Featuring… NICOLE SCHERZINGER, DAVE STEWART’S EURYTHMICS SONGBOOK

GLADYS KNIGHT, RYLAN! Late in Pure Heaven

HOUSE GOSPEL CHOIR, MINISTRY OF SOUND IBIZA ANTHEMS WITH ELLIE SAX,

NIGEL KENNEDY, SAM RYDER

MARK WATSON, ANGELA BARNES, SARA PASCOE, MARCEL LUCONT, DARA Ó BRIAIN

& much more…

Opening this year’s Henley Festival on its iconic Floating Stage is none other than the international icon, singer and actress Nicole Scherzinger, fresh from her triumphant residency at The Savoy Theatre starring as lead role Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical ‘Sunset Boulevard’ – for which she won an Evening Standard Theatre Award for ‘Best Musical Performance’ for the part and is nominated for many more. The Masked Singer panellist and Olivier-nominated singer, Scherzinger has sold more than 60 million records, both solo and as part of The Pussycat Dolls.

The first Festival night will be brought to a vibrant ending by The Bootleg Beatles, the world’s premier Beatles tribute band, taking The Club on a whistle-stop journey through the most revolutionary and divisive decade of all: the Swinging Sixties.

On Thursday, Dave Stewart, the award-winning singer, songwriter, musician, producer, innovator and Eurythmics co-founder, will be on the Floating Stage with ‘Dave Stewart’s Eurythmics Songbook’ including a carefully curated selection of timeless hits from Eurythmics extraordinary catalogue of songs. Featuring Dave alongside an all-female band of virtuoso singers and musicians, the show promises to take fans on a nostalgic and electrifying musical journey spanning four decades of the iconic musical partnership’s ground-breaking hits. Celebrating a remarkable 40 years since the release of the timeless Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This), Eurythmics, known for their unique blend of synth-pop, new wave, soul and rock, have sold over 75 million albums worldwide since their 1980’s debut and have become enduring icons of popular music.

Henley Festival 2024 welcomes the Empress of Soul’, music legend, seven-time Grammy Award winner, Hollywood Walk of Fame and Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Gladys Knight to headline the unique Floating Stage on Friday – an extra special occasion as it will mark last show of her UK Farewell Tour. Enjoying No.1 hits in Pop, Gospel, R&B and Adult Contemporary, Knight has recorded over 38 albums over the years. With Gladys Knight & The Pips, the group went on to record some of the most memorable songs of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, including “Every Beat of my Heart”, “Letter Full of Tears”, and the No.1 smash hit “Midnight Train to Georgia”

On Henley Festival’s Friday evening, award-winning television presenter, radio DJ, podcaster and number one best-selling author, Rylan, will be DJing and entertaining the crowd with a trademark larger-than-life performance! Since appearing as a contestant on the ninth series of The X Factor, Ryan has taken the nation by storm, and ten years on, he is one of the UK’s most loved broadcasters.

The House Gospel Choir will open Saturday night’s Floating Stage performances, getting the Henley audience singing, dancing and raving along with their unique House meets Gospel experience. The London-based vocal group, which debuted in 2014 at Glastonbury Festival, is the place where spirituality and the euphoria of the dancefloor come together – amped up further by a full house band and percussion from the one and only Dezy Bongo, creating an effortless live fusion of the biggest house and gospel tunes that never fails to raise the roof.

The atmosphere will continue to be electric on Saturday evening as Ministry of Sound Ibiza Anthems with Ellie Sax take to the Floating Stage presenting the anthems that have sound-tracked everyone’s most iconic Ibiza moments. Following last year’s sell-out show, the iconic dance music brand Ministry of Sound returns to Henley Festival with a brand-new show for 2024 – ‘Ministry of Sound Ibiza Anthems with Ellie Sax’ – bringing The White Isle to Henley for one night only.

On Sunday – the final evening at Henley Festival – the Floating Stage will welcome two incredible musical talents. The night will star one of classical music’s true greats, Nigel Kennedy. Kennedy remains the bestselling violinist of all time, and his virtuoso technique, unique talent and mass appeal have brought fresh perspectives to both the classical and contemporary repertoire. He has won multiple awards across the world, performed and recorded music from the baroque era to the modern day, and his most recent album My World just hit the top of the classical charts in the UK.

