Dorchester Abbey

An exhibition by young artists The Art Room Charity offers art as therapy to children and young people aged 5-15 who are having serious difficulties and may be at risk of exclusion from school. They use art to raise their self esteem, confidence and independence and help them cope with their challenges and all come …

Tower abseil and Teddy bear hot air ballooning Brave volunteers (including The Rector, Sue Booys, and many other familiar faces) will abseil down the 100 foot tower to raise money for the Festival charities. Come and cheer them on! You can support our brave abseilers by donating using our justgiving.com site.  Please donate now! Buy …

Tickets for Sunday 1 May 2011 are now only available on the door. Tremulous crowds followed Mark ‘ghostly’ Williams’ during the 2009 Festival, and now you are called to be chilled to the bone as he recounts his tales and tells of newly discovered apparitions in the shady spectrum of Dorchester’s spectres. Dare you brave the After …

Tickets for Sunday 1 May 2011 are now only available on the door. Following the breathtaking sellout performances of Joseph in 2009, this year’s production of The Wizard of Oz is one of the ‘must see’ events in the programme. Performances of the Wizard of Oz are at 7:30 pm on 30 April and 1pm & 8pm …

Come and be inspired by the brilliant John Hardwick; experienced musician, songwriter, storyteller and juggler who travels the world leading worship. ‘…one of those unique individuals who somehow seems to have received more than his fair share of gifts!’

Continuing the annual tradition Dorchester’s a capella group will welcome May in by singing from the Abbey tower and then in the Abbey. Proceeds from this event go to The Noah’s Ark Project for AIDS orphans in Kenya.

An afternoon of free concerts – just pop in and enjoy some diverse and amazing music. 1pm: Women of Note 2pm: 33 Steps 3.30pm: Kevin O’Regan

(This event is part of the Busking in the Abbey afternoon – it is free but donations to the Festival charities are welcome as you leave) Women of Note’s close harmony repertoire of swing and jazz standards contains a selection of accompanied and unaccompanied numbers from the Great American Songbook by such greats as George …

(This event is part of the Busking in the Abbey afternoon – it is free but donations to the Festival charities are welcome as you leave) “33 Steps” features Charlie Finnie on guitar and Sharon Warnes on violin: together they perform a variety of well-known music encompassing a broad range of tastes.  Their repertoire features myriad genres, …

(This event is part of the Busking in the Abbey afternoon – it is free but donations to the Festival charities are welcome as you leave) Kevin’s songs are a distinctive blend of folk and blues which are guaranteed to have an audience singing along – from songs of great wit to modern ballads of …

Schola Cantorum of Oxford is performing at the Dorchester Festival on 2 May 2011

Send your child on a little magic train adventure, with wonderful sounds, illustrations and stories.

The Little Ballerina Dance Academy introduces children to the early movements in classical ballet through fun and endearing stories.

BAFTA award winning Brian Tufano is one of Britain’s most illustrious cinematographers, and is also known in the film industry as the man with the Midas touch – Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, East Is East and Billy Elliot rank among his recent successes; Quadrophenia and Blade Runner among his earliest.  Brian will share the challenges of …

All welcome to a fun session for the under 5’s. Coffee, tea and fantastic cakes on sale. All proceeds to Dorchester Pre-school

What does it take to make a brilliant villain and would you make the grade?  Come and enter the evil world of Mark Walden, the creator of the bestselling Higher Institute for Villainous Education (H.I.V.E) and find out!  Mark will talk about villains, villainous deeds and read excerpts from his books. The first H.I.V.E was …

A rare opportunity for autistic schools to enjoy the therapeutic effects of music live in the Abbey. People of all ages and abilities are welcome to come to this event.

Enjoy this Murder Mystery evening in Drchester Abbey

John Rutter, one of the UK’s foremost choral composers, will lead a Come and Sing Day in Dorchester Abbey. Music will have a flavour of Spring and include some new compositions from John Rutter himself as well as pieces by other composers. Copies will be provided and enthusiasts at all levels are welcome to participate …

An evening of spoken word, sound and song with: MacGillivray a Scottish singer who has performed as support for The Fall, Arlo Guthrie and Arthur Brown and is currently working on her third album Somewhere the Night. Her first album Wolf was played on BBC Radio 3 Late Junction and The Verb and has been …

Enjoy a traditional service in the stunning setting of Dorchester Abbey, led by Canon Sue Booys with Preacher Roger Royle. Reverend Canon Roger Royle was ordained in the Church of England in 1962 & served his first curacy at St. Mary’s, Portsea, Portsmouth. During his career he served as Conduct & Senior Chaplain of Eton …

One of the best concerts of 2009 and a real treat for music fans of all ages! Come and hear some of the best music from Oxfordshire’s schools. The students of Wallingford, Cranford House, Botley primary, The Oratory prep, The Manor and Magdalen College will amaze and delight you with their talent and enthusiasm.

Last Night of the Festival Proms Back by popular demand, the BBC Elstree Concert Band is delighted to bring a taste of the last night of the Proms to the Dorchester Festival. Under the musical direction of Andrew Morley, this versatile and entertaining group will not only regale you with several of the most popular …