Guest Blog: Lichfield Festival: Celebrating arts, culture and community
This month’s guest blog comes from Helen Wiser, Chair of the Lichfield Festival, one of Staffordshire’s most celebrated cultural events.
Helen shares what makes the festival so special, from its roots in classical music to its evolution into a vibrant, multi-arts celebration that draws thousands of visitors each year. She also highlights the Festival’s vital role in supporting local communities, nurturing young talent, and strengthening the region’s cultural and economic life.
Lichfield has been dubbed the city of Festivals – so what’s so special about this one?
Lichfield Festival, a registered charity, was founded by the Dean of Lichfield in 1981 predominantly as a classical music festival centred around the Cathedral, but over the past 45 years it has morphed into Staffordshire’s biggest celebration of arts and culture. As well as the flagship 13-day summer Festival, we have a Literature Festival in the spring, a Chamber Music Festival in the autumn and ad hoc festive concerts come the winter.
The 2026 Summer Festival, which opens on 7th July with an open-air performance of Othello on the West Lawn of Lichfield Cathedral, has an unrivalled mix of music of all kinds, comedy, dance, literature, drama and family events attracting thousands of visitors and re-affirming Lichfield Festival as a major player in the Arts sector.
In the Cathedral you can hear Kate Rusby, Jess Gillam, Ex-Cathedra, Ballet Cymru, Rumer and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales whilst Simon Evans, Kasai Masai, The Heath String Quartet and James Pearson, the Artistic Director of Ronnie Scott’s Club, are all playing at the Hub at St Mary’s. However, this is just a snapshot. You can view all 62 events, at 8 venues across the city at http://www.lichfieldfestival.org
Alongside ticketed events, Aspire! our year-round Learning & Participation (L & P) programme works with schools, businesses and local community groups on a wide range of imaginative and inspirational projects expanding cultural engagement across the region.
Lichfield Festival brings people together and nurtures the next generation
Music and the creative arts build social cohesion – breaking down barriers, bridging cultural and economic divides and bringing communities together to enjoy the good things in life.
But engaging in arts and culture has also been shown to improve mental health and well-being. Pythagoras wrote of the healing balm of music two and half thousand years ago and there’s no doubt that immersing yourself in music is a potent antidote to stress, feeding your soul and giving life a new perspective.
Research shows that learning a musical instrument as a child or adolescent strengthens emotional resilience, improves cognitive ability and increases self-confidence. We are therefore delighted that our Music in Schools initiative, started in September 2024 with support from Entrust Music Services, now offers 300 primary school children free, instrumental music lessons and performance opportunities throughout the academic year.
Other elements of our L & P programme include Young Creatives which provides mentoring, workshops and behind-the-scenes experience for 16–24-year-olds and Young Critics a platform for aspiring writers. In addition this year, Hidden Depths, based on an exhibition in Lichfield Cathedral running throughout the Festival, is a major, two-year intergenerational community project, which sets out to defy stereotypical views of ageing.
A boost to the visitor economy and quality of life in Lichfield
As well as a devoted, regular audience, Lichfield Festival brings thousands of new visitors to Lichfield every year generating income for local businesses and reaffirming the city as a major cultural centre.
Establishing a vibrant, cultural scene enhances quality of life for residents boosting Lichfield’s ranking as a highly desirable place to live and work. This in turn brings inward investment with new businesses keen to capitalise on attracting and retaining a happy workforce.
The Festival also offers the people of Lichfield an opportunity to become involved and participate on many different levels. Last year the Festival team delivered 96 stunning, live performances over 21 days at 11 venues with assistance from a well-trained army of 106 volunteers working 1,153 hours. Ticket sales increased by 12.5% and 643 tickets were donated to good causes.
Investing in Arts & Culture in Staffordshire
Staffordshire has long been a mecca for arts. culture and innovation.
Samuel Johnson, arguably the greatest literary figure of the 18th-century was born in Lichfield as was the actor, playwright and director David Garrick and the poet Anna Seward.
The polymath Erasmus Darwin lived in Lichfield and was a founding member of The Lunar Society, a powerhouse of innovation and creativity. Josiah Wedgwood, his good friend and another prominent member of the “lunaticks” together with Josiah Spode and Thomas Minton made Stoke-on-Trent the capital of the British ceramic industry.
Staffordshire’s rich heritage of art, culture and creativity, raises awareness of the county, boosts the visitor economy and provides inspiration for future generations. We need to ensure that legacy continues.
Now in its 44th year, Lichfield Festival is a highly respected arts organisation curating high-quality, live performance alongside an extensive L & P programme. However, to deliver joy and inspiration on this scale, we are dependent on the support and goodwill of many stakeholders including corporate sponsors, individual donors, public funding bodies and, the bedrock of support, Lichfield Festival Friends.
They have all recognised the many and various benefits of music and the creative arts for the individual, the community, local business and society.
If you would like to work with us to ensure arts and culture remain firmly embedded in Staffordshire’s DNA, we would love to hear from you.
We are keen to build partnerships that align with your aims and objectives – whether this be strengthening community engagement, employee involvement, increasing brand awareness or just good old-fashioned philanthropy.
In the meantime, don’t miss out. The Lichfield Festival runs from 7th – 19th July – come and be part of it. www.lichfieldfestival.org
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