Festivals fill more than half the weekends in Cheltenham, the town that loves to entertain, enhance and enthral everyone who visits it. The arrival of spring is the starting signal for an array of events throughout the year which cater for a wide range of passions, from jazz and horse racing to science, literature, food and drink and cricket.
Cheltenham offers almost 40 different festivals in total, but taken together they amount to just one part of what this Regency gem has to offer. From its ever-increasing choice of restaurants and bars to enticing places to stay, intriguing attractions and unique places to shop, this is a town in which it’s worth lingering for longer.
Respected scientists and big thinkers will be coming together for the Cheltenham Science Festival in June to talk about the hottest topics of the day and encourage young and old to immerse themselves in activities that will expand their minds. This event promises six jam-packed days of debate, discovery, experiments and hands-on fun for the whole family.
Come July it’s time for classical music enthusiasts to rhapsodise over a week-long programme of concerts, with world premieres at Cheltenham Town Hall and emerging talent in the Pittville Pump Room, not to mention special events at DEYA Brewery’s taproom.
Other events that draw people to Cheltenham from all over the UK include the family-orientated Wychwood Festival held at the racecourse from the end of May, offering a long weekend of indie, world and folk music, along with comedy, art, fine ales and healing gardens. July’s colour-packed Cheltenham Paint Festival is a celebration of street art that’s now in its sixth year; the Cotswold Festival of Steam held during the last week in May sees the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway take visitors on a journey through time; Fantasy Forest - The UK fantasy festival at Sudeley Castle in July offers a magical day out for families and those who love the fantasy genre; Cheltenham Food and Drink Festival is a three-day epicurean delight in June, while the Cheltenham International Film Festival brings the best of world cinema to town for over ten days.
Sports fans won’t want to miss the Cheltenham Cricket Festival, held over 20 days from June 30 in the idyllic setting of Cheltenham College, nor the excitement of the horse racing at Cheltenham Racecourse, with The Showcase marking the return of thundering hooves in October.
Cheltenham is a town in which the spirit of inclusivity thrives, as is shown by the community celebration Cheltenham Pride in May and June’s Lives of Colour Culture Fest, which embraces everyone through art, food, music and dance.
New to Cheltenham for 2024 is Cheltenham Fringe Festival in May, offering music, theatre, film, drag, poetry, comedy and more, and Cheltenham Oktoberfest, a two-day extravaganza of oompah bands, games, gourmet food and steins of German bier.
Meanwhile the world’s foremost writers, thinkers and performers will be in town during October for the globally-renowned Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival. This ten-day event offers an impressive programme of inspiring speakers and fascinating discussions.
The number of festivals taking place in Cheltenham throughout the year is just one of the ways in which this town sets out to cater for visitors, a tradition that dates back to its years as a celebrated spa destination. Alongside its impressive programme of special events, there’s a year-round offering of things to see and do too.
Pittville Pump Room is a stunning Regency gem overlooking the lawns and lake of Pittville Park. It opened in 1830 as the last and largest of Cheltenham’s spa buildings and has long been a popular spot for visitors, including members of the Royal family.
Another much-loved part of the town’s historic fabric and a must for culture buffs is the Everyman Theatre in Regent Street, which was designed by the great Victorian theatre architect Frank Matcham and opened in 1891. It’s renowned for exciting programmes of productions, including drama, musicals, comedy and ballet.
The Wilson is Gloucestershire’s foremost art gallery and museum, with significant collections of furniture and other items from the Arts and Craft Movement and fine art, and fascinating archives relating to Antarctic explorer Edward A Wilson.
Holst Victorian House will be of special interest to those coming to Cheltenham for its music festival, especially in 2024 with the 150th anniversary of the birth of Gustav Holst, the composer responsible for The Planets Suite and many other much-loved pieces of music.
Sudeley Castle near Winchcombe will already be on the list of those going along to the Fantasy Forest Festival, but equally it’s a must for lovers of history and gardens. It’s the only private castle in the UK to have a queen buried within its grounds – namely Katherine Parr, the sixth wife of Henry VIII - and provided refuge for Charles I during the Civil War.
Find out more about Cheltenham at: https://www.visitcheltenham.com/
