Wiltshire Creative has announced the full programming for the Salisbury International Arts Festival 2025. The annual arts festival will return this year on Saturday, 24 May, and runs until Sunday, 8 June.
Artistic Director of Wiltshire Creative, Gareth Machin, said: “A Festival is an opportunity to let imaginations soar and this year we are definitely looking skyward with a programme full of creativity and originality. This year’s festival is designed to warm spirits, lighten hearts and inspire us all to lift our heads above the challenges of the current moment. We’re excited to be welcoming a wealth of outstanding artists and local voices to bring communities together in a spirit of hope and optimism.”
Highlights of this year’s Salisbury International Arts Festival include:
- UNITY, a large-scale outdoor production combining immersive theatre, circus, and community stories, will transform Salisbury’s Market Square from 24 May to 26 May.
- A Beautiful Thread: Thomas Hardy in Words and Music, a performance blending Hardy’s life, poetry, and novels with a musical programme of West Gallery music, Holst, Warlock, and contemporary folk, will be staged in front of the iconic Stonehenge on 28 May.
- FLIGHT, a thrilling 30-minute experience set inside a 40-ft shipping container, will explore the Many-Worlds Interpretation of quantum mechanics, taking audiences through two realities and two possible outcomes. The experience will be staged in Guildhall Square from 24 May to 1 June.
- Festival favourites The Lord Chamberlain’s Men return in their outdoor production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night at Rack Close on 6 and 7 June.
- Eagles, Birdsongs and Bach, presented by La Folia, features music by Bach and Vivaldi, and will be performed alongside the world premiere of Howard Moody’s Eagle Concerto, played by Piers Adams on the ‘Eagle’ recorder on 4 June at St Thomas’ Church.
Other musical and dance events at the festival will include An Evening with Jacqui Dankworth, showcasing her incredible range across jazz, soul, and blues; Evensong, a time-honoured service celebrating the tradition of daily prayer and music at Salisbury Arts Centre; and Songs of the Bulbul, a captivating solo dance performance by Aakash Odedra inspired by Sufi mythology, coming to Salisbury Playhouse.
The festival offers a range of family-friendly events including Family Fiesta – a free afternoon offering an array of events ranging from craft activities and workshops to live music at Salisbury Arts Centre on 31 May. Out Of The Box, a delightful outdoor family comedy show filled with surprises, will take place on 8 June.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
