Swing from Paris is a quartet comprising violin (Fenner Curtis), guitars (Andy Bowen and Sam Hughes) and double bass (Tomasz Williams), inspired by the great swing bands of the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s such as Benny Goodman, Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt, Stéphane Grappelli and the Hot Club of France. Their Parisian-flavoured jazz and gypsy swing has been delighting audiences for over 15 years: from major jazz festivals including Brecon, Cheltenham and the Django Reinhardt Festival at Samois sur Seine, to being seen on the BBC’s Hairy Bikers.

Tiny & Tall Productions, formerly Tessa Bide Productions, brings you Julia Donaldson and Sara Ogilvie's well-loved story, The Detective Dog on stage for Deaf and hearing family audiences. Whether its finding a lost shoe or discovering who did a poo on the new gravel path, Nells ever-sniffing nose is always hard at work. So when the books at the school have disappeared one morning, Detective Dog Nell is ready to sniff out the culprit! With British Sign Language, creative captions and spoken English, this engaging production celebrates books and the magic of reading in an inclusive and accessible performance. Expect captivating puppetry; surprising smells and toe-tapping music. Suitable for ages 3-103. Supported by Arts Council England. This dramatisation of The Detective Dog is based on the picture book The Detective Dog Julia Donaldson and Sara Ogilvie 2016, published by Macmillan Childrens Books.

From the creator of The Bubble Show comes a dazzling new adventure full of bubble artistry and visual magic! Journey through the awe-inspiring legends of Bubbleland, as they are brought to life in a breathtaking theatrical experience made of soap and water. Watch as the master of bubbles breathes life into: light, water, plants, animals, stars, and even the essence of human nature itself - in a celebration of creation! This magical production is a feast for the senses, featuring fire effects, poetic puppetry light-displays, majestic music, and brand-new bubble masterpieces never seen before. Whether you’re discovering bubble theatre for the first time or returning for more, this show promises a fresh and unforgettable delight for all ages. Don't miss this mesmerizing family spectacle that will leave you spellbound. Book your tickets today and enter an enchanted realm where dreams do come true - through the wonder and Joy of bubbles!

Step right up and kick off Fringe season in spectacular style at our Fringe Festival Launch Variety Show - a night of glamour, glitter, and jaw-dropping talent! Guiding you through the chaos and charisma is the sensational Latina Ballroom, your dazzling drag queen host serving looks, laughs and larger-than-life energy. Expect an electrifying mix of cabaret, live music and magic, as an all-star lineup takes to the stage for one unforgettable evening. From London’s sultry burlesque star Miss Cocoa Amore, to the high-energy, hula circus brilliance of Rafity Love (all the way from Stroud), the stage will shimmer with bold, boundary-pushing performance. Prepare to question reality with the darkly spellbinding illusions of occult magician Dave Alnwick, and let your spirit soar with the rich harmonies of the Cheltones Choir. All this and more, promises to kick off our third annual Fringe Festival like never before! It’s fierce. It’s fabulous. It’s full-throttle Fringe. Join us as we raise the curtain on this year’s festival with a riotous celebration of creativity, community and pure entertainment. Dress to impress, bring your loudest cheer, and get ready for a launch night you won’t forget. ★ Suitable for ages 18+

Welcome to Howlers at the Playhouse, the home of great comedy in Cheltenham! Every month at Howlers, we bring you the very best in stand-up with top notch line-ups from the UK and beyond! Fringe Special - Tom Toal MC's an exciting lineup from Vlad Ilich, Julian Deane and the legendary Jeff Innocent At Howlers, we are serious about our comedy. With some of the brightest new talent appearing on stage alongside some of the biggest names on the stand-up circuit, Howlers at the Playhouse is fast becoming one of the biggest nights out on the Cheltenham social calendar. Doors open at 7:15pm and the showtime is 8pm to 10pm approximately.

