With just weeks to go until Hampton Court Palace Festival returns, organisers have unveiled a packed programme of major artists set to perform in one of the country’s most distinctive concert settings.
Running from 10 to 20 June, this year’s festival will once again transform the Tudor palace courtyard into an intimate open-air venue, welcoming a line-up spanning pop, rock, dance and orchestral classics.
Opening the series are two performances from singer-songwriter David Gray, whose breakthrough album White Ladder became one of the defining records of the early 2000s. Across a career spanning more than three decades, Gray has sold millions of records worldwide, with hits including Babylon, This Year’s Love and Sail Away.
Synth-pop pioneers OMD will make their Hampton Court debut on 12 June, bringing with them a catalogue of enduring 1980s hits such as Enola Gay and Souvenir.
Dance music also takes centre stage as Pete Tong returns with his acclaimed Ibiza Classics show, combining club anthems with live orchestral arrangements in what promises to be one of the festival’s biggest nights.
Elsewhere in the programme, punk veterans The Stranglers will perform on 16 June following celebrations marking their 50th anniversary, while Nile Rodgers & Chic return after a sell-out appearance last year. Rodgers’ influence on modern music remains vast, having worked with artists ranging from David Bowie to Daft Punk.
Elvis Costello and The Imposters, joined by guitarist Charlie Sexton, are also among this year’s headline performers, while Sophie Ellis-Bextor brings her Palace Disco show to the historic venue following renewed chart success for Murder on the Dancefloor.
The festival will conclude with 80’s Classical, featuring orchestral performances of some of the decade’s best-known hits alongside appearances from artists including Kim Wilde, Go West, Nik Kershaw and Roland Gift.
Beyond the concerts themselves, festivalgoers are invited to explore the palace grounds during specially extended evening openings, with picnic hampers and outdoor dining remaining part of the event’s appeal.
Now in its 31st year, Hampton Court Palace Festival continues to carve out a reputation as one of the summer’s more unusual music events—pairing globally recognised performers with the dramatic backdrop of Henry VIII’s former home.
With audience numbers capped at around 3,000 per night, the festival retains a sense of intimacy rarely associated with artists of this scale, offering music fans the chance to experience major acts within the walls of one of Britain’s most historic royal settings.
