song - a voyage round the British Isles.

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Community Choirs

Saturday 27 June, 10.00am to 12.30pm

A relaxing morning during which local community choirs, including the Thaxted Singers, will join to showcase their current repertoires.

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Community Ceilidh

Saturday 27 June, 3.30pm

Local musicians The Turkey Shed Ceilidh Band will guide you through a repertoire of popular dances for an uplifting community afternoon.

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Lizzie Ball, violin & vocals;
James Pearson, piano

Saturday 27 June, 7.30pm

Together, James Pearson and Lizzie Ball bring new life to a sophisticated programme of much-loved compositions by George Gershwin and his musical contemporaries.

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Wolfson College Chamber Singers, Cambridge

Sunday 28 June, 11.00am

Come and celebrate worship with a new setting of the Mass for choirs, congregation and jazz quartet, composed by Festival Artistic Director Christopher Weston.

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Improvisation Workshop

Sunday 28 June, 1.00pm

Join Festival Artistic Director and pianist Christopher Weston in an exploration of improvised music. Suitable for any instrumentalist above grade 3.

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Family Event: OperaBeatz! Where Two Worlds Collide

Sunday 28 June, 2.00pm

Enjoy a magical journey to a secret glade where you will disembark and be swept up in music by the fantastic OperaBeatz! duo.

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Elena Urioste, Violin; Tom Poster, Piano

Sunday 28 June, 7.00pm

We welcome back pianist Tom Poster, with internationally-acclaimed violinist Elena Urioste for her 1st appearance, in a programme that spans time and place.

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Sam Every ‘Little’ Big Band

Friday 3 July, 7.30pm

West End Swings. The energy and creativeness of this young talent is distilled in the Sam Every (Little) Big Band, who bring a wide range of favourite standards to their Thaxted Festival debut.

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Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers With Haverhill Silver Band – Live!

Saturday 4 July, 2.00pm & 4.30pm

Saffron Screen and Thaxted Festival present Oscar-winning masterpiece, The Wrong Trousers, featuring a live soundtrack performed by the Haverhill Silver Band.

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Samrat Majumder, Guitar

Saturday 4 July, 7.30pm

Scottish-Indian classical guitarist Samrat Majumder celebrates Julian Bream’s iconic 1985 recording of a musical journey through Spain via its guitar works.

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Harry the Piano!

Friday 10 July at 7.30pm

Top entertainment for all tastes and ages as Harry amazes with his phenomenal talent, respond to audience requests at the drop of a hat.

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Wild Arts: The Marriage of Figaro

Sunday 5 July, 5.00pm

Get ready for an evening of sparkling tunes, tangled romances, and razor-sharp wit with Wild Arts' fresh approach to major opera repertoire.

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Lincoln Organ Recital

Saturday 11 July, 12.00 noon

Thaxted Parish Church’s historic restored Lincoln Organ takes centre stage once again for our lunchtime recital by one of today’s leading musicians.

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Junyan Chen, piano

Saturday 11 July, 7.30pm

Junyan’s virtuosity will be highlighted across highly challenging works, ranging from Tanaka’s contemporary Techno studies, through Wild’s Gershwin variations.

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John Webb’s Windmill: Hard Hat Tours

Sunday 12 July, 10.00am & 11.30am

These tours are an exciting opportunity to see restoration work in progress and learn about the specialist skills and materials needed to conserve this Grade II* building.

FREE EVENT MORE INFO

Ultimate Film Music!

Sunday 12 July, 5.00pm

Bring the whole family for a cross-generational last-night at the movies experience from this powerful big band, highlighting the emotion and excitement of our favourite movies!

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“The whole Thaxted Festival Team are brilliant, making everyone feel welcome, and the whole atmosphere is light-hearted and enjoyable.”
Thaxted Festival concertgoer
“Thaxted programming at the highest level: Nicky Spence and Dylan Perez’s My Father’s Son”
Colin Clarke, Seen and Heard international, Sunday 22 June 2025.
“It's always the variety and quality which keeps me coming back.”
Thaxted Festival concertgoer
“Wild Arts seems to flourish on challenge; its Onegin counts as a notable success.”
Colin Clarke, Classical Explorer, Saturday 12 July 2025
“I think Gustav is smiling down to see how his memory and that of his best friend and colleague Ralph Vaughan Williams are honoured by the expertly played pieces they both composed.”
Thaxted Festival concertgoer
“The performance was a joy … and the quartet brought out its sense of both structural and linear perfection.” Holst’s Phantasy Quartet Op 36 performed by the Tippett Quartet.
Colin Clarke, Classical Explorer
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