Steve Ashley is one of British folk’s finest singer-songwriters. His songs have been covered by Fairport Convention, Ralph McTell & Wizz Jones, Show of Hands, Anne Briggs, Martin Simpson and many others. With this special home town concert Steve celebrates 80 years of life and 60 years of songwriting. His award-winning debut album, Stroll On (1974) is a folk-rock classic and he’s Since released 13 critically acclaimed albums. As a live performer, he’s a consummate entertainer and has what America’s Variety magazine has called ‘one of the funniest dry stage raps’. He’s toured throughout the UK Europe and the USA and appeared on the main stage at Glastonbury, Cambridge Folk Festival and many times at Fairport’s Cropredy Convention. If you like songs that are edgy Challenging and compassionate - and sometimes very funny - then Don't Miss this Performance. “One of the finest singer-songwriters in Britain, if not the entire English Speaking world,” Melody Maker “He’s one of the British folk scene’s finest singer-songwriters.” Mike Harding

Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family - a man her parents have never met. And if that wasn’t upsetting enough, Wednesday confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. Now, Gomez Addams must do something he’s never done before - keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia. Everything will change for the whole family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday’s “normal” boyfriend and his parents.

The Bowie Band performs favourite songs from David Bowie, celebrating his legacy and live experience. The Bowie Band, featuring incredible musicians from The Album Project, UK Pink Floyd Experience and Johnny Clash, is fronted by Leo Live, who grew up in the same area of the UK where Bowie originated. They have researched David Bowie’s live material and lovingly curated live sets from the hits and live favourites of all his best performances and there are always costume ch-ch-ch-ch-changes in their performances. Audience members are encouraged to participate in the celebration by dressing up/‘glamming up’ for the shows! Featuring an incredible 8-piece band performing Bowie’s hits and live favourites across his classic albums: Space Oddity, Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, Hunky Dory, Diamond Dogs, The Man Who Sold The World, Heroes, Station To Station, Let’s Dance, and more...

Tom Moriarty will be premiering his stunning new album "Chapters" which is already being talked about as a classic song writing album. It features the new singles "She's Like The River" and "On The Road Again". Tom Moriarty is an acclaimed English blues-rock singer-songwriter. With a voice that is somewhere between the soul of Ray Lamontagne and the rage of Eddie Vedder he has gathered plaudits from both the music press and fellow artists including folk rock royalty David Crosby who commented, “Real fine...made a great record. Hope we meet somewhere sometime.” His songwriting has drawn much praise as one reviewer commented, “With a sound recalling Ray Lamontagne and Springsteen his songwriting more than stands up to peers past and present.” He has released 3 studio albums and 1 live album. In June 2026 will be releasing a new album “Chapters” which marks a shift to a more rock oriented sound with the addition of his electric guitar playing skills honed at the famous Musician’s Institute in LA. “Beautiful man...real fine...made a great record” David Crosby "A performer of rare talent. ★★★★" UK Press Association "A magnificent voice" BBC Radio 2 “For fans of Ben Harper, Ray Lamontagne and Van Morrison. “★★★★” Guitarist Magazine "Great song that"BBC Radio 2 "Finely crafted songs.★★★★" Maverick “Well worth checking out. ★★★★” The Irish News

Jess and Miriam of the Seas the Day Ocean Rowing Team will share her extraordinary story of spending five and a half months at sea on a 9.5 metre boat, rowing 8,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean from Peru to Australia. This expedition earned multiple world records along the way including the first female team to row the Pacific Ocean non-stop and unsupported. Their journey was far from straightforward: early setbacks forced them to restart the expedition and even the second attempt brought serious challenges that tested their endurance, problem-solving and creativity. Throughout the voyage, they faced the relentless realities of life at sea - limited space, equipment failures, and isolation - but also experienced unforgettable highs: incredible wildlife, stunning sunrises and the vast, ever-changing beauty of the open ocean. The talk offers a down-to-earth account of resilience, teamwork and determination, showing how courage and ingenuity can help overcome one of the world’s toughest and most remote challenges.

Fronted by Sting look and sound-a-like Owen James and his band ‘The Rozzers’, ‘A Tribute to Sting & The Police’ is the most authentic Sting tribute in Europe. The band have performed all over the world for several years and now embark on their biggest ever UK tour. The Police were arguably the biggest band on the planet between 1977 and 1983, achieving 5 number one hits on both sides of the Atlantic. Sting then went on to be one of most acclaimed solo songwriters of his Generation. From Roxanne and Every Breath You Take to Fields of Gold and Englishman in New York, all the hits are reproduced with stunning Authenticity and vocal accuracy. “Sounds more like Sting than Sting!” “The best live band I’ve ever seen” “The number one tribute show in the UK by far”

