Welcome to Deal Music and Arts Festival 2026
Get ready for 10 days of culture in Deal, Sandwich and Dover. The information below gives details of all the exciting events taking place. You’ll find ticket prices and all you need to book your festival visit.
Tickets go on general sale on Thursday 9 April at 10am and for Friends and Patrons on Monday 23 March.
For other festival information, please browse the Festival 2026 drop down in the menu above.
Festival Calendar
View all this year’s events or click on the drop down menu below to browse by category.
The Tony Nandi ARPS Photographic Award Exhibition
An exhibition of the finalists' photographs of this year's Tony Nandi ARPS Photographic Award responding to the theme 'the Power of Music'. Tony Nandi lived and worked in Deal and continues to inspire emerging photographers.
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Deal’s Historic Walking Tour
Join local tour guide and character George Chittenden as he conjures up Deal's colourful history. Book early as George's walks always sell out!
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Ewan Millar – oboe & Tomos Boyles – piano
An intimate lunchtime concert given by exceptional young oboist Ewan Millar with pianist Tomos Boyles in a sparkling programme of Bach, Schumann, Mozart, Poulenc and Piazzola.
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Betteshanger Colliery Welfare Band
A rousing high-energy evening from the National Brass Band Championships award winners. This concert includes rock anthems to popular classics by Holst, Vivaldi and Rimsky-Korsakov.
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Singing Day – Choral Workshop
Calling all keen choral singers! A fantastic chance to work with Joanna Tomlinson, Artistic Director of the Military Wives Choir on choruses from Verdi's Requiem in an uplifting choral workshop.
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Town Takeover – Music
Deal High Street is hijacked by roving musicians, with Whitstable’s brilliant Native Oysters Band leading the way! Follow the music to the gardens in front of St George’s Church for performances from local musicians and, especially for children, there's magician and balloon-animal maker Dazzling Darren!
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Town Takeover – Paint Out Art Trail
Spot artists at their easels, painting all around town: in front of St George’s, in the Astor bar, at the seafront by Deal Castle, on the beach by the Royal Hotel and near Deal Pier and at the Gallery on the Beach in Walmer.
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Town Takeover – Joshua Le Gallienne: a sound performance
With Deal Beach as the dramatic backdrop, this site-responsive artwork utilises wind energy to produce acoustic sound from a single material: a biodegradable plastic sheet, to create a thought-provoking and unique experience for its audience. There's a second performance at 4pm!
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Singing Day – Beyond the Stars with Recordare
A choral programme celebrating the wonder of the stars. Recordare, a chamber choir comprising some of the finest young professional singers in the UK, present a celestial-themed programme including music from Byrd and Monteverdi to Parry, Stanford and 21st-century composers.
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Sunday at The Captain’s Garden
Following 2025’s popular event, this is another chance to bring the family to a celebration of music, storytelling, dance and poetry in this beautiful community garden. Don't miss Naomi Cortes' storytelling walk for children to start!
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Charles Dickens’ Women
A tapestry of music and text is inspired by Dickens’ female characters and musical muses, including his sister Fanny, a notable composer and pianist. The performance includes extracts from his writings and works by Liszt, Mendelssohn, Bax and Fanny Dickens.
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Hoda Jahanpour’s Ensemble Nomad with Dudù Kouate
Hoda Jahanpour won hearts in 2025 with her virtuosic cello playing. She returns with an exciting collaboration: ensemble Nomad and Dudù Kouate, the internationally acclaimed Senegalese percussionist. Their vibrant sound merges Celtic folk, jazz, classical arrangements and African influences.
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Coffee Concert: Tamar File – soprano & Anthony Halstead – piano
A programme pairing two glorious Britten song collections celebrating Britain’s culture and landscape with Mahler’s poignant Kindertotenlieder. Distinguished horn player and pianist, Anthony Halstead, joins lyric soprano Tamar File.
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Players of One World Orchestra
One World Orchestra is a ground-breaking professional ensemble drawing players from diverse musical traditions performing music and songs from around the world. This lively, interactive concert provides opportunities to be involved in music-making, or to simply enjoy the music.
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Gawain Douglas – Fist, The Story of Prize fighting
Gawain Douglas recounts the extraordinary history of pugilism, from the sport of ancient Greeks and the bare-knuckle bouts of the 18th and 19th-centuries through to boxing in the ring today. Drawing from family records, the talk is punctuated with poems, anecdotes, illustrations and artefacts.
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Sacconi Quartet with Timothy Orpen – clarinet
This is a chance to hear one of the UK’s most compelling string quartets at their peak after 25 years playing together. After Haydn’s glorious Bird Quartet, they are joined by a leading light of the clarinet world, Timothy Orpen, for Mozart’s magical Clarinet Quintet.
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Xiaowen Shang – piano
DMA’s Young Artist in Association, pianist Xiaowen, brings a lunchtime programme inspired by another great pianist, Harriet Cohen. A fascinating selection of music dedicated to this extraordinary British pianist, at its heart the grand, romantic Sonata No. 2 by Arnold Bax, Cohen’s one-time lover.
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Gary Crosby Quintet – Miles in the Sky
Bassist Gary Crosby OBE leads his quintet - including some of the biggest names in jazz today - in a celebration of the music of one of the most iconic jazz innovators of all time, Miles Davis. First on the programme tonight is DMA’s own Creative Jazz Orchestra under their director Joe Browne.
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Deal’s Historic Walking Tour
Join local tour guide and character George Chittenden as he conjures up Deal’s colourful history. Book early as George always sells out!
