Canterbury Festival

04/09/2026

We're stoked to welcome back Jess Gillam this October! Come and join us, Tuesday 20 October at the Great Hall.

For the next few months, you’ll find me practising, thinking about the fact I’m not practising or playing one of these shows 🥲 so excited to go to some new places and some old favourites too ✨ hopefully see you there 🎷Some of these shows are concertos with orchestra, some are shows with my band touring my new album (you can pre-order now!!) and some trio 🎷

02/09/2026

Calling all cricket lovers! Freddie Flintoff will be reflecting on his career and life in the public eye next Saturday 12 September at the Great Hall, Kent College Canterbury. Follow the link below to find out more 👇

Freddie Flintoff and Friends at Kent College Canterbury! 🏏

Join cricket legend Freddie Flintoff for a special evening as he shares stories from his life, career and experiences on and off the cricket pitch.

📅 Saturday 12th September 2026
⏰ 7:30 - 10:00pm
📍 The Great Hall, Kent College Canterbury

All proceeds from the evening will be donated to Daniel Bell-Drummond’s Testimonial Year and his chosen charities.

🎟️ Book your tickets now:
https://ow.ly/KGyf50ZF4h6

Don’t miss this special evening at KC!

02/09/2026

The Summer holidays are over, but there's plenty to look forward to in October!

From tiny bubbles to giant bubbles, from smoke bubbles to fire bubbles, and even a sparkling bubble cube and an erupting bubble volcano - The Bubble Show® is sure to excite, even as the weather turns cold.

Join us at the Great Hall, College Canterbury on Thu 29 Oct at 1pm, book here: https://canterburyfestival.co.uk/whats-on/the-bubble-show-2

28/08/2026

The Summer is not quite over yet! This weekend, we'll be with our friends and student artists to create some Timorous Beasties at Boing International Family Festival

Join us all weekend on Registry Lawn outside Gulbenkian Arts Centre, come rain or shine (hopefully the latter!) ☀️

24/08/2026

A joyful, family-friendly, comedy circus show packed with seriously skillful silliness for all ages.

Delivered through non-verbal clowning, ordinary objects become extraordinary, and with every opening of the box comes a new surprise!

Aimed at ages 3+, all are welcome to Out of the Box , Sunday 18 Oct, 11am at The Malthouse Theatre
Book here: https://canterburyfestival.co.uk/whats-on/out-of-the-box/

Sponsored by Longleys Cabs

22/08/2026

Book yourself and your bestie a ticket for a talk with national treasure, Celia Imrie in conversation with her longtime friend and travel companion, Fidelis Morgan.

Over an hour, Celia will journey back in time to share the most memorable adventures of her life and celebrate her new book The Elegant Hustler: Adventures from a Life on the Move.

Join us at Canterbury Christ Church University's Augustine Hall on Sun 18 Oct, 6pm.

Book now: https://canterburyfestival.co.uk/whats-on/celia-imrie-in-conversation/

This event is generously sponsored by Girlings Solicitors.

21/08/2026

Another must for your gig diary!

Singer, songwriter, cellist, composer and MOBO-nominee Ayanna Witter-Johnson visits Canterbury on Wednesday 21 October The Malthouse Theatre

With her new album 'New Roots' released in September and fans including icons from Gilles Peterson to Jools Holland, it's guaranteed to be a stunning concert.

20/08/2026

We are delighted to announce our 2026 Poet of the Year Competition Longlist!

A huge congratulations to this year's longlisted poets and a big thank you to everybody who submitted to this year's competition.

We will be announcing this year's shortlisted poems in early September.

Shortlisted poets will then join our annual online event for readings and the awards ceremony on National Poetry Day, Thursday 1 October at 7pm.

This year, the Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year Competition received over 400 entries from poets across the globe. After…