Buxton International Festival

23/06/2026

☀️ Peak District & Derbyshire Summer Events 2026 ☀️

If you're planning a visit to the Peak District this summer, there are plenty of fantastic events to add to your diary!

📅 Ashbourne Festival
20th June – 5th July

🎭 Buxton International Festival
9th – 26th July

🚜 Derbyshire County Show
28th June

🐑 Bakewell Country Festival
12th July

🌿 Ashover Show
12th August

🚂 Cromford Steam Rally
1st – 2nd August

🏆 Ashbourne Show
15th August

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Peak District Highland Games
30th August

🐎 Chatsworth Country Fair
4th – 6th September

✨ Matlock Bath Illuminations
September & October

Be sure to make a note of all of these!

23/06/2026

🎷🎼🎭 9–26 July 2026 – save the dates!

Rare operas, renowned artists, bestselling authors and sensational jazz acts - Buxton International Festival 2026 promises an unforgettable summer celebration.

From Handel and Mozart to Courtney Pine and Jimmy Wales, discover a programme packed with world-class performances and fascinating conversations.

🌟 Don't miss one of the UK's most celebrated arts festivals.
🎟️ https://buxtonfestival.co.uk/

23/06/2026

Only 2 days left to enter! 🚨

We’re giving one lucky winner the chance to enjoy an unforgettable evening of opera and a luxurious overnight stay in Buxton 🙌🏻

The prize includes:
- Two tickets to Verdi’s La traviata on Saturday 11 July at 7.15pm at Buxton Opera House
- An overnight stay in a Double Executive Room at the Palace Hotel

One of the world’s most beloved operas, La traviata is a story of love, sacrifice and heartbreak, featuring some of Verdi’s most memorable music. Make a night of it with an elegant stay at the Palace Hotel, just a short distance from the Festival’s venues.

Entries close at 12pm on 25 June 2026. We will select a winner at random and the winner will be informed via email with further instruction on how to claim their prize. One entry per person.

To enter, complete the entry form on our website - link in bio! ✨

23/06/2026

We’re recruiting one more intern! ✨
Apply now: https://buxtonfestival.co.uk/about-us/volunteering

Come and join us to help make the Festival happen! ✨🎻

Every year Buxton International Festival offers a number of Festival Intern placements to young people who would like to work in the arts and events industries. Being a Festival Intern can be a hugely rewarding experience that will help you on your way to a great job in the arts. Past Festival Interns have gone on to work in a variety of settings including Wembley Arena, the Lowry Theatre, Opera Holland Park and Buxton International Festival!

We are looking for enthusiastic, friendly, motivated people who will thrive on the long days, variety of roles and pressures of the Festival. Festival Intern duties cover the whole breadth of our activity, including operating surtitles, front-of-house duties, venue set-up and office admin and marketing.

You will have the chance to see as many Festival events as you can get to from world-class opera, to the best of UK chamber music to the famous faces of our book series.

In 2026 the placements will run from 06 – 29 July in Buxton. While the placements are unpaid we do provide accommodation in Buxton and £500 towards your food and travel expenses.

Competition for these exciting and rewarding roles is strong and places are limited. Follow the link in our bio to find out more and apply!

22/06/2026

Explore power, identity and the stories that shape our world at BIF this summer.

✨ Q***r Georgians: A Hidden History of Lovers, Lawbreakers and Homemakers
Dr Anthony Delaney traces the stories of people daring to challenge society’s expectations, unearthing archives and court records to reveal the tragedies and the joys of q***r life three centuries ago.

✨ Regina: A New History of Women and Power
In an epic journey through history’s greatest royal women, from Cleopatra to Grace Kelly, Kate Williams delves into the lives of royal women as they navigate political intrigue, family rivalries and personal sacrifices.

Follow the link in our bio to book your tickets! 🎟️

18/06/2026

Your guide to La liberazione di Ruggiero is here! First time opera goer or just want to know what to expect? We’ve got you covered…

The opera follows Ruggiero, a hero with a wandering heart who is trapped on the sorceress Alcina’s magical island. Here, she turns her ex-lovers to plants and wild beasts when she tires of them. Help arrives through the enchantress Melissa, but will Ruggiero escape unscathed? Set on a desolate island, think creeping vines, eery ruins and strange botanical experiments… 🌿✨

Premiered in 1625, this is the first known opera by a female composer!

This is Vache Baroque’s second production at Buxton International Festival. Known for their exciting and innovative approach, they bring another baroque gem to the Peak District this summer.

The Vache Baroque Band will give two recitals at St John’s Church on Saturday 18 July and Monday 20 July - these are not to be missed! You can also catch the VB Band on BBC Radio 3 In Tune on Tuesday 8th July! 🎻

Follow the link in our bio to book your tickets! 🎟️

eloiselally123 Zahra Mansouri Betty Makharinsky Alex Musgrave Camilla Seale Mezzo Filippo Turkheimer Harriet Burns AINA MIYAGI MAGNELL Tom Kelly

17/06/2026

Not able to make our Jazz Weekender? We have seven other great jazz concerts happening during the Festival!

✨ Gaz Hughes Trio
📆 Friday 17 July, 10pm
One of the most prolific ensembles on the UK Jazz scene today, this trio has captivated audiences across hundred of performances. With their style deeply rooted in 1950s bebop, their dynamic playing blends subtlety and energy to create compelling performances.

✨ The Easy Rollers
📆 Saturday 18 July, 3pm
The Easy Rollers are a septet who embody the famed spirit and virtuosity of today’s booming British jazz scene and bring it straight back to the music’s roots in 1920s and ‘30s Harlem, Kansas City and New Orleans.

✨ Fergus McCreadie Trio
📆 Saturday 18 July, 8pm
Recent winners of Album of the Year at the Jazz FM awards, this trio uniquely blends Jazz and Scottish folk in a way that evokes the country’s sublime landscapes.

✨ Hannah Brine with Bim Williams
📆 Wednesday 22 July, 10pm
Hannah is known for her warm, expressive voice and finely crafted songs rooted in the jazz tradition. In 2025, Hannah Brine released her debut album Blue Sky Now, generating airplay on BBC Radio.

✨ Dennis Rollins Velocity Trio
📆 Thursday 23 July, 8pm
For 25 years, trombonist Dennis Rollins has played at the forefront of UK jazz, funk and pop as a virtuosic sideman to such stars as Maceo Parker, Courtney Pine and Tom Jones, and as an award-winning leader in his own right. They are joined by special guest Cameron Pierre on guitar.

✨ Blind Monk Trio
📆 Friday 24 July, 10pm
Blind Monk is an energetic Liverpool based group known for their original, quirky sound blending the moods of Coltrane and Led Zeppelin. They bring their vicious brand of fierce, piano-less Jazz to the music of Thelonious Monk.

✨ Pete Roth Trio ft. Bill Bruford
📆 Saturday 25 July, 8pm
The Pete Roth Trio creates intimate, interactive and improvised music for a new generation of enthusiasts. They are joined by legendary drummer Bill Bruford, previously a member of Yes and King Crimson.

Follow the link our bio to book now! 🎟️

16/06/2026

We are saddened to hear of the passing of Roy Hattersley, who served as Chair of Buxton International Festival from 1999 to 2007. We are grateful for his contribution to the Festival and the role he played in its development.

“There is no doubt that Buxton is now a national rather than a regional festival. Indeed, in some ways, we are an international event.”
- Roy Hattersley

Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones at this difficult time.

15/06/2026

Your guide to The Merry Widow is here! First time opera goer or just want to know what to expect? Read on…

The Merry Widow is a glittering comedy of love, money, mistaken identities and second chances. The story follows the most sought-after widow in Manhattan, Hannah Glawari. With a fortune at stake, Don Zeta enlists the charming bachelor Danilo to win her heart and keep her millions out of the wrong hands. However, Hannah and Danilo share a romantic past that neither has forgotten. As old feelings resurface, jealous misunderstandings, secret affairs and charismatic characters collide in a sparkling story where love must overcome pride.

Set in 1950s Manhattan, think glamour, waltzes, the New York skyline, martinis, ci**rs and mafia bosses!

Expect a welcoming and relaxed environment with no dress code and an accessible venue (Buxton Opera House). The opera is sung in English with English surtitles. The performance will run for 2 hours 40 minutes including a 20 minute interval.

💃 10, 14, 17, 21 & 24 July

Follow the link in our bio to book your tickets! 🎟️

14/06/2026

Your guide to BIF Music is here! 🎶

Solo stars Mahan Esfahani, Isata Kanneh-Mason, Peter Donohoe, Jack Hancher, Ryan Corbett and Ben Tarlton showcase their artistry on the harpsichord, piano, guitar, accordion and cello.

For lovers of instrumental music & piano, Ewan Millar & Tomos Boyles, Steven Isserlis & Connie Shih, Lizzie Ball & James Pearson, and Will Duerden, Daniil Margulis & Svitlana Kosenko present programmes spanning intimate chamber music to virtuosic piano and strings.

For vocal music enthusiasts, Roderick Williams, Dame Sarah Connolly, Nicky Spence and Louise Alder join Joseph Middleton for an outstanding series of song recitals, while Alexander Armstrong, Madeleine Shaw & Andrew Matthews-Owen bring the glamour of the Roaring Twenties, Alastair Miles & Marie-Noëlle Kendall explore the rich bass repertoire, and Twentieth Century Din celebrates music of a changing age.

For fans of larger ensembles, enjoy performances from The Hallé, the Festival Masses, the Vache Baroque Band and Voices of the Peaks, from orchestral favourites to folk-inspired choral works.

For those looking for unforgettable musical experiences, discover Musicals & Opera in the Cavern and the ever-popular Song at Six series, where extraordinary performances meet unique Peak District settings.

Follow the link in our bio to book your tickets! 🎟️

Sacconi Quartet Música d'Outrora (M d’O) Svitlana Madeleine Shaw JANE BURNELL | Soprano Allison Cook