The 31st International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival, Buxton Opera House, Water Street, Buxton, SK17 6XN
When: 2nd – 16th August 2025
T: Box office 01298 72190
When do tickets go on sale for The 31st International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival?
Tickets go on public sale from Buxton Opera House for the 31st International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival at 11am on Tuesday 4th February 2025. The programme has not been announced yet, but as soon as it is, we’ll add more information to this page.
Click here for the latest information and booking.
History of The International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival
Attention all Gilbert and Sullivan enthusiasts and lovers of fine theatre and dramatic arts! For two weeks every year at Buxton Opera House, this event features the world’s finest G&S Opera Companies alongside Britain’s top amateur groups.
The festival has grown into a distinctly English phenomenon, celebrated for its glorious music, witty dialogue, and sharp political satire, celebrating the timeless works of William Schwenck Gilbert & Arthur Sullivan.
The International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival was established in 1994 by Ian Smith and his son Neil, initially making its home in Buxton. Judith Christian, General Manager of the Opera House at the time, had a meeting with Ian and legend has it she said at the meeting “I wasn’t going to let him leave my office without coming to an agreement for the idea of a G&S festival”, the rest as they say, is history.
Buxton was always thought to be the festivals ‘spiritual home’ and to the disappointment of some, in 2013 it was moved to Harrogate, North Yorkshire following difficulties with agreeing contracts (though Buxton continued to host a week of the festival at the Opera House); there the festival remained until 2022.
Ian Smith, the festival’s Chairman and Creative Director, passed away in November 2019. His extraordinary creativity and passion for G&S helped shape a unique and exceptional opera festival that draws thousands of international and UK visitors each year.
In 2023 the entire festival programme returned to Buxton, much to the delight of audiences and the town. The event is the biggest celebration of the Gilbert & Sullivan comic operas anywhere in the world.
The two-week festival features G&S opera performances with the festivals own professional arm – The National G&S Opera Company, featuring favourite names such as Simon Buttriss, Bruce Graham and Richard Gauntlet to name a few. Amateur G&S performing societies from around the world perform also visit and perform on the main stage each year. Youth productions also take place as well as a packed fringe programme with talks, lectures, a memorabilia fair, shorter recitals and more.
Visitors can drop in for one show or immerse themselves in the festival and experience everything on offer.
Celebrating 30 years in 2024, The National G&S Opera Company productions were The Gondoliers, HMS Pinafore & Trial By Jury, The Pirates of Penzance and The Best of G&S.
🎥 Watch: Video content from previous festivals
Fancy a trip down memory lane? Re-live some highlights of previous festivals here with some truly memorable moments from the last few years:
Who are Gilbert and Sullivan?
Gilbert and Sullivan were a prolific and influential British duo who created a series of comic operas in the late 19th century that have remained popular for over a century. The partnership comprised of lyricist W.S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900). Together, they revolutionised the theatrical world with their witty, satirical operas.
The collaboration between Gilbert and Sullivan began in 1871, but their most famous works were produced between 1877 and 1896. These operas were produced by Richard D’Oyly Carte, who formed the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company, specifically to perform the works of Gilbert and Sullivan. The company played a key role in promoting their operas and ensuring their legacy.
Their operas are characterised by clever wordplay, memorable melodies, and satirical treatment of Victorian society’s mores and politics. Some of their most famous operas include:
- “H.M.S. Pinafore” (1878): A satire on the British class system and naval hierarchy.
- “The Pirates of Penzance” (1879): Known for its whimsical take on duty and honour, featuring the famous “Major-General’s Song.”
- “The Mikado” (1885): A satire set in an exoticised Japan, critiquing British politics and institutions under the guise of a foreign setting.
- “Patience” (1881): A satire on the aesthetic movement of the 1870s and ’80s.
- “Iolanthe” (1882): A comedic take on the British legal system and political landscape.
The partnership between Gilbert and Sullivan eventually soured due to various business disputes and personal conflicts, most notably the infamous “Carpet Quarrel” over the costs of a carpet for the Savoy Theatre. They briefly separated after this dispute but were persuaded to collaborate on two more operas before finally ending their partnership.
Their influence on musical theatre is immense, shaping the format and style of modern musicals in the UK and beyond. The clever integration of song and storyline in their works paved the way for the evolution of 20th-century musical theatre both in the UK and the USA. Gilbert’s sharp librettos and Sullivan’s melodious scores have made their works enduring favourites, performed by amateur and professional companies worldwide.
Bookings
Bookings for all events are made via Buxton Opera House. Go to: buxtonoperahouse.org.uk/whats-on/category/gilbert-sullivan
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