Cheltenham Music Festival returns for its 81st year this July, but the town won’t have to wait long for a taste of the action with a free outdoor performance arriving this Sunday and a packed day of science talks set for 2 June.
2Faced Dance Company brings its acclaimed production Fish Boy to the streets on Sunday, 31 May at 12pm, marking the first of the festival’s free events. The dance piece will pop up in locations around the town centre, offering a family-friendly preview before the main programme gets underway.
A trio of talks exploring everything from hidden dimensions to climate change and black holes then takes over on Tuesday, 2 June. Astrophysicist Alfredo Carpineti presents Invisible Rainbows at Helix at 2.30pm, revealing the universe beyond human vision and including conversations with LGBTQIA+ astronomers. At 3.30pm, Julia King, Chair of the Adaptation Committee, and UCL Professor Hugh Montgomery discuss practical climate actions in Hope in the Climate Crisis at Parabola Arts Centre. Scientists then trace the incredible story of black holes—from an 18th-century vicar’s mysterious observations to the first actual photograph in 2019—during Facing Infinity at Cheltenham Town Hall at 4pm.
The full Cheltenham Music Festival then runs from 3 to 11 July, bringing world-class performers to venues including Gloucester Cathedral and Pittville Pump Rooms. Free outdoor events continue on Saturday, 4 July and Sunday, 5 July with classical favourites like Mozart and Beethoven spilling into cafes and bars across town, offering casual performances alongside the main concert halls.
Founded in 1945, the festival has premiered over 250 contemporary works and remains one of the UK’s most prestigious classical music events, with the 2026 edition following its landmark 80th anniversary last year.
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