Arts & Entertainment

For over 30 years, we have provided entertaining and enriching music concerts, theatrical performances and community events which include:

• the Oundle International Festival - an annual arts festival which incorporates music, theatre, film and Party at the Wharf.
• the Oundle Food Festival - with events and promotions running throughout June, finishing with the brilliant street market on Saturday 23 June 2018
  
• the Music in Special Places concert series.
• the internationally renowned Oundle for Organists courses - (places for 2018 courses are now full.)

Our Oundle Box Office sells tickets for our own and many other local events.

For regular updates on local events, please follow us on Facebook or twitter, sign up to receive our monthly emails or call in to the Oundle Box Office.

Like many arts charities, we rely on the generous support of trusts, companies and people which enables our small organisation to make a big contribution to the cultural fabric of the local area. Should you want to support our work, please click HERE.

The Oundle Festival is affiliated to the British & International Federation of Festivals, which was formed in 1921. Some of the oldest Festivals are older than the Federation itself: Oundle is one of these, holding its first festival in 1909 on 21^st April. As with most of these early organisations set up by local gentry, Oundle's was instigated by the Lady Millicent Lilford from nearby Lilford Hall. She was then joined by Lady Ethel Wickham then living at Barnwell Manor.

To begin with the competitions were for local choirs and ensembles, a solo class for boys under 17 and an open piano class, a total of 15. Thus it was named a Musical Competition. Since those days although the demise of the local village choirs sees fewer choral entries, with the advent of instrumental groups in schools the field has widened considerably. Today there are 147 classes open to competitors though not all receive entries every year.In 1968 in common with a good many other Festivals it was decided to offer classes in Speech and Drama.

To find out more about Oundle Music & Drama Festival click HERE.