Hastings Music Festival prepares for opening curtains

Hastings Music Festival has been captivating audiences for over 100 years! Every year, children and adults from four to 84 take to the stage to showcase their talent in Singing, Dancing, Speech, Mime & Drama, and Instrumental, all of which are marked by an adjudicator who is a specialist and an expert in the field. With hundreds of participants, it’s an exciting chance to build confidence and make memories. The festival’s Jenny Griffiths and Victoria Cole set the scene.

The festival, based at White Rock Theatre, starts on Sunday 23 February and will run throughout March with the Finale Concert taking place on the 30^th of that month. We would love to see many of you attend and continue to support our festival. We have performers travelling from all over Sussex, Kent and Surrey to attend and we would love to share their talent with you.

Our festival highlights include:

• Speech, Drama & Mime from 24 to 27 February, with medal classes on 27^th and plenty of drama throughout the week!
• Thursday 6 March sees school choirs in the morning, adult classical singing in the afternoon and youth choirs in the evening, all in the main auditorium.
• Also on Thursday 6 March, at 6pm, the White Rock Studio will host the Molly Townson Evening of Classical Cabaret, a special event dedicated to Molly Townson, a beloved local figure whose contributions to the festival and the Hastings arts community were immeasurable. The evening will feature a selection of stunning vocal performances in Molly’s honour, including Gilbert & Sullivan, Vintage, Humorous and Art Song. There will be a bar available and it would be great to see people in period costume!
• Thursday 13 March: Primary Class instrumental in the morning, Gold Medal in the afternoon, culminating in recitals and Young Instrumentalist of the Year in the evening.
• Tuesday 18 March at 5pm – Dancing Medals Evening (Bronze, Silver, Gold): a signature part of the festival, the young dancers will perform both their ballet and narrative solo routines for a combined score. This still remains one of the most anticipated aspects of the event. Children aged nine, 10 and 11 will qualify for Bronze, and 12, 13 and 14 for Silver, while those aged 15 and under 21 can enter for the Gold Medal.
• Wednesday 19 March at 2pm sees the Singing Gold Medal and Singing Championships, followed at 6pm by an amazing array of adult choirs.

Hastings Music Festival 2025 White Rock Theatre, White Rock, Hastings TN34 1JX, Sunday 23 February-Sunday 30 March. See full timetable here.

Tickets for all sessions are available to purchase at the White Rock Theatre box office, with various packages available at Hastings Musical Festival for those wishing to attend multiple sessions throughout the festival.

Please visit the website  for more information. You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram.

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