Your guide to Glyndebourne Tour 2021

This year the Tour will include Frederic Wake-Walker’s striking new production of Fidelio alongside revivals of Mariame Clément’s Don Pasquale and John Cox’s production of The Rake’s Progress, designed by David Hockney. There will also be concert performances of Handel’s rousing oratorio Messiah and screenings of Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights, accompanied by a live orchestra.

We will also be hosting The Glyndebourne Christmas Concert with the Glyndebourne Chorus and Glyndebourne Tour Orchestra performing some operatic and festive favourites, on 8, 9, 11 and 12 December.

Founded in 1968, the Glyndebourne Tour has the dual purpose of providing a showcase for emerging artists and giving broader audiences a chance to experience world-class live opera, produced to the same exacting standards as our Festival operas.

The Tour not only enables us to reach new audiences across the UK, but our ever-popular Performances for Schools also present opportunities for students to experience the joys of opera for the first time. Since 2006, we have invited over 28,000 students to experience all the emotion, spectacle and intensity of opera at our Performances for Schools.

The Tour also provides a platform for young and emerging singers and conductors and the chance to see top opera artists before they become household names. Among the internationally acclaimed conductors and singers whose Tour appearances helped establish their careers are Robin Ticciati, Gerald Finley, Emma Bell, Alfie Boe, Roberto Alagna and Kate Royal. The Tour has also nurtured young, rising talent in the orchestra pit. This year is no different and as an added bonus the Tour Orchestra will support and play alongside up to ten young instrumentalists as part of our Pit Perfect scheme.

Public booking for Tour 2021 is now open.

Safety is our highest priority. During your visit to Glyndebourne you’ll find a number of measures in place to protect audiences and staff – find out more.

The nearest railway station is Lewes and all Glyndebourne performances finish in time for audiences to return to London by train.

Our coach service to and from Lewes station will operate again this year but for a cost – unfortunately social distancing requirements make it prohibitively expensive to offer this for free. For £10 you can secure a return journey, bookable online or by calling the Box Office on +44 (0)1273 815 000. It is essential to pre-book the coach service – booking closes 48 hours before each performance.

We also have a large, free audience car park and the option of using overflow spaces if required. Our parking attendants will manage your arrival and exit from the car park to ensure your safety.

In keeping with the more informal feel of the Tour, the dress code is smart casual. While some audience members do choose to make their visit to Tour performances a special occasion and dress accordingly, others may be arriving straight from work. Please wear whatever you find comfortable.

During our autumn Tour performances at Glyndebourne our restaurants will offer a range of dining options, view the menus and book now at diningatglyndebourne.com.

As always, you are welcome to bring your own refreshments and our marquees offer protection from the elements. Find out about booking a marquee.

If the weather is kind, you are welcome to enjoy the gardens before you take your seat in the auditorium. The gardens will be open for two hours before the performance starts.

During your visit to Glyndebourne, you can see etchings and woodcuts by Associate Artist Tom Hammick and sculpture in the gardens by Halima Cassell MBE until 31 October.

The Glyndebourne Shop is also open two hours before performances and will remain open until after the curtain comes down. All profits from the Glyndebourne Shop are fed directly back to Glyndebourne to support its opera productions and education programmes.

The Tour starts with performances here at Glyndebourne before heading out on the road to venues in Canterbury, Milton Keynes, Norwich and Liverpool.

Tickets in all of our venues are on sale now. Book tickets for performances on the road: