Alton Arts Festival is back!

Alton Arts Festival reveals the first acts for 2026 setting the tone for a welcoming, joyful and ambitious mix – all celebrating arts and community

High-quality artists, a real mix of styles and events that feel welcoming, joyful, and celebratory are all promised as part of this year’s Alton Arts Festival. 

AAF has revealed the first three acts of its 2026 programme, offering an exciting glimpse of what’s to come when the much-loved 10-day, multi-arts, multi-venue festival returns to Alton from July 3rd to 12th.   

Launched in 2024, AAF has established itself as one of the South’s most distinctive arts festivals covering a multitude of genres echoed by this year’s first acts to be announced. 

Award-winning English folk singer and songwriter Katherine Priddy, musical comedy and theatre crossover Is Opera Boring?, and a town-wide ceilidh with Alton Morris set the tone for an exceptional line-up still to be unveiled in full. 

Katherine has been described as “one of the most beautiful voices in British folk”. Both her debut and her second album have reached No. 1 on the Official UK Folk Chart and drew praise from outlets such as The Observer, Uncut, Songlines, and Folk Radio UK.  

Katherine has performed on Later… with Jools Holland, at the BBC Proms, at Glastonbury, and has supported artists including Elbow and Suzanne Vega on tour. 

Soprano Lucy Mellors and pianist Mark Hoare bring opera to life (jokes included) with Is Opera Boring? a witty, warm and brilliantly accessible show that dismantles the stereotypes of opera with humour, charm and vocal talent. It offers a unique blend of magical opera, insane piano solos, and hilarious anecdotes about life in the arts. Playful, surprising, and designed for anyone from seasoned opera lovers to complete newcomers, this is opera as you’ve never seen it before!  

Enjoy a great Alton Knees-Up with a town ceilidh from Alton Morris. To celebrate their 35th anniversary, Alton Morris are joining forces with AAF for a community ceilidh featuring The Diatonics, one of the UK’s top ceilidh bands. Lively, jubilant and gloriously fun, the ceilidh will bring the town together for an unforgettable evening of music, dancing and celebration. 

The full line-up will be unveiled in the spring, when tickets go on sale, and will include theatre, talks, workshops, free community events, visual arts and the return of AAF Schools Programme.  

Chair of the Festival Committee Annie Lancaster says: “The festival belongs to the whole community. We want to put Alton firmly on the cultural map. AAF is moving from strength to strength thanks to the incredible passion and support of our town.” 

Keep up to date with the latest news at altonartsfestival.com 

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