A guide to Festival 2026

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: Die Entführung aus dem Serail, by Richard Hubert Smith

We have another season of extraordinary opera lined up for you this summer. We can’t wait to share it all with you.

Festival 2026 features Glyndebourne’s first ever production of Puccini’s Tosca as well as new productions of Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo and Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos. There will also be revivals of Rossini’s Il Turco in Italia, Britten’s Billy Budd, and Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail.

Thinking about coming this year? Explore our Membership options which give you priority booking for tickets. Public booking opens on Sunday 8 March.

Your 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.

In this short video, our staff members share their top tips for first timers:

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 around 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 request when you book your tickets, or book on our dedicated dining website.

Photo: Pablo Strong

Black tie and Glyndebourne are synonymous. Whatever your style, take this rare opportunity to dress for the occasion.– whether that’s a tuxedo or a head-to-toe sequin outfit, adding a flair to formal wear is what our audiences do best. 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. We offer a return coach journey from Lewes train station to Glyndebourne which will be bookable online after ticket allocation.

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 the bells 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 the bells ring. The bells sound ten minutes, five minutes, and three minutes before the performance resumes.

The audience coach service departs from the coach park approximately 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.

Glyndebourne Dog Policy

Pets, including dogs, are not permitted anywhere on the Glyndebourne grounds or gardens, with the exception of assistance animals. For the safety and wellbeing of animals, we kindly ask that you do not bring pets with you when visiting Glyndebourne and under no circumstances leave them in vehicles during your visit.  Please note that Glyndebourne cannot accept responsibility if animal welfare services are contacted by employees or audience members, or if action is taken to release an animal from a vehicle.

Glyndebourne reserves the right to refuse entry to dogs at the gate or during an event if they do not meet the criteria for assistance animals.  For more information about assistance animals and access, please see here.

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 a thriving visual arts exhibition programme to explore during your visit in our gallery (located by at the stalls entrance to the auditorium) and the archive gallery (at the bottom of the car park).