Nevill Holt Festival returns in 2025 with a stand out programme for lovers of music, literature, comedy, politics and food all set in the exquisite surroundings of Nevill Holt’s beautiful theatre and award-winning gardens. Programmers today announced the first set of acts with many more to be confirmed in the coming weeks. 2025’s programme includes opera, jazz and classical, in conversation strands covering politics, literature, arts and culture, food, sports and wellbeing. The Festival will also include comedy and specially curated events for family audiences. 2025 will also see the addition of a 300 seat Spiegeltent to boost the variety of top class acts making appearances.
James Hunt, Executive Chair of the Nevill Holt Festival said: “We couldn’t be more excited about the way this year’s Festival programme is coming together. There really is something for everyone, whatever your passion. So, if it’s Mozart, Gershwin or Duke Ellington, national treasures like Prue Leith, Jonathan Agnew or Richard E Grant, there’ll always be rays of sunshine in this corner of the East Midlands during June, whatever the weather. Bring on the Summer, because we can’t wait to welcome our audience back for what promises to be a very special Nevill Holt Festival experience in 2025.”
In the music line up, the first names in the programme this year celebrate the centenary of the height of the Harlem Renaissance with a series entitled Harlem Nights: In the Spirit of Swing. First off, with Musical Maestros and the Birth of Swing, created especially for the festival by 23Arts International. The evening will pay tribute to Duke Ellington’s residency at the Cotton Club, and the iconic works that grew out of Harlem including a brand new arrangement of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue which enjoyed its UK premiere at the Savoy almost exactly 100 years to the day of these two swinging nights.
Additionally in the series, tracing the leading voices of the blues, Ladies of the Blues celebrates the work of Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday up to Dinah Washington and Nina Simone and finally in the Harlem Nights Series, A Night In Harlem will take place in the newly announced Spiegeltent. 2024 favourite, Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra brings its big band power to the festival once again this year and regarded as one of the most significant talents to emerge in the world of Irish traditional music – the Martin Hayes Trio offers soulful interpretations makes its debut in the spectacular theatre.
Further music events include the East London collective the Hackney Colliery Band, a genre-bending ensemble who combine brass, reeds, percussion and electronics. As previously announced, Opera North will present Mozart’s much-loved Così Fan Tutte, marking the start of a five year partnership between the two organisations.
The comedy line up begins with Edinburgh Fringe Festival favourite, Jason Byrne and the Underbelly’s Comedy Allstars. Line up will be announced very soon, with previous iterations in London and Edinburgh featuring much-loved comics from the UK and abroad.
‘In conversation’ this year will be Richard E Grant presenting his one man show based on his best selling book A Pocket Full of Happiness and in her first ever live show at Nevill Holt Festival, Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith will take audiences through the ups and downs of being a successful restaurateur, novelist, businesswoman and TV judge in An Audience with Dame Prue Leith DBE. Pam Ayres’ presenting Doggedly Onwards which reflects on the comedian’s lifetime of providing hilarious and profound insights into the delights and tribulations of everyday life and cricketing legend Jonathan Agnew offers uproarious anecdotes with his blend of sporting highlights as he takes to the stage for the second year running in conversation with Phil Tufnell in Aggers and Tuffers: Part Two.
Nevill Holt Festival will host a live episode The Country House Podcast in the Spiegeltent.
For families, this initial announcement includes The Showstoppers’ Kids Show, the family version of the Olivier Award-winning improvised musical, which encourages children to create their very own dream musical; Madame Chandelier’s Opera Party for Kids offers an interactive introduction to the dramas and divas of opera; Midlands based Lemon Jelly presents their end of year showcase – Around the World in 80 Songs and a special Comedy Club 4 Kids will also feature in the family strand of programming
