Festival of Chichester 2023 brochure

Early this summer a huge range of events will come together under the Festival of Chichester banner, embracing another rich and varied four weeks of arts and community fun.

This year’s Festival of Chichester takes place from Saturday 10th June to Sunday 9th July 2023. It will feature an exciting range of events, including music, spoken word, theatre, walks and art exhibitions.

Full details of all 90+ Festival of Chichester events are in the brochure which is available for download here: festivalofchichester.co.uk/festival-of-chichester-brochure-2023

Printed brochures are available at the Novium Museum (which doubles as the main box office) and are also being distributed widely across the district and beyond over the coming days and weeks.

Festival of Chichester events amongst other musical events

Mark Elliott, Festival of Chichester coordinator, gives a glimpse into the big launch: “This year’s official launch will be on Cathedral Green on Saturday, June 10th, starting at 1.30pm. Special guests will declare the festival open, while a series of performers will offer tasters that set the celebratory tone for the month ahead.

“The Andrew Bernardi Music Group will be there to give a teaser for their remarkable ‘cosmic’ concert that you can hear in full later that evening in the Cathedral.”

• New Sussex Opera Chorus presenting an immersive production of Gounod’s Faust sung in a new English version
• The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra offering Midsummer Melodies
• Both Bowjangles and All That Malarkey crossing the music-theatre boundary with humorous theatricality
• Chichester Music Society hosting the Endymion Ensemble, and Zabetas unleashes his memorable ‘Voices Of Greece’
• The Chichester Singers celebrating their 70 years anniversary with Songs of the Sea.
• Lovers of Bach’s cello works have a double treat with Pavlos Carvalho playing suites 1 & 2 on June 30 while on June 18 Lynden Cranham will focus on later suites played on Baroque cello followed by discussion and tea
• Chichester Symphony Orchestra with soloist Catherine Lawlor bring Bruch and Brahms to St Pauls Church, and there’s a Baroque Bonanza of Albinoni, Vivaldi and more played by the Sussex Ensemble and Sussex Song Makers
• PZAZZ will offer their take on songs by pop sensations in aid of Sussex NHS hospitals. There’s plenty of music in Bognor too, where the Bognor Regis Music Club invites La Folie Consort and pays tribute to local pianist Chris Coote.

Highlights of the spoken word activities

• A Poetry & Jazz Cafe in Chichester’s Assembly Room pairing award-winning novelist Penelope Shuttle with jazz saxophonist Jo Fooks
• On July 4th bestselling author Louis de Bernières turns to poetry with help from concert pianist Elena Toponogova and actress Emily Rose Smith.
• Various chances to meet and listen to other acclaimed authors including Cara Hunter, former SAS commander Tom Petch, and national treasure Simon Brett.
• Tickets to Isabel Ashdown’s talk about her new suspense novel Homecoming will include a copy of the book.
• Steven Frank, child survivor of The Holocaust will share his story, and Adam Green tells of his inspiring work with prison choirs.
• Greg Mosse offers a day-long course at West Dean College entitled How To Write A Mystery Novel and international best-selling author Kate Mosse gives an exclusive Festival of Chichester launch of her new breath-taking novel The Ghost Ship.

There is also a range of walking tours, guided visits, exhibitions and a free ‘Art in the Park’ event helping us to appreciate the trees in the marvellous Bishop’s Palace Gardens. See Romeo and Juliet performed by an all-male cast in Elizabethan costumes. Bring a picnic to jolly theatrical shows at West Dean Gardens’ Pergola and to the superb ‘Miss Popplewell’s Garden’ performed in a beautiful garden at Halnaker.

Of course, there’s still a whole lot more, including another gamut of events organised through the Chichester Fringe (June 1st to June 18th).

Festival of Chichester tickets and sponsors

The majority of event tickets are available online through www.thenovium.org/boxoffice and in person from The Novium, Tower Street, Chichester, PO19 1QH, just a stone’s throw north of the Cathedral. Email: boxoffice@chichester.gov.uk; phone: 01243 816525.

For phone and in-person bookings the box office is open Tuesday to Friday 10am-4.30pm & Saturday 10am-5pm. Also on Sundays 10am-4pm from June 18th onwards.

Sponsors include Kate Mosse, Edward Cooke Family Law, Kenton Budd Estate Agents, Brighton Festival, Chichester Festival Theatre, The Novium, ROSA magazine and the Millstream Hotel.