2026 Festival of Chichester line-up unveiled
Superb summer line-up confirmed
The 2026 Festival of Chichester will offer a thrilling five weeks of entertainment of all kinds across the community this summer.
Running from June 13 to July 19, this year’s Festival will feature around 125 events across a huge range of genres in a line-up packed with local talent as well as some big names from further afield.
Festival chairman Phil Hewitt said: “We have got a brilliant Festival of Chichester committee who have worked incredibly hard to bring together one of our best programmes yet. We are delighted at the way it has all come together, showcasing so many incredibly talented people and performers but also showcasing the city itself as a wonderfully rich, vibrant and cultured place to live and work.
“We inhabit a deeply worrying, deeply troubled world, especially at the moment – which actually makes something like the Festival of Chichester all the more important. It’s a chance to celebrate the things that enhance our lives, to learn, to grow and to enjoy all the opportunities to enrich ourselves.”
Phil added: “Very much in our minds this year is the fact that this is our first Festival since the death of our late and truly great Festival patron Dame Patricia Routledge who passed away last October. Her endless encouragement meant the world to us. She believed in the Festival and always expressed so beautifully why we do what we do when we create the Festival every year. As she said at our launch last year, the ‘arts are the soul of our nation.’ Those words will be close to our hearts this summer.”
As for the programme ahead, Festival co-ordinator Mark Elliott added: “With many dozens of options, it’s impossible to give more than the merest taster of what’s on offer but as ever the range is vast.
“Amongst more than 50 musical events we cover everything from jazz to country, folk-rock, psychedelia and even a chance to hear Jon Pickard play a 23-string harp guitar. Embark on a transcontinental journey with the Chichester Symphony Orchestra; join an enticing Mozart recital from renowned pianist Young-Choon Park and hear Handel’s Samson performed by Portsmouth Choral Union with The Consort of Twelve.
“There’s outdoor theatre at West Dean from New Theatre Productions in the Pergola Theatre and Othello from the Lord Chamberlain’s Men in Paradise. At least four events combine music with poetry or creative writing while a vast range of fascinating talks and workshops include subjects from yoga to Sussex Women to the secrets of writing fiction.
“The first weekend sees our official launch as part of the Cathedral’s now-annual SussexFest, and several other community celebrations join us this year including the ever-popular Chichester Gala, BookFest YA’s events for inspiring literary teenagers, a Priory Park mini-festival and several events aimed at encouraging debate and action on civic improvement and vision.
“The Festival features several art exhibitions and is a great opportunity to explore the city further with a range of guided tours, whether uncovering history or learning about the trees in the parks or the textiles in the cathedral. There are also a vast range of boat trips around Chichester harbour starting from Itchenor.”
The Festival brochure listing this summer’s programme can be downloaded from the Festival’s homepage on its website or found in physical, printed form from The Novium Museum (opposite Chichester Library on Tower Street) as well as from numerous businesses and venues around the city and the surrounding area.
For fuller details of each event along with links for ticket bookings, head to the website
Festival committee member Simon O'Hea, who has masterminded the Festival’s website, added: “Festival events are each independently organised coming together under the Festival of Chichester banner, which itself is run by an entirely voluntary committee. To keep things rolling, we are hugely grateful to Chichester City Council for financial support and encouragement since the Festival’s inception in the autumn of 2012.
“Many thanks too to Chichester District Council which helped us with a major behind-the-scenes revamp of our website this year. And enormous thanks to all of our sponsors and advertisers, notably Edward Cooke Family Law, our principal sponsor again this year.
“We remain extremely grateful for enduring support over many years to the Chichester Observer, to our Festival president Kate Mosse, and to the memory of our much-beloved Festival patron Dame Patricia Routledge who passed away last October.”
Musical highlights in the first half of the Festival include:
•Saturday, 13th June, 19:00: Tesoro Duo – 100 Years of The Musicals, Chichester City Arts Centre, Mount Lane, Chichester, PO19 3DQ
•Saturday, 13th June, 19:30: An Evening of Song, Regis School of Music, 46 Sudley Rd, Bognor Regis, PO21 1ER
•Sunday, 14th June, 14:00, Saturday 27th June 19:00 & Thursday 9th July, 18:30: The Sound Of Katie Brown, Fernleigh, 40 North Street, Chichester, PO19 1LX
•Sunday, 14th June, 18:00: Inspired by Music – Stradivarius Piano Trio, Great Ballard School, Eartham, PO18 0LR
•Wednesday, 17th June, 19:00: Ecco Community Orchestra, University Chapel, College Lane Chichester, PO19 6PE
•Thursday, 18th June, 19:00: Young-Choon Park, Classical Pianist, University Chapel, College Lane, Chichester, PO19 6PE
•Friday, 19th June, 19:00: Chopin and Shostakovitch, Sonatas for Cello and Piano, St Paul's Church, Chichester, PO19 6FT
•Saturday, 20th June, 19:00: Sogdian Ensemble: Tales of The Silk Road, Chichester City Arts Centre, Mount Lane, Chichester, PO19 3DQ
•Saturday, 20th June, 19:30: Opera Night 2026, Jeneses Community Centre, 45 Linden Rd, Bognor Regis, PO21 2AP
•Monday, 22nd June, 19:30: Sasha's Guitar Legacy, St John’s Chapel, 5 St John's St, Chichester, PO19 1UR
•Saturday, 20th June, 19:30: My Spirit Sang All Day: Chichester Singers' Summer Concert, Chichester Cathedral, PO19 1PX
•Tuesday, 23rd June, 19:00: Classical Threads, Persian Colours, University Chapel, College Lane, Chichester, PO19 6PE
•Wednesday, 24th June, 18:30: An Evening of Music Inspired by The European Holocaust, Pallant House Gallery, 9 North Pallant, Chichester, PO19 1TJ
•Thursday, 25th June, 19:30: Poetry & Jazz Cafe, Assembly Room, The Council House, North St, Chichester, PO19 1LQ
•Friday, 26th June, 19:00: The Pearl Trio, Christ Church, Old Market Ave, Chichester, PO19 1SW
•Friday, 26th June, 19:30, Magnificent Mozart, Boxgrove Priory Church, Church Lane, Boxgrove, PO18 0EE
•Saturday, 27th June, 16:30-17.40 and 19:30-20:40: M23/24: Strings Of Light (Secrets Of The Harp-Guitar), Chichester City Arts Centre, Mount Lane, Chichester, PO19 3DQ
•The Festival committee is: Phil Hewitt (chairman), Anne Scicluna, Ben Williams, Earl Collins, Jen Cordero, Mark Elliott, Matt Goddard, Simon O'Hea and Vicki Meddows-Smith.