This summer a huge range of events will come together under the Festival of Chichester banner, embracing another rich and varied five weeks of arts and community fun.
This year’s festival takes place from Saturday 15 June to Sunday 21 July 2024. It will feature an exciting range of events, including music in numerous genres, talks, theatre, walks and art exhibitions.
Brochure
Full details of all the 100+ events are in the brochure which is available for download here. Printed brochures are available at the Novium Museum (which doubles as the main box office) and are also being distributed widely across the district and beyond over the coming days and weeks.
“A lovely line-up”
Festival of Chichester chairman Phil Hewitt said: “There is a terrific amount of work that goes into putting the Festival of Chichester together, but every year one of the great rewards is when we can finally say to everyone ‘This is what we have got coming this year!’
“We did brilliantly well to survive all the challenges of the pandemic; and the difficulties inevitably continue with the on-going cost of living crisis, but it’s a genuinely lovely line-up which has come together for our 2024 festival with a huge span of events, so many of them in essence a celebration of all that is great and good about this wonderful city.”
A few glimpses of some festival events
Mark Elliott, festival coordinator, gives a glimpse of pleasures to come: “This year’s official launch will be on Cathedral Green on Saturday, June 15, starting at 11am. Special guests will declare the festival open, while a series of performers will offer tasters that set the celebratory tone for the month ahead. Then on the very first evening, the Cathedral will ring to the tones of the Chichester Singers performing works by Rutter, Shearing and Ramirez.”
The festival presents almost 40 superbly varied musical events, which include:
– Margaret Phillips’ recital at St John’s Chapel will be especially exciting in that it marks the first concert in over 40 years to use the original 1822 organ that had been out of action for decades until a recent full-scale restoration.
– Exciting blues performer Will Johns provides a soulful set with modern flair.
– Prize-winning pianist Julian Chan makes his festival debut with an enticing programme that gives musical depictions of several different cultures from France to Indonesia.
– There’s more Indonesian flavours as Snails Progress Gamelan works its Javanese magic within the Chichester Gala day in Priory Park.
– The Chichester Symphony Orchestra brings the city its very own ‘Last Night at the Proms’ evening.
– Amanda Waring ‘awakens your inner dragon’ with a ’sound bath, drumming journey‘ and energy exercises to raise your vibration state.
– Hampshire Recorder Sinfonia will perform a world premiere of Three Paintings By Millais.
– Harp, Guitar and Ancient Tales are promised by Jon Pickard at the City Arts Centre.
– PZAZZ Singers are back with their ever-popular take on pop-song classics songs.
– Cellist Pavlos Carvalho takes on works from Bach to flamenco.
– David Bathurst performs from memory every ABBA song ever released.
The spoken word events include:
– Legendary actor Steven Berkoff reads the classic poem Don Juan as part of Byron’s bicentenary that adds music and Prosecco to the mix.
– As he launches the latest in his Alex Rider series, best-selling author Anthony Horowitz is in conversation with Kate Mosse. Kate herself invites you to a night out at Waterstones as she launches the paperback edition of The Ghost Ship. And Greg Mosse offers a day-long course at West Dean College entitled How To Write A Mystery Novel.
– Performance word-artist William Fontaine unveils his unique brand of poetic storytelling in Tales from the Devil’s Cup.
– A multi-speaker programme hosted by author Simon Brett hears aspects of William Shakespeare’s London life and how his works have been played out around the world in film.
– Three best-selling historical-fiction authors, Suzanne Goldring, Louise Morrish and Gill Thompson, discuss the enduring appeal of novels set during WW1 and WW2.
– Hugh Bonneville is in conservation at Arundel Castle in aid Sussex Snowdrop Trust.
– Professor Maggie Andrews explores some of the less well-known political campaigns fought by women in the last 150 years and their impact.
Other genres include art, theatre and cinema:
– Pallant House leads observational drawing walks.
– ‘Art in the Park’ sees Chichester Tree Wardens along with artist Fiona Bell Currie helping participants to appreciate and draw some of the magnificent trees of Oaklands Park.
– Cyclone Live are back with an even more bonkers sci-fi absurdity of space-battles and song.
Bring a picnic to jolly Pergola Theatre shows within West Dean Gardens: the ticket not only includes one of two enjoyable play productions but also allows you to unwind in the gardens out of hours (Mixed Doubles and Tom Jones).
Linzi Martin invites you to design your own personal sacred space.
On a not-quite-anniversary year, Monty Python & The Holy Grail returns to New Park Cinema with an accompanying illustrated talk.
There’s still a whole lot more, including exhibitions, a range of walking tours, guided visits, a solstice-night BBQ at Denmans Gardens and even a group bicycle ride. Before the main Festival there’s another gamut of events organised through the Chichester Fringe (June 1 to June 15). And the festival concludes with a final weekend (July 20-21st) that includes Andrew Bernardi’s mellifluous Stradivarius Piano Trio at Eartham, toe-tapping Big House at the Guildhall, and a party of golden age swing with the Phoenix Big Band at the Rugby Club.
Tickets
The majority of event tickets are available online from Friday 5 April through www.thenovium.org/boxoffice and in person from The Novium, Tower Street, Chichester, PO19 1QH, just a stone’s throw north of the Cathedral. Email: boxoffice@chichester.gov.uk; phone: 01243 816525.
For phone and in-person bookings the box office is open Tuesday to Friday 10am-4.30pm & Saturday 10am-5pm. Also on Sundays 10am-4pm from June 9th onwards.
Sponsors
Sponsors include Kenton Budd Estate Agents, Timothy Roe Fine Jewellery and Edward Cooke Family Law.
