THE FLOATING STAGE
Opening this year’s Henley Festival on the iconic Floating Stage is Rag’n’Bone Man, with his characteristic blend of traditional blues and hip hop, and powerfully deep baritone voice.
Rory Graham’s stratospheric rise to fame saw him win the BRIT’s ‘British Breakthrough Act’ and ‘Critics’ Choice Award’ in 2017, followed by the record-breaking release of his 4x platinum #1 debut album Human.
Rag’n’Bone Man has since collaborated with international artists including Gorillaz, Logic, Calvin Harris and Pink, and last year his second #1 album Life by Misadventure spent 7 weeks in the Top 10.
Henley Festival’s first night will be brought to an energetic ending by Ben Portsmouth: This is Elvis, and his jaw-dropping tribute to The King of Rock and Roll, invoking the Henley Festival Club with the spirit of Elvis.
JAZZ & SWING in the Spiegel Tent & Jazz Club
Henley’s very own jazz club opens its doors on Wednesday with a stunning performance from Robyn with her signature dreamy style of electro pop, and as the sun goes down, the Roo Savill Band, whose frontwoman Roo has been praised for her unique vocal stylings, will take to the stage to share a beautiful array of genres that will get festival goers moving.
WORLD & FOLK in the Bedouin Tent
Henley Festival’s beautiful Bedouin Tent will treat festival goers to a spellbinding mix of global world music and local folk in a relaxed, bohemian setting, alongside drinks and dancing.
On Wednesday, singer/songwriter John James Newman, who has written songs for everyone from Joe Cocker to X Factor finalists, will kick things off with his intimate guitar stylings, while Apres-ski icons Bloc off the Wall will round off the opening night with their roster of dance and chart hits.
AWARD-WINNING COMEDY in the Spiegel Tent
Henley Festival will once again be bringing the laughs to the Thames riverside with multi-award-winning Marcus Brigstocke kicking off this year with his blisteringly funny stand-up show Absolute Shower, celebrating the personal triumphs and small victories of the past couple of years, while acknowledging it has, in so many ways, on so many days, for the most part, been an absolute shower of shit.
FESTIVAL FOR FOOD LOVERS
Proud to support British farming and seasonal, locally sourced produce, ‘Dish’ will return to the stunning Riverside Restaurant this year, offering festival goers an outstanding fine dining experience.
From fine dining to street food, the raft of pop-up bars and restaurants adorning the riverside is sure to tantalise all taste buds!
VISUAL ARTS SHOWCASE
Henley Festival is celebrated for bringing visual art to the forefront: breaking the mould of traditional art displays at festivals with innovative installations curated by some of the UK’s most talented artists, photographers and galleries.
From fine art, ceramics and sculptures to photography, prints and paintings, this year’s impressive visual arts programme is bigger and better than ever before with work presented by the likes of Panter & Hall, Woolf Gallery, Turner Perspective, Maria Morrow and world-renowned artists Tommy Gurr and Nina Brooke.
The visual artists taking part in Henley Festival’s new charitable initiative RISE will also be showcased at this year’s riverside edition, including Morag Caister who is an award winning London based figurative portrait artist working mostly in oils and pastel on paper and calico, or raw canvas, and this year’s winner of Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year.
SPECTACULAR FIREWORKS
Each iconic evening at Henley Festival is brought to a jaw dropping conclusion with a spectacular firework display designed by the passionate pyrotechnic professionals at Titanium Fireworks, the team behind some of the UK’s biggest firework shows.
Shows include The Mayor of London New Year’s Eve celebrations, Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, Liverpool River of Light, Hull 2017 City of Culture, England 2015 Rugby World Cup, Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and the London 2012 Olympics.
Henley is the only music Festival working with Titanium, and are the perfect partner for unforgettable memories made on the Henley-on-Thames riverside.
For more information and how to book visit:
Organiser
Henley Festival is an exclusive boutique black tie festival which takes place over five days celebrating the best of UK and International music and arts. The festival is a truly unique event. It embraces a vibrant programme from pop to world music, classical to jazz where art and gastronomy share equal billing with music.
We are as passionate about making a difference, as we are creating the best ingredients for our festival year on year – as a team – striving to merge great music, food, comedy and art into unique experiences that create unforgettable memories for our guests, sponsors and partners.
Last year, to coincide with our 40th anniversary, we launched RISE, the initiative to inspire and support the next generation of talented performers and technicians hoping to work in the creative arts industry. RISE provides paid opportunities for young up-and-coming musicians, comedians and visual artists. We also seek to support the young backstage staff of the future by offering paid work experience with leading lighting and sound companies, and in marketing and PR. Supporting young local emerging talent is something we’re all proud to be a part of, because our community helps define us and helps shape what we do with the festival every year.
We believe that anyone who comes into contact with our festival is important, be it a member of our team, a performing artist, a guest, or someone that benefits from the support of our RISE programme. We never lose touch with the reason why we set the festival up in the first place – to give others, the support and opportunity to feel special too.