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Versa Winds – saxophone quartet
A lunchtime concert from Versa Winds, a dynamic young saxophone quartet, with an exciting selection of works from jazz-infused Gershwin to Ravel’s lyrical Le Tombeau de Couperin.
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Sheku & Isata Kanneh-Mason – cello & piano
World-renowned cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason and his phenomenally talented sister, pianist Isata, come to Deal! Don’t miss this unique chance to hear a spellbinding performance of music by Nadia Boulanger, Schumann, Mendelssohn and Rebecca Clarke.
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Hiding in Plain Sight – An architectural walk from Dover to Deal
A glorious ramble along the White Cliffs, this architecture walk from Dover to Deal is led by architect Charles Holland and includes some of the nine 21st-century structures of CHALKUP21 as well as other buildings of interest along the route.
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Jack Hancher – guitar
A triumphant return to the Festival for Jack Hancher, one of the UK’s finest young classical guitarists. His concert will include a performance of José’s beautiful Sonata for Guitar, Malcolm Arnold’s Fantasy for Guitar, along with music by Ravel, Albeniz and contemporary composers.
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Gavin Esler in conversation with Dame Penny Mordaunt
Gavin welcomes Dame Penny Mordaunt, former Conservative Cabinet Minister and famously the sword-bearer at the King’s Coronation, to talk about her book Pomp and Circumstance - Why Britain’s traditions matter.
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Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing
Join us in the spectacular surroundings of Dover Castle for an evening of outdoor entertainment with Changeling Theatre’s bold and unapologetically fun Much Ado About Nothing.
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Jazz at The Lighthouse
An evening of jazz with alto sax talent Donovan Haffner and his quartet drawing on influences such as Kenny Garrett and Freddie Hubbard, enhanced with his own distinctive style. Donovan has wowed audiences at London's Ronnie Scott's and Pizza Express.
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Andrea Molteni – piano
A lunchtime concert from an exciting young Italian piano talent, Andrea Molteni. His concert will include one of Beethoven’s greatest and most challenging piano sonatas, the Waldstein and Brahms’ romantic Sixteen Waltzes.
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Gavin Esler in conversation with Sir Jeremy Hunt MP
Gavin Esler’s guest is Sir Jeremy Hunt, formerly Conservative Foreign Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer. His experience in international relations will make for a fascinating discussion around his book on Can We Be Great Again - Why a dangerous world needs Britain.
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Gigspanner Big Band
A mouth-watering gig from the Gigspanner Big Band, a unique force in British folk music. Their high-energy, virtuosic performances appeal equally to traditionalists and to those looking for something more experimental.
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Writing workshop with Jacob Sam-La Rose
A day-long creative writing workshop exploring poetry as an act of attention and response to sound, place and memory, led by renowned poet, educator and mentor Jacob Sam-La Rose. programme. Open to writers of all levels of experience.
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Sokol – an acrobatic performance for families
From the creator of last year’s ingenious and enjoyable human croquet, comes another breath-taking, beautiful show of physical dexterity. Ilona’s solo acrobatic performance uses ropes and wall bars, inspiring children with what’s possible in the familiar surroundings of a school hall.
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Sokol – an acrobatic performance for families
From the creator of last year’s ingenious and enjoyable human croquet, comes another breath-taking, beautiful show of physical dexterity. Ilona’s solo acrobatic performance uses ropes and wall bars, inspiring children with what’s possible in the familiar surroundings of a school hall.
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Will Clark – violin & Mark Rogers – piano
Classical music with a swagger…..and a generous helping of mascara! Will Clark, a classically trained violinist, transforms from model student to exotic Anna Cruzis to celebrate Pride in Deal. This classical programme (with a touch of David Bowie) packs an emotional punch.
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Gavin Esler in conversation with Lord Kinnock
To round off his series, Gavin Esler welcomes Neil Kinnock, one of the giants of the Labour Party, for an expansive look at British politics over the six decades since he was elected as MP for Bedwellty in 1970.
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Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro with Wild Arts
Wild Arts returns to the festival with The Marriage of Figaro after whirlwind successes in 2024 and 2025. Enjoy Mozart’s glorious music in this fizzing production. Book early for a night to rival Glyndebourne in the beautiful setting of St Mary’s Arts Centre – the perfect summer treat.
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The Conversation ContinuesTicket Required
A chance for those who have attended one or more of Gavin’s Esler’s talks to come together, with coffee and cake, to chew over their themes. This will be a relaxed, informal gathering in the peace of Deal library for anyone interested in sharing their thoughts and ideas.
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Festival Day @ The Astor
This year's festival comes to an end with a day-long celebration of local music-making at Deal's gem of a community theatre. Kicking off with a lively, interactive concert for children and their carers, the rest of the day showcases the talents of a host of local musicians.
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Listen al fresco
Imagine yourself sitting in the Captain’s Garden on a summer’s day. Through headphones, the natural sounds of the garden blend with specially chosen sound works to create a unique experience and listening with others becomes a surprising communal encounter.
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Listen al fresco
Imagine yourself sitting in the Captain’s Garden on a summer’s day. Through headphones, the natural sounds of the garden blend with specially chosen sound works to create a unique experience and listening with others becomes a surprising communal encounter.
Event details
Listen al fresco
Imagine yourself sitting in the Captain’s Garden on a summer’s day. Through headphones, the natural sounds of the garden blend with specially chosen sound works to create a unique experience and listening with others becomes a surprising communal encounter.
Event details
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