Canterbury Festival

29/05/2026

The Central Band of The Royal British Legion take to the stage at Canterbury Cathedral tomorrow night at 6pm in aid of this year's Canterbury Cathedral Friends Friendly Concert.

Book your tickets online or drop by our pop-up box office from 5.15pm tomorrow.

Join the Friends of Canterbury Cathedral as they welcome the return of the Central Band of the Royal British Legion for a sensational and heart-stirring concert featuring a Nautical Rhapsody by Hayden Wood and the Thames Journey by Nigel Hess.

21/05/2026

From poetry competitions to our Contraband showcase and Young Musicians' Bursary Competition, there are lots of different ways to get involved in this year's Festival. You can find out all about these projects and more on our Call Outs page.

👉👉👉https://canterburyfestival.co.uk/participate/canterbury-festival-call-outs/

15/05/2026

In exactly two-months time we'll be making our way to Barham Church for a night of witty musical favourites with the Good Gnus (Jon Williams, Chris Price, and David Smith) as part of Summer in Barham.

Expect comic songs by Flanders and Swann, Noël Coward, Tom Lehrer and more, with plenty of playful humour, audience singalongs, and the trio’s trademark charm.

For more info follow the link in the comments 👇

14/05/2026

Join us on Saturday 20 June to experience Verdi’s great choral masterpiece in the magnificent surroundings of Canterbury Cathedral.

Verdi's Requiem brings together a combination of all his finest attributes – touching lyricism, luxuriant orchestral colour, and choruses that range from the whispered to earth-shattering fortissimos, stretching soloists and choir alike to extremes!🎺🎺🎺

Not to be missed!

Tickets from Canterbury Festival Box Office:
https://canterburyfestival.co.uk/whats-on/canterbury-choral-society-present-verdi-requiem/

Canterbury Choral Society
CCS Youth Choir
London Mozart Players
Richard Cooke, conductor
Verity Wingate, soprano
Julia Riley, mezzo-soprano
Thomas Elwin, tenor
Trevor Eliot Bowes, bass


Verdi | Requiem

08/05/2026

On Saturday 30 May The Friends of Canterbury Cathedral present The 'FRIENDly Concert' featuring the Central Band of the Royal British Legion.

Expect a sensational and heart-stirring concert featuring a rousing mix of traditional classics and uplifting favourites from stage and screen.

Join the Friends of Canterbury Cathedral as they welcome the return of the Central Band of the Royal British Legion for a sensational and heart-stirring concert featuring a Nautical Rhapsody by Hayden Wood and the Thames Journey by Nigel Hess.

07/05/2026

Our 2026 Schools' Poetry Competition is now open for submissions, inviting children aged 5-18 to submit poems based on this year’s theme – ‘Eerie’.

Our public engagement team are once again busy running free poetry workshops in schools across the East Kent area and last year provided 20 free poetry workshops to over 450 students across the district.

Shortlisted poets will be invited to read their poem in public at the Schools’ Poetry Competition Showcase, which will be held on Thursday 1 October 2026 at the Gulbenkian Arts Centre.

The deadline for submissions is Tuesday 14 July 2026. You can find out all about this and our other call outs by following the link in the comments.

🎨 Created by Emma Oakley, Digital Media, Canterbury Christ Church University

30/04/2026

Dancing shoes at the ready 💃🕺the Red Stripe Band are coming to this year's Summer in Barham on Sunday 19 July.

Pack a picnic and soundtrack your summer's evening with an irresistible blend of jive, rock n roll and boogie woogie classics in the garden of Barham Court.

29/04/2026

Check out this great opportunity👀 from our friends at Cement Fields

They are currently recruiting for an Associate Curator to support Intertidal Allotment – a long-term project by artist Andrew Merritt creating a functional artwork and world-first shoreline community allotment on the Isle of Sheppey.

We’re Hiring! 📢 Cement Fields is recruiting for an exciting and vital freelance role at the centre of ‘Intertidal Allotment’ — our long-term project with artist Andrew Merritt creating a functional artwork and world-first shoreline community allotment on the Isle of Sheppey.

The Associate Curator will be responsible for supporting deep and meaningful local engagement and the transition to community ownership. At the centre of the project, they will act as the main point of contact and coordination for the Friends of Intertidal Allotment, ensuring that they are embedded with all aspects of the project, and coordinate a programme of accessible activities providing a welcoming first step into the project for people of all ages and backgrounds.

Find the full recruitment pack at https://cementfields.org/news/were-hiring-an-associate-curator-for-intertidal-allotment/ and apply by 9am Monday 18 May. ✍️

27/04/2026

📢 Calling all poets!

Poet of the Year 2026 is all systems go and submissions have been flying in. So get those little grey cells cooking and put pen to paper.

Poems can be on any subject and no more than 60 lines - there is an entry fee of £5 per poem, with all funds raised helping to support our annual 2-week festival and year-round public engagement work.

The winner not only receives the title of Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year, but also £300 (sponsored by Prof Geralyn Pinto). Second and third prizes are also available, second place wins £150 and third £75 (sponsored by .restaurant).

Click the link in the comments to find out more and submit your poems before Monday 1 June.

24/04/2026

Our mini festival fundraiser returns this July with three days of music and walks in the beautiful setting of Barham village.

On Saturday 18 July pack a picnic and join us in the gardens of Barham Court for an evening of music from Mampama Quintet with support from our 2025 Contraband winners Gombo.

Bringing together talented musicians from Kent and London, Mampama Quintet celebrate two iconic West African musical traditions - the lilting, fingerpicked melodies of Sierra Leonean Palm Wine music and the infectious rhythms of Ghanaian Highlife. Perfect for a summer's evening.