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Welcome to 

THE REPTON FESTIVAL

3rd-5th July 2026

or phone 01332 340156 (Option 5) to buy tickets over the phone

Introducing
THE REPTON FESTIVAL

The Repton Festival is a weekend of curated, eclectic arts events spread over three days in early July.  The next Festival will take place from Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th July 2026.

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The 2026 Festival has 35 events with a huge variety, almost half of them for children and many of those are free or cost very little.  If you choose to "Be Curious!", as our strapline says, you will be rewarded with music, art, literature, theatre, ghosts, gardening, history, flies, comedy, wine and Vikings! Our stand-out stars this year include Helen Lederer and Sarah Dunant!

 

Friday night starts with a bang with the Burton Concert Band and the powerful voice of Tom Clamp accompanying clips from famous films. Saturday night is for comedy and features three of the best in Britain today, just as they begin to take off nationally.  On Saturday and Sunday lunchtimes you can attend two excellent concerts.  And there will be lots for children to do, much of it free.  Everyone can find something fun and engaging.

Check out the 'What's On' and 'Family Fun - Children's Events' pages for more events.

Be sure to subscribe to our newsletters here to keep up to date with Festival news!

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A summary of what's on

Saturday 4th July

Title
Description
Venue
All day
Paddock Pass
The Paddock
All day
Activities and Treasure Trail
The Hive
10:00 AM
Grand Opening by the High Sheriff of Derbyshire
The Arch
10:15 AM
Shield design competition entries
The Hive
10:15 AM
Repton Walking tour
The Arch
10:15 AM
Primary Players Present Peter Pan
Pears School
10:30 AM
Bell ringing
The Arch
11:30 AM
Brilliant Kid by Andy Cope
The Hive
11:30 AM
Lights, Camera, Action!
Furneaux
12:00 PM
Sitar Virtuoso Harminder Kaur Klair
Tithe Barn
12:30 PM
Viking Combat School
Performance Arena
1:00 PM
Beds and Borders
The Library
Afternoon
Portrait Artist of the Festival
Pears School
1:30 PM
Rhubarb Theatre performs
The Hive
Afternoon
Alice Harman activities for children
The Hive
2:00 PM
Viking combat display
Performance Arena
3:00 PM
Flies! With Erica McAlister
The Library
3:30 PM
Rhubarb Theatre performs
The Hive
4:30 PM
Viking combat display
Performance Arena
5:00 PM
Famous authors live on stage
The Library
All evening
Silver Saturday ticket
Tithe Barn
6:00 PM
Lorna Rose Treen
Tithe Barn
7:30 PM
John Tothill
Tithe Barn
9:00 PM
Ben Pope
Tithe Barn
10:30 PM
Blackout Séance
Tithe Barn
All day
Food & drink
The Paddock

Friday 3rd July

Time
Description
Venue
6:30 PM
Stirred not Shaken
Pears School

Sunday 5th July

Time
Description
Venue
All day
Paddock Pass
The Paddock
All day
Activities and Treasure Trail
The Hive
10:00 AM
Viking Combat School
Performance Arena
10:30 AM
Mike Payton tells Wondrous Stories
The Hive
11:30 AM
Rhubarb Theatre performs
The Hive
11:30 AM
Sarah Dunant: the amazing Isabella d’Este
The Library
12:30 PM
Mike Payton tells Wondrous Stories
The Hive
1:00 PM
Repton Walking tour
The Arch
1:00 PM
Dapper Dan live in concert
Tithe Barn
1:30 PM
Viking combat display
Performance Arena
2:10 PM
Viking Combat School
Performance Arena
2:45 PM
A Booklover's Guide to Very English Ghosts
Tithe Barn
3:00 PM
Rhubarb Theatre performs
The Hive
4:00 PM
Sometimes, they come back
Undercroft
4:00 PM
Viking combat display
Performance Arena
5:00 PM
Helen Lederer: Desert Island Wines
The Library
All day
Food & drink
The Paddock

Food and drink

This year’s Repton Festival offers a tempting selection of food and drink for all tastes.

 

Friday evening's spectacular opening concert features Head Chef Adam Keeling’s authentic Tacos, served at your table.  For the rest of the weekend Adam will be serving healthy and less-healthy food from the Aark pop-up, hopefully including his amazing Poutine!

 

The in-house bar serves refreshing draft beers from Everards and lively cocktails to set the weekend mood. It also serves ice-cream!

The Cloisters Café will serve teas and coffees and host our book sales

 

Come hungry – you won't want to miss a bite!

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UoD Promotional Videos

Last year, the Repton Festival joined forces with the rising stars of the University of Derby’s BA (Hons) Film and High-End Television Production programme. As part of a dynamic real-world learning experience, second-year students were challenged to create original promotional videos that capture the heart, history, and energy of our festival. Working directly from client briefs provided by the Festival Committee, these talented young filmmakers operated like a professional production company - pitching ideas, shooting on location, and editing their final pieces to broadcast standards. Their work forms part of an assessed module that replicates the high-pressure, creative demands of the industry. We’re thrilled to showcase their outstanding videos across our website and social platforms. This collaboration not only brings a fresh, creative lens to the Repton Festival - it also gives students invaluable, hands-on experience working with real clients in the cultural sector. Keep an eye on these filmmakers. The future of British cinema just might have started here. For further details about studying film at the University of Derby, please visit: https://www.derby.ac.uk/undergraduate/film-courses/film-high-end-television-production-ba-hons/

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| Company Number: 10620016

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