Countdown to this year’s Elgar Festival

Organisers of the annual celebration of the life and music of Worcestershire’s most famous composer are counting down the days until the event.

The 2026 Elgar Festival event takes place between Saturday 23 until Sunday 31 May.

The festival – which was launched in 2018 – was established by decree of Worcester City Council and is traditionally held on the weekend closest to Elgar’s birthday, 2 June 1857.

The music of the festival’s namesake will be the centrepiece of a busy programme of 27 events across 15 different venues with 3 pre-festival events including the relaxed concerts. The full breadth of Elgar’s work will be showcased, including songs, miniatures, chamber music and choral anthems alongside his most beloved orchestral masterpieces.

Kenneth Woods, Artistic Director of the Elgar Festival said : “We are days away from this year’s Elgar Festival, a weekend of the best of British music, played in the heart of Elgar country.  The 2026 Elgar Festival promises to be a once in a lifetime celebration.  We look forward to welcoming you!

“There’s nothing like that mixture of excitement and expectation just before a festival starts; the many long months of planning, preparing, fundraising and organising can sometimes seem to go on forever, and then, all of the sudden, it’s time for a party on a grand scale. This is going to be our grandest, and most fun, party yet – a birthday soirée in honour of Sir Edward Elgar for all ages! “

Some of the highlights for 2026 include:

• At the heart of the festival is the Gala Concert by the English Symphony Orchestra and the Elgar Festival Chorus at Worcester Cathedral on Saturday 30 May at 7.30pm;
• The night before, Friday 29 May at 7.30pm, and also in Worcester Cathedral, Holst’s The Planets will take centre stage, alongside Elgar’s Falstaff and Bax’s Tintagel;
• Throughout the festival, The Guildhall in Worcester, will have an exhibition on display of Elgar memorabilia on loan from prestigious private collections;
• Performances by Chamber Orchestras;
• Recitals by world renowned performers including April Fredrick and Nicholas Daniel;
• Several participatory events including ‘Come and Play Elgar’ and a Young Strings Masterclass;
• There are several free events, relaxed concerts, choral events, Q and As, a guided walk and a performance partnership with students from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.

Set in the composer’s hometown and surrounding areas the festival is an annual celebration of Elgar’s music spanning symphonic and string orchestra concerts by the resident English Symphony Orchestra, along with chamber concerts, choral concerts, recitals, workshops, masterclasses, street performances, a young composers competition, exhibits, tours and talks.

Since its inauguration in 2018, when it was a Critic’s Pick in both The Guardian and The Times, the festival has doubled in size and scale and continues to grow annually through an innovative development programme of appealing and accessible events, working with hundreds of both internationally renowned professional artists and amateur musicians and performers of all ages to ensure Elgar really is for everyone.

This year’s festival will bring together world-class professional musicians and artists alongside local choirs and ensembles placing the music of Worcester’s most famous son alongside that of his contemporaries and some of today’s leading composers and arrangers.

For a full list of events, costs and booking information, please visit www.elgarfestival.org.