Henley Festival Announces 40th Anniversary Line-Up

The UK’s only black-tie music festival, Henley always draws in the crowds – but its 40th anniversary event is set to be extra special. Taking place from 6 – 10 July, the 2022 edition will offer five summer nights of music, comedy, art, dancing and food, set against the banks of the River Thames.

On the music side, the festival’s Floating Stage will feature headliners Sir Tom Jones, The Script and Craig David, plus DJ Pete Tong will bring a taste of Ibiza to Henley, together with The Heritage Orchestra and Jules Buckley. The event will close with a 40th Anniversary Concert extravaganza – with a set of special guests set to be announced in due course.

Over in the Spiegel Tent, meanwhile, festival-goers can enjoy a vibrant programme of jazz starring Emily Cappell, Rosie Frater-Taylor, Kevin Davy and The Jazz Defender.

Henley always delivers on the comedy front too, with this year’s Comedy Club hosting names like Jo Brand, Andy Parsons, Russell Kane, Maisie Adam and Milton Jones.

While the food line-up is yet to be announced, you can guarantee a whole host of top chefs will also be in residence – with previous years having featured the likes of Angela Hartnett MBE and Albert Roux. New for 2022, Henley will welcome the ‘Dish’ to its Riverside Restaurant, offering a fine dining experience designed to celebrate British farming and seasonal, locally sourced produce.

The cherry on the cake? Each evening will be brought to a close with a firework display designed by Titanium Fireworks, the team behind some of the biggest firework shows of the decade including London’s New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Dating back to 1982, Henley Festival was originally set up as a charity, with a mission to stage a music and arts event for the local community. While it has grown a huge amount since then, its core purpose has remained the same. This year the festival is launching a new charitable initiative, RISE, a way of providing opportunities for young musicians, comedians and visual artists, helping them take their first steps into the world of performance.

Find out more at henley-festival.co.uk

READ MORE:

Best Boutique Festivals 2022 / Food Festivals 2022