We’ve made it – hooray! What’s more, it’s our largest festival ever with even more of your favourites – magic, live music acts, operas, Gilbert and Sullivan, plays, family shows and films planned throughout the season.

Our events will take place in four spectacular locations in the award-winning gardens of Hever Castle, childhood home of Anne Boleyn, one of Kent’s top tourist attractions. The Two Sisters Theatre, the original heart of the festival where the seating is tiered and under cover, The Main Lawn Stage with a superb view of the castle, The Loggia’s tranquil Italian Gardens with the magnificent lake view and Anne Boleyn’s Woodland Walk, a secluded open-air ancient woodland glade.

We are committed to social distancing throughout the 2021 season. Chairs have been removed from the Two Sisters Theatre, while our new performance spaces allow audiences to choose where to sit and enjoy the vista from their own chairs or blanket, in the sunshine or under the stars.

We are thrilled to welcome an eclectic mix of homegrown Kent artists including Night Owls Amy Winehouse Tribute Back to Black (Saturday 24 July); Beyond the Barricade (Friday 6 August); New Creations Collective re-telling of The Secret Garden through classical music and ballet (Thursday 19 August); First Knight Theatre’s second instalment of Alan Ayckbourn’s Norman Conquest Trilogy Living Together (Friday 20 & Saturday 21 August) and Hever Castle’s own historian, Dr Owen Emmerson who, with Claire Ridgway, will spend an evening charting the colourful history of Hever’s most famous residents from their astonishing rise to power to their dramatic and bloody end The Boleyns of Hever Castle (Sunday 1 August).

Once again, we have some fabulous tribute performances from The Upbeat Beatles (Friday 30 July), ELO Again (Saturday 31 July), Adele Someone Like You (Saturday 7 August) and Abba Chique (Friday 13 August). The New Jersey Beat return with the songs of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons (Sunday 8 August) and Emperors of Soul will be celebrating the songs of Motown (Saturday 28 August).

Last Night of the Hever Proms return with an additional Bitesize performance early evening, so audiences can enjoy a leisurely picnic post performance (Sunday 29 August 5.30pm and 8pm). Ronnie Scott’s All Stars are back with two popular shows: Rhapsody in Blue (Thursday 5 August) A Jazz Portrait of George Gershwin with James Pearson and Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club at 60 (Sunday 22 August) celebrating the club’s 60^th Birthday. Britain’s Got Talent finalist Ben Hart will also be amazing us all with his magic (Friday 23 July) as he embarks on his debut solo tour.

From the world of classical music, we have the great privilege to be the first live performance of the recently recorded transcription by the multi-talented violinist David Juritz of Bach’s masterpiece the Goldberg Variations. Transcribed for Craig Ogden, widely acknowledged as one of the leading guitarists of his generation, Craig and David will be joined by the internationally renowned cellist, Tim Hugh. And as an added highlight David Juritz will be discussing ‘Arranging the Goldbergs’ in a 20 minute pre-performance talk (Sunday 25 July).

We are also delighted to welcome back, Charles Court Opera, one of the leading and most versatile chamber opera companies in the UK with three Gilbert & Sullivan productions: Iolanthe (Thursday 29 July), The Complete Works of Gilbert and Sullivan in 75 minutes! (Monday 9 August) and The Mikado (Friday 27 August). Hever favourites Opera Brava also return bringing two greatly loved classics; Puccini’s Tosca (Saturday 14 August) and Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro (Sunday 15 August).

The programme of family shows has been extended once again with a performance to enthral the children each week of the holidays, commencing with Arthurs Dreamboat (Thursday 22 July), Immersion Theatre’s wild adaptation of The Jungle Book (Wednesday 28 July), Dustbin Doris (Thursday 5 August) presented in association with the Tunbridge Wells Puppetry Festival, Horrible Histories: Gorgeous Georgians and Vile Victorians (Thursday 12 August) and Morgan and West’s action-packed family show The Three Musketeers (Thursday 26 August).

Book online www.heverfestival.co.uk or through the Box Office 01732 866114.

For further information, high-res photographs, interview and press ticket requests please contact Alison Bundy – 07710074075 alison@heverfestival.co.uk