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3 weeks ago
The opera event of the year is back; here's what you need to know
Calling all opera fans, Glyndebourne Festival is gracing us once again this year. Set in the picturesque Sussex countryside, the opera festival returns with a mix of productions alongside one of the best-known traditions in the performing arts: the long dinner interval in the gardens.
Established in 1934 by John Christie and the opera singer Audrey Mildmay, Glyndebourne has grown into one of the world’s leading opera houses. The annual summer festival runs for around 15 weeks from May to August, presenting more than 70 performances in its 1,250-seat concert hall on the edge of the South Downs National Park.
New for this year, the programme includes the company’s first ever productions of Puccini’s Tosca and Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, the latter directed by internationally acclaimed artist and opera director William Kentridge. A new production of Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos also joins the repertoire, alongside the return of Michael Grandage’s acclaimed staging of Britten’s Billy Budd. Alongside the opera programme, Glyndebourne will also present a new exhibition by London-based artist Sara Berman which responds to Billy Budd as part of the festival’s visual arts programme.
A firm fixture in the British social calendar, the 2026 Glyndebourne Festival runs from 21 May to 30 August 2026. Here’s our full guide to the action.
The garden at Glyndebourne, East Sussex, 9 August 2024.
This year’s Glyndebourne Festival includes three new productions alongside three revivals, spanning Monteverdi to Strauss. As Stephen Langridge, the festival’s artistic director, puts it, the 2026 instalment ‘presents masterpieces from three-and-a-half centuries of opera, ranging from Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo in 1607 to Britten’s Billy Budd in 1951’.
‘Our new L’Orfeo brings William Kentridge, Jonathan Cohen and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment together, while Billy Budd unleashes the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Nicholas Carter,’ Langridge continues. ‘In between them you can find Mozart, Rossini, Puccini and Strauss. We are excited and proud to have assembled outstanding international artists – singers, directors, designers and conductors – to bring these works of music theatre to life in a packed summer of opera at.’
Don Pasquale at Glyndebourne, 2017 (© Sam Stephenson)
Puccini’s Tosca opens the festival in a new production directed by Ted Huffman, marking his Glyndebourne debut. Music Director Robin Ticciati will conduct the London Philharmonic Orchestra for the first run of performances, with an opening cast of Caitlin Gotimer as Floria Tosca, Matteo Lippi as Mario Cavaradossi and Vladislav Sulimsky as Baron Scarpia. There’s a second cast that features Natalya Romaniw, Atalla Ayan and Alfred Walker in the same roles.
Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo is staged at Glyndebourne for the first time in a production directed by the South African artist and opera director William Kentridge. Jonathan Cohen conducts the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, with Krystian Adam performing the role of Orfeo and Francesca Aspromonte appearing as La Musica and Euridice.
Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos completes the trio of new productions, and directed by Laurent Pelly, the cast includes Rachel Willis-Sørensen as Ariadne, Samantha Hankey as the Composer and David Butt Philip as Bacchus, with Alina Wunderlin as Zerbinetta. Alongside these productions, the festival presents revivals of Rossini’s Il turco in Italia, Britten’s Billy Budd and Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail.
Visual art also forms a large part of the festival programme. This year, London-based artist Sara Berman will present a solo exhibition entitled Entanglements: Sara Berman on Billy Budd.
The exhibition responds to Michael Grandage’s acclaimed production of Britten’s opera and is the first collaboration between Glyndebourne and a contemporary artist working directly with the opera house’s costume department. Drawing on original costumes and elements of set design from the production, Berman’s work includes everything from paintings and drawings to textile installations which explore themes of identity, discipline and vulnerability within the opera.
(© Graham Carlow)
Part of Glyndebourne’s appeal lies in the experience surrounding the performance among the beautifully manicured grounds.
Unlike most opera houses, Glyndebourne retains a long dinner interval, allowing audiences time to picnic in the gardens, dine in one of the restaurants, or take a turn about the grounds that overlook the South Downs. (Indeed, many visitors arrive early to explore the gardens, too.) This extended interval has become one of the festival’s defining traditions.
Another precious tradition is the donning of formalwear. Although not strictly enforced, the official dress code is black tie, and the Festival’s organisers encourage visitors to take the opportunity to truly dress to the nines. ‘Adding a flair to formal wear is what our audiences do best,’ they say. Think Huishan Zhang brocade and embellishments, Emila Wickstead organza and Erdem sweeping numbers. Because the interval is spent outdoors in the gardens, many visitors bring coats or wraps for later in the day. Read our full guide to Glyndebourne dressing here.
(c) Graham Carlow
Glyndebourne is located near Lewes in East Sussex, within the South Downs National Park. The opera house is around 90 minutes from London by train or car. If you are travelling on public transport, rest assured that there are changing facilities on site and your glad rags need not get crumpled en route.
The Glyndebourne Festival 2026 runs from 21 May to 30 August.
Tickets are released first to Glyndebourne members, but public booking is now open too. Each production has a limited number of performances; popular dates often sell out quickly so be sure to book early.
Tickets can be booked at glyndebourne.com
Ockenden Manor
Around a 35-minute drive from Glyndebourne, Ockenden Manor, a PoB Hotel, is an Elizabethan manor house with traditional character and modern comforts in Cuckfield, West Sussex. Before or after your Glyndebourne experience, enjoy a spa with an indoor/outdoor pool, thermal suite and treatment rooms, while the hotel’s Burrell Restaurant serves seasonal dishes and has earned a reputation as one of the area’s best dining destinations.
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South Lodge
Around 10 minutes further afield, historic country house hotel South Lodge, sits within a large country estate in the South Downs. It features lakeside spa lodges and an extensive spa complex, while dining options include Botanica, the estate’s plant-focused restaurant, as well as the Michelin-starred restaurant The Pass.
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THE PIG-in the South Downs
And just a little further, a trip to THE PIG-in the South Downs is worth the 50-minute detour from Glyndebourne. Set within a collection of traditional Sussex buildings, the hotel has 30 bedrooms along with Field and Garden Wagons tucked into the grounds. Its well-known 25 Mile Menu focuses on locally sourced ingredients and produce from the hotel’s kitchen garden.
