The Reigate and Redhill Music and Drama Festival takes place for nearly two weeks every May, in several venues across Reigate and Redhill. We offer amateur musicians and actors the chance to perform to a supportive and appreciative audience, and to be offered encouragement and inspiration by a team of professional adjudicators.

There is a competitive element to the Festival, but we like to see it as a celebration of music-making and acting. We offer a supportive platform for children and other amateur performers to sing, play, act and recite, and although some performers will win cups and other prizes, the emphasis is very much on enjoyment.

A short while after the end of the Festival, we hold a concert at the Harlequin Theatre in Redhill. Performers are chosen by our Chairman, in conjunction with the adjudicators, to take part in the concert. Sometimes they are class winners and sometimes they are chosen for other reasons, but they are always inspiring and the audience is always appreciative.

We aim to promote the Performing Arts in our area and sometimes hold taster sessions, masterclasses and concerts run by other organisations.

Our History

The Reigate and Redhill Music and Drama Festival started life in March 1926 as the Reigate, Redhill and District Musical Competition Festival. The Festival took place over the course of just one day, a Saturday, with competitive sessions in the morning and afternoon and a prize-giving and concert in the evening. One of the vice-presidents was a certain Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Our Festival has moved on considerably since those early days, nearly a century ago. For some years now, it has lasted for nearly two weeks and there have been classes for the full range of instruments, as well as a large and thriving Speech and Drama section.