A unique event in the Cotswolds cultural calendar, Longborough Festival Opera returns in 2026 with a spectacular selection of shows.
With 90-minute intervals, the performances are perfect paired with a picnic in the gorgeous grounds – or a three-course meal at the on-site restaurant for an extra special experience.
When is Longborough Festival Opera 2026?
Longborough Festival Opera's 2026 season runs from Saturday 30 May until Saturday 8 August 2026.
SoGlos rounds up what's on and when...
Orlando at Longborough Festival Opera 2026
A new production for Longborough's 2026 festival, Orlando is a complex and intense story of intertwining relationships and the madness of unrequited love.
Exploring themes of love, war and insanity, Longborough's production is directed by Sinéad O’Neill and conducted from the harpsichord by Christopher Moulds, with the Academy of Ancient Music providing a period-instrument orchestra to bring this Baroque opera seria to life in the most authentic way.
Tickets to Orlando cost from £95. To book, visit lfo.org.uk/opera/orlando.
Tristan und Isolde at Longborough Festival Opera 2026
Described by critic, Michael Tanner, as 'one of the most exalting operatic experiences I have had', Longborough's acclaimed 2017 production of Tristan und Isolde gets a revival at Longborough Festival Opera 2026.
Directed by Carmen Jakobi with the Longborough Festival Orchestra conducted by veteran Wagnerian Anthony Negus, this powerful production follows Irish princess Isolde, betrothed to King Marke of Cornwall, as she journeys across the sea accompanied by Tristan, the knight. Poison transmutes into passion as the pair fall in love, setting them on a path that can only lead to tragedy.
Tickets to Tristan und Isolde cost from £125. To book, visit lfo.org.uk/opera/tristan-und-isolde.
Macbeth at Longborough Festival Opera 2026
Another new production for the 2026 season, Macbeth is Longborough Festival Opera's first production of Shakespeare's supernatural masterpiece, directed by Karolina Souflak; conducted by rising star Nil Venditti, who made her BBC Proms debut in 2024; and featuring the Longborough Community Chorus, Festival Chorus and Orchestra.
The first of Shakespeare's plays that Verdi adapted into opera, the composer called Macbeth 'one of the greatest creations of man' – so this new production is not to be missed!
Tickets to Macbeth cost from £125. To book, visit lfo.org.uk/opera/macbeth.
Hansel and Gretel at Longborough Festival Opera 2026
The third new production of the 2026 series, Longborough's take on Humperdinck's reworking of the classic fairy story, Hansel and Gretel, features international artists alongside the acclaimed Longborough Youth Chorus, conducted by Karen Kamensek and directed by Lucy Bailey.
Hansel and Gretel is the only opera of this year's season to be sung in English, thanks to a witty translation by Sir David Poultney.
Tickets to Hansel and Gretel cost from £75. To book, visit lfo.org.uk/opera/hansel-and-gretel.
Dining at Longborough Festival Opera 2026
To make a visit to Longborough extra special, festivalgoers can choose to spend the 90-minute intervals between performances dining at the on-site restaurant on a luxurious three-course meal, with spectacular views of the grounds.
Longborough also offers pre-made picnic hampers including cutlery, plates and napkins for £40; and picnic marquees providing tables, chairs and shelter in case of wet weather, which can both be booked online with tickets.
To book tickets, restaurant tables and picnic hampers, visit lfo.org.uk.
