The meadows are blooming, the evenings are lengthening - and the wait is nearly over for Swaledale Festival 2025! Festivities commence on Saturday 24 May with a diverse range of world-class concerts, talks, exhibitions, theatre, and guided walks in breathtaking settings over fifteen days.
Royal Northern Sinfonia, the North East’s internationally renowned orchestra, will take the stage at The Garden Rooms at Tennants in Leyburn on Sunday 25 May. The Gateshead-based ensemble will be joined by superstar trumpet soloist and champion of her instrument Matilda Lloyd for a programme featuring Beethoven’s iconic Fifth Symphony and Haydn’s celebrated Trumpet Concerto, conducted by Delyana Lazarova.
The world’s finest viol consort, Fretwork, will perform a feast of glorious Baroque music by Bach, Handel, Charpentier, Purcell and Rameau on Monday 2 June in Grinton with soulful soprano Ruby Hughes, “a new star in opera heaven”.
Multi award-winning, BAFTA-nominated writer and comedian Mark Steel presents his hilarious new touring show ‘The Leopard in My House’ at The Garden Rooms at Tennants on Thursday 29 May, tackling the poignant subject of his cancer battle with his trademark garrulous humour.
English folk supergroup Granny’s Attic will round-off their UK tour with a Festival performance on Saturday 24 May in Grinton. Expect foot-tapping fiddle, guitar, melodeon and vocals from this BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award nominated trio.
Also in Grinton, New Orleans swing mingles with French musette and intoxicating Latin grooves in the hands of the sassy Moscow Drug Club with their set on Monday 26 May, and Emma Fisk’s Hot Club du Nord brings the swinging Gypsy Jazz of 1930s Paris to life with authenticity and passion on Saturday 7 June.
Outstanding Yorkshire-based choir Jervaulx Singers take us on an enchanting choral journey through the night on Saturday 31 May in Aysgarth with ‘The Dream’, a sequence of sacred and secular music. “Performing to the always warm and engaged audience of Swaledale Festival will be a real joy for us,” said Director Charlie Gower-Smith, “and the incredible local scenery is the icing on the cake!"
The exquisite five-voice ensemble Apollo5 will delight us on Wednesday 4 June in Grinton with songs spanning many genres, including traditional Scottish and Irish folk songs, as well as a wealth of beautiful new music written especially for the group — one of which is by the Festival’s Artistic Director, Fraser Wilson.
Internationally acclaimed guitarists Ahmed Dickinson and Eduardo Martín will perform an unforgettable evening of Cuban rhythms, virtuosity, and soul-stirring melodies on Sunday 1 June in Grinton.
One of the world’s greatest musicians, the sarod grandmaster Amjad Ali Khan, will be joined on Friday 6 June by his two sons, Ayaan Ali Bangash and Amaan Ali Bangash, for a special concert. The trio’s extraordinary synergy creates a mesmerising and immersive audience experience, bringing the rich traditions of Indian classical music to Grinton’s ancient church. Don’t miss it!
Dales brass bands are always a programme highlight. Festival-goers can enjoy performances from Leyburn Band on Wednesday 28 May in Aysgarth, Reeth Brass Band on Tuesday 3 June in Arkengarthdale and Muker Silver Band on Friday 6 June in Muker Public Hall.
A record ten Young Artists Platform concerts will shine a light on rising stars, including trumpet and tuba players with local roots Stan and Nona Lawrence on Sunday 1 June in Muker. “Our family has lived in Swaledale for many generations,” said Stan Lawrence. “It's great to be able to reconnect with our heritage, and very inspiring to be playing music in such a beautiful part of the world.” Tickets for all concerts are available to under-25s for just £3.
The 2025 Festival offers a wealth of opportunities to participate and create, with a traditional Dales Dance Workshop on Thursday 29 May in Reeth, a Photography Masterclass among the Muker meadows on Wednesday 4 June, and Foraging Walks with professional forager Jim Parums in Hudswell Woods on Wednesday 28 May and Wednesday 4 June. Allan Guy, a participant at the sold-out Foraging Walk in last year’s Festival, said, “Jim is extremely knowledgeable and has a wonderfully engaging way of explaining how to go about identifying plants, how to tell which are good, and which should be avoided! There was plenty of opportunity to taste the plants we were learning about, and it has opened my eyes to a whole new way of looking at the abundant plant life wherever we are."
On Monday 26 May in Reeth, audiences can immerse themselves in the magic of trees and place through a powerful blend of photography, poetry and conservation insight in Passing Through – a multimedia talk on two extraordinary woodlands. The event also features the premiere of three specially commissioned choral works recorded exclusively for the Passing Through exhibition running throughout the Festival at Hudson House, Reeth.
“A special thing about this festival,” said Artistic Director Fraser Wilson, “is that, with many events close together, people tell us they always discover something new. It’s one of the things they love about it. It might be music they haven’t heard before, a beautiful view on a walk, or developing a new skill. So everyone is warmly invited to enjoy the things they already love, and perhaps find a few surprises along the way.”
Book via the Festival programme page.