A guide to Glyndebourne Festival 2024

Experience opera the way we do it. Electrifying, real, intense, creative, moving, extraordinary. All happening in one of the most evocative and beautiful spots in the country. Glyndebourne stories begin long before the curtain goes up, and end long after it has come down. And we’d love you to write your own.

Photo: Bill Cooper

Join us for new productions of Bizet’s Carmen and Franz Lehár’s The Merry Widow, alongside revivals of Handel’s Giulio Cesare, Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde – tickets are on sale now.

Our guide to the best remaining tickets:

• For the best choice of seats and prices, try The Magic Flute and Giulio Cesare.
• Carmen weekends are very busy, especially in June. Mid-week performances in May and August have most availability.
• There’s more ticket choice for The Merry Widow in July.
• Tristan und Isolde is very limited.

E-tickets will be emailed seven days before each visit (bookings made within seven days of a performance will be emailed immediately). E-tickets are sent as PDF attachments.

Photo: Sam Stephenson

Our 90 minute interval gives you the opportunity to relax in a beautiful setting and enjoy some fine dining.

For many, a picnic in the gardens is a quintessential part of the Glyndebourne experience. You’re welcome to bring your own picnic, or order one from Dining at Glyndebourne which you can pick up when you arrive. You can also visit the Deli to top-up your picnic. It’s best to find a picnic spot and set up before the start of the performance, so everything is ready and waiting for you when the interval comes.

There are a number of under-cover picnicking options at Glyndebourne. There are a limited number of picnic tables in the opera house, and marquees and stretch tents in the garden. To guarantee your under-cover picnic table, it’s best to book in advance – find out more about under-cover options. Any under-cover picnic tables that haven’t been pre-booked will be available free of charge on the day, on a first-come-first-served basis.

For those who prefer the great indoors, there’s plenty of choice at our three on site restaurants, from afternoon teas to French fine-dining and traditional British favourites. You can make a restaurant reservation when you book your tickets, or book on our dedicated dining website.

Photo: James Bellorini

Black tie and Glyndebourne are often synonymous – but they don’t have to be if that’s not your style. Dress up in a way that suits you. There are no rules. Visit our what to wear guide to see some examples and get some inspiration. We have on-site changing rooms if you’d rather not travel in your finery. Audience changing facilities are located at the bottom of the main audience car park, which you can see on our map.

Photo: Sam Stephenson

Glyndebourne is just outside of Lewes and a mere hour away from London by rail. We take our green credentials very seriously and encourage as many audience members as possible to make the journey to Glyndebourne by train, and then take the audience coach from Lewes station. For £10 you can secure a return coach journey from Lewes train station to Glyndebourne. This is bookable online.

For those who would rather make the journey by car, we have a large car park and even offer charging for electric cars.

Glyndebourne is open two hours before the performance, giving you plenty of time to explore our gardens and exhibitions, and to find a picnic spot in the gardens.

When it is time to take your seats in the auditorium, you will hear a bell ring. The bells sound ten minutes, five minutes, and three minutes before the start of the performance.

All our Festival performances have a 90 minute long dining interval, when you can enjoy dinner in our restaurants or a picnic in the grounds. You can find the interval time on our performance schedule. Some of our operas also include short intervals, these can also be found on the performance schedule. When it is time for the performance to resume, you will hear a bell ring. The bells sound ten minutes, five minutes, and three minutes before the performance resumes.

The audience coach service departs from the coach park around 20 minutes after the end of the performance. Avoid the rush to leave the car park – the grounds close 90 minutes after the end of the performance, and the Long Bar is open if you want to stop for a hot or cold drink before you go, or drop in to our shop for a browse.

Jerwood Young Artists recital, 2023. Photo: Laura Aziz

There’s a lot to enjoy at Glyndebourne, so don’t forget to leave yourself enough time to see it all. The gardens open two hours before the start of the performance giving you ample opportunity to see everything we have to offer. Enjoy one of the most beautiful landscapes in the country and explore our 12 acres of gardens.

There are also visual art exhibitions in our gallery (located by at the stalls entrance to the auditorium) and archive gallery (at the bottom of the car park). In 2024 you can enjoy an exhibition of new work by leading British artist Conrad Shawcross RA in the gardens and galleries.

Plus, there will be recitals by our Jerwood Young Artists before selected performances.