Rounding out the festival is none other than Sam Ryder, who – since uploading his now infamous covers during lockdown in 2020 – has rocketed into the musical stratosphere. With his hit single Space Man, he gave the United Kingdom its best Eurovision result since 1998 and the highest-charting UK Eurovision entry in over a quarter of a century. His debut album ‘There’s Nothing But Space, Man!’ was a catalogue of infectious pop energy that soared to number 1 and rapid successes have earned him personal bests, as well as prestigious accolades, including performing at the Queen’s Jubilee, the Formula 1 Grand Prix, Wembley Stadium and closing out the 2023 BRIT Awards and a BRIT Nomination for ‘Breakthrough Act’.

AWARD-WINNING COMEDY in the Paradiso and Riverside

Henley Festival will be bringing world-class laughs to the Thames riverside, opening on Wednesday night with a performance by multi award-winning comedian, author and sports pundit Mark Watson, who made history with his solo and uninterrupted 24 hour show at the Edinburgh Festival. On Thursday, the multi-award-deserving flâneur, raconteur and bon-viveur Marcel Lucont returns to Henley with his trademark deadpan French wit, wry observations and world-class erotic poetry. Broadcast favourite Angela Barnes, as seen on Mock the Week and The Now Show, takes the stage on Friday with her self-effacing stand-up set, and is followed by the Host of Great British Sewing Bee, star of Taskmaster, Live At The Apollo as well as award-winning writer and actor, Sara Pascoe, on Saturday. Sunday will see Rosie and Nicola Dempsey take to the stage with their comedy music act Flo & Joan, before Henley Festival is brought to a close by one the world’s favourite stand-up comedians and television presenters Dara Ó Briain, host of Mock the Week, Blockbusters, Robot Wars,Stargazing Live, Dara and Ed’s Great Big Adventure and Dara Ó Briain’s Go 8Bit.

Henley Festival’s charitable initiative RISE, which creates opportunities for emerging talent to learn, perform and flourish, returns this year bigger than ever, with the brand-new Westcoast Rising Star Award – presented to KATYA, who will take to the stage alongside other RISE artists including Alex Francis, Louise Parker, The Multiverse, Eden Hunter, The Great Leslie and The Wave Machine.

This year’s incredible Jazz line-up in the Paradiso includes Mimi Rose & The Mulberry Earls, Rebecca Poole, and Belle Noir with a taste of global music and home spun folk in the beautiful Bedouin Tent from performers including Amuse Manouche, Coyote, and Natalie Gray.

Henley Festival is known for bringing visual art to the forefront of the festival scene with innovative installations curated by some of the UK’s most talented artists, photographers and galleries. This year’s unparalleled programme will bring fine art, ceramics, sculptures, photography, prints and paintings to the banks of the Thames, with a raft of stunning work adorning the Festival’s Galleries and Sculpture Garden. Exhibitors include Haut de Gamme, Punchbowl Gallery, The Barker Gallery, Panter & Hall and world-renowned artists Tommy Gurr and Nina Brooke.

From fine dining to street food, Henley is the Festival for food lovers with a raft of pop-up bars and restaurants adorning the riverside sure to tantalise all taste buds. 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 of exceptional quality and innovative design, and ‘Caper and Berry’ will return to the Terrace Restaurant.

A festival like no other, the vibrant programme of pop, world music, classical, folk and jazz alongside comedy, visual art, roving troupes and gastronomy will enchant the crowd late into the night with each evening brought to a close with a spectacular firework display.

Tickets for this year’s Henley Festival go on sale today (24th January).

General admission: £80

• Patrons – Wednesday 24th January 2024
• Platinum Friends – Friday 26th January 2024
• Gold Friends – Monday 29th January 2024
• Silver Friends – Tuesday 30th January 2024
• Bronze Friends – Wednesday 31st January 2024
• General Public – Friday 2nd February 2024

For more information and how to book visit: