The 50th edition of the UK's most important early music festival, held at the National Centre for Early Music in York.
The York Early Music Festival returns to the National Centre for Early Music from 3 to 11 July, and this year it's a big one: the 2026 edition marks the festival's 50th anniversary. It's the UK's biggest early music festival, run by the NCEM, and it's been around since 1977, so half a century of early music in York is a fair thing to celebrate.
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The programme opens on 3 July with Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610, performed by I Fagiolini, and closes on 11 July with Bruhn's St Mark's Passion, played by Solomon's Knot. In between, you'll find The Sixteen, B'Rock Orchestra & Vocal Consort, and Imago Mundi. There are a couple of themed days worth noting: Monday 6 July is Dowland Day, marking the 400th anniversary of John Dowland, and there's a day dedicated to French air de cour with tenor Paul Agnew, mezzosoprano Helen Charlston, and lutenist Sergio Bucheli.
It's a ticketed event, and booking opened in stages back in February: 18 February for NCEM Patrons, 20 February for Friends of the Festival, and 23 February for general sale. If you're planning to go, it's worth checking the full programme on the NCEM website to see which days work for you, as the festival runs across the whole nine days from the 3rd to the 11th.
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