About

Cheltenham Festival of Performing Arts is Cheltenham’s oldest Festival and is held in May each year.  The Festival’s usual venue is Cheltenham Town Hall and we occasionally hold classes at Bethesda Church and The Playhouse Theatre.  This year, however, due to the pandemic, we decided to change the date of the Festival and move to the Pittville Pump Rooms – another superb performance venue!

There are usually over 300 classes to chose from in three categories, Music, Dance and Drama and we encourage all ages to enter and join in the fun.

We provide a stage where children and adults can perform to their peers and receive constructive feedback from our eminent professional adjudicators.  The atmosphere is friendly and everyone is welcome to come along and provide encouragement.

The Festival is a charity set up to foster education in the arts.

We have a vibrant team of Volunteers and Friends who provide valuable support the Festival.  Do volunteer to help – there are many ways in which your services would be appreciated.

Arts Award

The Festival is proud to be an Arts Award Supporter. We can offer the following opportunities to get involved: Volunteering as stewards Watching and reviewing performances Helping us collect feedback Finding out how the event is put together Taking part in workshops or to enter the Festival as a performer If you would like more …read More

General Rules

G1 The Competition shall be known as the “Cheltenham Festival of Performing Arts”. G2 There is no geographical restriction for any of the Performers, except for the Keith Nutland Award. See special rules for Keith Nutland competition. G3 No persons gaining all or a principal part of their livelihood by music, speech, drama or dancing …read More

Our Team

The Cheltenham Festival of Performing Arts is run by a dedicated group of individuals through a number of Committees that meet throughout the year. President John Rawson   Executive Committee:     Chairman Garth Barnes *   Vice Chairman Janice Keen *   Treasurer Allan Gillespie * 07974 810222 Hon. Secretary Brian Harding * 07850 …read More

Policies

You can download any of our policies or view each policy statement here. Festival Constitution Child Protection Policy Equal Opportunities Policy Data Protection Policy CHILD PROTECTION POLICY STATEMENT Cheltenham Festival of Performing Arts believes that no child or young person should ever experience abuse of any kind.  We have a responsibility to promote the welfare …read More

Venues

Pittville Pump Rooms Pittville Pump Rooms is the most famous example of Regency architecture in Cheltenham.  Built between 1825 and 1830 it was the last and largest of the spa buildings to be constructed in Cheltenham.  It stands at the northern end of Pittville Park, with landscaped grounds running down to the lake.  The Main …read More

Education

The Festival is supported by a number of local schools and we understand how important arts and culture is to developing well rounded individuals. The Arts Council England make the point well in their Create report: Taking part in arts and culture activities increases skills such as confidence, teamwork and communication. Skills that are invaluable …read More

History

The Festival started life as the CHELTENHAM COMPETITVE FESTIVAL, and was renamed the CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL OF PERFORMING ARTS in 2006. The new name reflects more accurately the range of disciplines covered by the Festival. It also echoes the performance skills of our Vice-Presidents – Dame Felicity Lott, Russell Maliphant and Phyllida Lloyd – all of …read More

Results

During the 2018 Festival, we took the decision to end our practice of posting the names of winning performers on this website. We reached this decision because we felt that it was an unnecessary disclosure of personal information and might constitute a breach of Data Protection legislation (GDPR May 2018).  Therefore, competition results will no …read More