Organ Proms 2026

The Organ Proms are back at Victoria Hall in Hanley, with the next concert on Saturday 31 October. It's part of a ten-concert series running throughout 2026, all starting at 12 noon, so it's a lunchtime thing rather than an evening out.

Everything is built around the hall's own instrument: a Grand 4 Manual Conacher-Willis concert organ from 1888. If you're into the technical side of things, the full specification is available free of charge before and after each Prom, so you can see exactly what's under the bonnet. The series brings some of the UK's finest organists to the bench, and a 2023 review in the Staffordshire Sentinel called it 'The Joy of the Hanley Organ Proms – Music for Everyone'.

Across the ten dates, the bench is shared by Andrew Lumsden, Martyn Rawles, Ian Riddle, Cathy Lamb, Darius Battiwalla, Mélodie Michel, Alex Goldsmith, Callum Alger, Christian Cartwright and Tim Sagar. Each performance runs about 75 minutes with no interval, and the box office opens 90 minutes before the concert starts. If you want to keep the organ and the concerts going long-term, there's a supporters' club called 'Victoria Hall Organ Proms' that gives you a mailing list for £5 a year and priority season-ticket booking.

Tickets are £12, with concessions at £10.50, and that includes a hot drink and a programme. The box office takes card payments only. The hall is at Bagnall Street, Hanley, ST1 3AD.