Experience World-Class Opera, Music and Jazz at the Buxton International Festival

Buxton International Festival returns from 7 to 25 July 2027, with opera, classical music, jazz and books.

The announced 2027 opera season includes Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann, Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos, Rossini’s La gazzetta, Donizetti’s Don Pasquale and a concert version of Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail. OperaUpClose presents Salome: Dance Toward Ruin, a reimagining of Strauss’s opera.

The festival will also present the world premiere of Thea Musgrave’s Orlando – An Escapade, based on Virginia Woolf’s novel Orlando. The festival says performance dates and further details will be announced.

Audience at an indoor music performance

Jazz at Buxton International Festival

Festival venues in previous years have included Buxton Opera House, the Pavilion Arts Centre, St John’s Church, the Palace Hotel and Pavilion Gardens. See the festival’s website for the 2027 programme and venue details as they are announced.

Orchestra and audience inside a church

Collage of Buxton festival venues and visitors

Classical Music: World-Class Performances 

The announced 2026 classical programme included music by composers including Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven and Brahms, with ensembles such as the Sacconi Quartet, Gould Piano Trio and Brodsky Quartet.

In 2026, The Hallé returned to Buxton. Its concert at the Octagon concluded with Brahms’ Fourth Symphony.

Festival music collage featuring musicians and an orchestra

The announced 2026 programme also included Steven Isserlis, Peter Donohoe, Isata Kanneh-Mason and Junyan Chen, as well as vocal recitals curated by Joseph Middleton.

Jazz: A Vibrant Opening Weekender and Beyond

Jazz director Wesley Stephenson’s 2026 opening weekender was announced to include Darius Brubeck, Courtney Pine, Laura Jurd, Tony Kofi and Josephine Davies.

Festival jazz collage featuring performers

Books: Big Ideas and Inspiring Voices (2026)

The festival’s acclaimed book programme continues to grow, now firmly established as one of the leading non-fiction festivals in northern England.

The announced 2026 line-up included a remarkable range of thinkers and storytellers, from Lady Hale and Antony Beevor to Jimmy Wales and Nick Clegg. Other highlights include Andrew Graham-Dixon, Claudia Hammond, and Iain Dale.

Festival books collage featuring three speakers

Waterstones has previously run a pop-up bookshop near the Octagon entrance in Pavilion Gardens during the festival.

Bookshelves and tables at a pop-up bookshop
Waterstones

Next Generation: A Festival for Everyone

For younger audiences, the festival offers an exciting opportunity to get involved:

  • Under-35s who join the free Next Generation Friends scheme can get £5 tickets to book events.
  • Next Generation Friends can also buy £10 tickets to many performances.
  • Join Next Generation Friends for free; the festival says age verification can take up to one week.
Audience attending a book event in the Pavilion Arts Centre
Book event at BIF, Pavilion Arts Centre

3 The Square, Buxton, SK17 6AZ

T: 01298 72190 Box Office / 01298 70395 Festival Office

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