THE swankiest festival in the music calendar is due to start this evening.
Henley Festival, which won Headline Performance of the Year at the 2016 Festivals awards, will take place over five days from tonight (Wednesday) to the sounds of Pet Shop Boys, Goldie, Chaka Khan, All Saints and Jess Glynne as well as many other top acts.
The glamorous boutique festival, which operates a strict black-tie dress code, takes place annually on the banks of the River Thames, and has hosted headline acts such as Paloma Faith, Will Young and Elton John in previous years.
This evening, Grammy award-winning singer songwriter Jess Glynne will open the festival on the iconic Floating Stage, while the Pet Shop Boys will perform tomorrow night. Friday night’s entertainment will be provided courtesy of the Queen of Funk Chaka Khan, while the father of UK Drum and Bass Goldie will present an orchestral version of his ground-breaking album Timeless on Saturday night.
Closing the festival on Sunday, July 9 will be one of the most successful girl groups of all time, All Saints, who will be joined by former Spice Girl Mel C.
But music is not the only entertainment on offer at the festival, as top comedy acts such as Andy Parsons, Seann Walsh, Russell Kane and Sara Pascoe will be tickling plenty of ribs throughout the duration.
Festival-goers will also be treated to performances by the legendary Ronnie Scott’s All Stars while sipping on cocktails in a cabaret-style setting by the river, while the Bedouin Tent will be grooving to the sounds of global world music and home-grown folk acts.
Food is also a major attraction of the festival, with plenty of pop-up restaurants on offer to satisfy every taste, including The Spice Merchant, Jimmy Garcia’s BBQ Club, Newquay Sushi and Awesome Crispy Squid.
And if all of that wasn’t enough, the festival will also play host to some of the UK’s most exciting contemporary artists who will be displaying and selling their work across the five days.
Henley Festival takes place between July 5 and 9. Tickets start from £45.
For more information and to book visit www.henley-festival.co.uk.
