About the Festival

You can book just one show in the Opera House, or you can immerse yourself in the many activities available for visitors every day. Here is a what typical day at the Festival looks like.

10.30 am Morning talk in The Old Club House

1.00 pm Classical Pops in The Old Club House

2.30 pm Matinee performance in the Pavilion Arts Centre or Buxton Opera House

7.30 pm Main performance in Buxton Opera House

10.00 pm Nightly Festival Club to midnight in the Pavilion Gardens The International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival was founded in 1994 and for the first 20 years was staged in Buxton Opera House. In 2014 the Festival moved to Harrogate, but this year returns to its spiritual home in the beautiful Derbyshire Peak District.

The Festival brings together a wonderful mix of leading amateur groups who compete for the coveted Championship Trophy. And, you can also see our fabulous professional performances from the Festival’s resident company, The National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company.

Next door to the Opera House, in the Pavilion Arts Centre, is UNIFest, a competition featuring leading British universities – each bringing a fully-staged production accompanied by the UNIFest Orchestra. The Festival Youth Production, Harrogate Gilbert & Sullivan Society, Grosvenor Light Opera Company and the Opera North Youth Company will also perform here. There is no doubt that the magic of Gilbert & Sullivan endures and the Festival embraces the very best. We look forward to sharing it with you.