Music, comedy, dance and more at Ely Arts Festival 2025
Ely Arts Festival kicks off on Saturday (14 June) and runs until 28 June, with more than 40 events offering something for all tastes.
The festival brings high-quality performers and events from across the UK while celebrating the local talent Ely and the surrounding area has to offer.
There are a lot of free events including the family fun day at Jubilee Gardens on Saturday, 21 June, with live music, circus acts, art workshops and food vans.
The day coincides with World Music Day so expect a huge variety of acts on the bandstand, from Indian music, a Samba band and more. The festival community mural will return with an Africa theme.
Now a staple of the festival, a large-scale community concert featuring 14 schools, a live orchestra and professional soloists will take place on Friday, 27 June, in Ely Cathedral.
The theme this year is ‘Africa’ and will feature music from The Lion King, African folk songs, classical music and a newly-commissioned composition The Elephant by composer-in-residence, David Sims.
The highly-acclaimed Three Inch Fools theatre company return (last in Ely in 2023) to perform A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the beautiful Bishop’s Garden on Saturday, 28 June, the finale of the festival.
A series of events will also take place at Babylon Gallery including an art exhibition, workshops and performances.
There’s also live comedy featuring Dominic Holland (elyartsfestival.org/whats-on-2025/comedy-dominic-holland-more) and even a silent movie at St Mary’s Church accompanied by live music (elyartsfestival.org/whats-on-2025/action-the-not-so-silent-silent-movie-show).
Enjoy a whistle-stop tour of opera’s greatest hits in 50 minutes in the beautiful setting of the Bishop’s Garden with professional opera singers.
Sessions House is a hidden gem in Ely. Pop in for a series of lunchtime concerts across the festival with performances from students at the Royal College of Music, King's Ely and more.
Artistic director Chris Parsons says: “We’re really excited to share such a varied programme for the 2025 festival.
“Hopefully there’s something for everyone to enjoy, whether that’s relaxing in a beautiful venue watching a high-quality performance or getting stuck in with one of the many workshops we have on offer.
“Our programme of art and music workshops in schools will reach over 800 pupils – all free of charge, a vitally important part of the festival to inspire the next generation of musicians and artists.”
Chris adds: “The whole festival would simply be impossible without the incredible support from our sponsors and organisations across the city for which we are extremely grateful.
“The festival committee have worked tirelessly to pull together this impressive programme and we look forward to meeting you all!”
The festival kicks off on Saturday, 14 June, with a fanfare on Palace Green. If you play a woodwind or brass instrument, come and be part of it.
A family concert featuring Peter and the Wolf will take place in St Mary’s Church at lunchtime on 14 June, followed by a showcase concert that evening featuring an array of local groups including Ely Choral Society, Witchford Voices, King’s Ely Prep Jazz Band, and Ely Sinfonia.
The full programme can be found at elyartsfestival.org.
