Norfolk & Norwich Festival 2026

The band were tight, the sound was perfect, and the songs were great.

I confess to being a tad snooty when it comes to all this memory and movement malarkey, but I was surprised just how much difference it made not having a music stand between me and the players. Free from having to keep sheet music within their eyeline, the artists could express the music more, well, expressively

Seeing young jazz musicians under Gary Crosby’s quietly paternal leadership - with a strong presence of women throughout the ensemble - they played with real authority and assurance.

Smith is especially skilled at writing in a way that feels formally restless and alert to language itself.

Jasmine is a phenomenal story teller, musician, and activist.

The skill of Thomas and Ward is quite remarkable; their ability to effortlessly shimmy up a Colgate lamppost and perform aerial acrobatics was jaw-dropping

It’s a glorious day in Norwich to listen to some jazz, and Nubiyan Twist delivered exactly what we needed for this bright summery day.

Both sensitive and challenging in its treatment of the question of what is natural and unnatural.

Underwater effortlessly pairs incredible digital imagery with astounding musical performance to create something inspiring.

This was Bach at his most complex, a dense, almost encyclopaedic run-through of musical styles.

NNF Artist In Residence delivers an enjoyable performance in a lovely venue but it doesn’t quite hit the spot.

The National Youth Jazz Orchestra performed their passionate, innovative, and gifted hearts out at the Norfolk & Norwich Festival

Don't forget that the Festival runs for another six days, and that there will be free live music on the Festival Gardens' 'Band Stand' stage on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

A visceral reimagining of Mia Fisher’s novel of a young boy seduced through poverty and circumstance into the murky world of drug dealing.

He enters the stage through the crowd carrying his tuba and proceeds to, almost exclusively, let the instrument do the talking. It’s a bold but excellent choice.

O'Mahony has traditional Irish music running through his veins as well as in his DNA. It was an honour and a privilege to sit and listen to his playing. .

The set wasn’t long, but it was gorgeous, and I left desperate for the next chance to experience them again.

I'd judge Heartwood to be Curious Directive's most perfectly realised marriage of art and science to date.

Danny’s journey is interwoven with stories, facts and demonstrations involving the significant accordions throughout his life, and the result is warm, funny, comforting, worrying and, at more than one point, deeply unsettling.

Within the confines of St Andrew's, there was something about this huge, alien edifice appearing that was akin to childhood memories of the Hintze Hall of the Natural History Museum. Was this a dinosaur, or perhaps a whale?

A beautiful and captivating second half ensures that this Norfolk & Norwich Festival audience leaves happy.

As this show was unlike anything I have had the pleasure of seeing it feels difficult to just categorise as simply a circus act.

A magical lunchtime treat.

Those lucky enough to have been present in the Octagon Chapel this lunchtime will remember them, and this concert, for years to come.