The Script, Craig David, Tom Jones and Pete Tong Headline 40th Festival

Henley Festival is thrilled to reveal the line-up for this year’s 40th anniversary celebrations from Wednesday 6 to Sunday 10 July 2022 and today (Monday 14 February) to mark Valentine’s Day there are 40 bags of chocolate hearts hidden around Henley with a gift card “With Love From Henley Festival” which can be exchanged for one free general admission ticket to the opening night.

One of the world’s most successful bands, The Script, will open Henley Festival on Wednesday evening. The blockbusting Irish trio – Danny O’Donoghue, Glen Power and Mark Sheehan – have 5 UK Number 1 albums, 6 billion streams and 2 million ticket sales to their name, and are now set to entertain the Henley crowd with their biggest hits and fan favourites from their career-spanning greatest hits album Tales From The Script. Henley Festival’s opening night will be brought to a fabulous close by euro-disco phenomenon Boney M. with the original lead singer Liz Mitchell, performing international chartbusters in the Festival Club.

On Thursday, one the most successful artists in UK chart history, Craig David, will perform an epic evening of his best loved hits. Twenty years since the critically-acclaimed album, ‘Born To Do It’, changed his life, Craig has catapulted back into the charts and into the nation’s hearts – amassing over 5 billion streams worldwide on the way – and the demand to see his incredible live performances is higher than ever.

The legendary, incomparable Sir Tom Jones will return to Henley and the stunning Floating Stage on Friday evening to captivate the crowd with music from his 41st studio album Surrounded By Time. This record – which was recorded in his native Wales for the very first time, and went straight to the top of the UK charts – is Tom’s most personal collection to date, and further extends the extraordinary legacy of his career spanning over five decades.

On Saturday, revered DJ, broadcaster and global dance music legend Pete Tong, together with The Heritage Orchestra and Jules Buckley, will present an unforgettable evening of iconic classical electronic music. Inventively bold, Ibiza Classics will showcase Pete Tong’s enigmatic reimaginations of classic house tracks, transporting the Floating Stage audience all the way from Henley to the White Isle for a Balearic party like no other.

This year’s Festival will close with an extraordinary 40th Anniversary Concert on Sunday evening, featuring an exclusive line-up of special guests to be announced. The Henley audience are invited to be part of something truly amazing as the Festival wraps up five spectacular summer evenings by celebrating 40 years of unforgettable memories.

Henley Festival’s stellar reputation for the biggest and best comedy continues for this year’s 40th anniversary celebrations. Leading the laughs is the multi-talented Jo Brand, long established as one of the UK’s best comics, award winning Andy Parsons – fan favourite on TV shows including Live at the Apollo, QI and Mock The Week – alongside king of the surreal one-liner Milton Jones, comedian, presenter, actor, author and scriptwriter Russell Kane, and TikTok sensation and resident Tower of London funnyman Tom Houghton.

Henley Festival was set up in 1982 as a charity, with a mission to stage a music and arts Festival for the local community. Nearly 40 years on, this core purpose remains the same. Talent is everywhere but opportunities less so – particularly following the devastating effect of the pandemic on the cultural sector. To coincide with the 40th anniversary, Henley Festival will launch a new charitable initiative – RISE – to nurture the next generation of talent take their first steps into the wonderful world of performance and creativity, both in front and behind the spotlight.

CEO Jo Bausor announcing the line-up on Friday night to Friends of the Festival, sponsors and the press said, “Firstly I would like to say massive thank you because of the last 2 years you can imagine have been incredibly challenging and its important that you guys have kept us going.  Here we are to fight another year.  It’s been really challenging to programme the Festival this year as there has been a lot of roll over from last year and artist’s availability is low but we’re so excited.  I can truly say there is something for everyone.

Tickets go on sale to Patrons today and the general public on Friday 25 February.

For more information go to https://henley-festival.co.uk/