“The ZOOTS are impossible not to like” - The StageExperience THE Sixties show that's wowing audiences around the world, selling out and headlining venues from the Palladium to Old Trafford - with the spectacular Sounds of the 60s THE ZOOTS are here to make your whole family bop to the '60s beats that everybody loves - with legendary music by The Beatles, The Stones, The Monkees, The Beach Boys,The Kinks, The Searchers, The Small Faces, The Who, The Drifters, The Isley Brothers,The Four Seasons, Neil Diamond, Elvis and 60 something songs from your favourite 60s artists.Feel the groove that's thrilling audiences of stage and screen, in more than 30 countries! Discover why national critics call THE ZOOTS "impressive", "authentic", & "impossible not to like"!https://vimeo.com/thezoots/1960s

University of Gloucestershire Performing Arts students present a musical adaptation of Charles Kingsley’s seminal Victorian children’s novel, full of watery wonder!

University of Gloucestershire Drama and Performance Practice students present their final performance, devised and created by the cast with Karen Benjamin.

Welcome to Howlers at the Playhouse, the home of great comedy in Cheltenham! Every month at Howlers, we bring you the very best in stand-up with top notch line-ups from the UK and beyond! This month, Cerys Nelmes MC, Stephen Grant plus 2 acts TBC completes the line up for the June Club Show. At Howlers, we are serious about our comedy. With some of the brightest new talent appearing on stage alongside some of the biggest names on the stand-up circuit, Howlers at the Playhouse is fast becoming one of the biggest nights out on the Cheltenham social calendar.

This play is set in the very near future. Then 7 years after that. Then 75 years after that. Armageddon has come and gone. The world is in ruins. And there's nothing left for the survivors to do but remember the glory days - pop songs, commercials, and a beloved primetime animated sitcom. Seven days after the end, seven years after the end, and seventy-five years after the end, there is only Mr. Burns, a post-electric play - Anne Washburn's bold, mold-breaking and utterly frenetic piece. Witness the headlong collision of low art and high stakes in the ruins of civilisation as a rag-tag group of dropouts and weirdos rally and try to keep the spirit of the 20th Century alive. With an eclectic soundtrack mixing chart hits, Gilbert and Sullivan, and who knows what else, Mr. Burns promises to hurl you to the limits of reality, the limits of metafiction, and the limits of good taste like a plastic bag caught in an updraft. Music by Michael Friedman and lyrics by Anne Washburn. Directed by R.D. Olivaw and Louis Maxted.

100 Years in Full Swing! Experience the raw power and enduring elegance of a century of swing in one unforgettable night. This isn’t just a concert; it’s history in motion. From the smoky clubs of the Roaring Twenties to the high-octane energy of the modern festival stage, the Big Band sound hasn’t just survived - it has soared. The Jay Cee Big Band invites you on a thunderous journey through a musical revolution. We begin where the spark first caught fire, with the sophisticated foundations of Fletcher Henderson and the unmistakable swing of Benny Goodman. Moving into the ’30s and ’40s, the band brings to life the era when Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Glenn Miller were the undisputed pop stars of their day, turning jazz into a true “wall of sound.” As the music evolves, Quincy Jones infuses the tradition with cinematic soul paving the way for modern masters like Gordon Goodwin to bring a polished funk-driven edge to the stage.

Following a week of shows, events and workshops, Cheltenham Fringe Festival will be hosting its closing event on 30th May. We will be celebrating the highs and lows of the week with a fantastic line-up of live music as we partner with ‘THE SCENE: LIVE’ and no less than FIVE bands to get the party started. Brought together by Madava Entertainment, Rhythms Revealed and Reign, join the leading names of the Cheltenham music scene as we bring THE SCENE CD to life. The night includes stalls by local companies and business’ all for a good cause, hosted by Smxs and Rhythms Revolved, as the local legends take the biggest stage yet, including: - Prodigal - Toast - Lickshot - Nostalgia Bias - Chug

Daniel was determined to handle his Big Breakup with the grace of Julia Roberts. He didn’t. Join him as he navigates dating in your 30s, Le Creuset addiction and 12-step skincare routines, all while trying very hard to emanate love and light. Described by Rolling Stone as ‘utterly hilarious and effortlessly charismatic’, award-winning stand-up Daniel is best known for his viral comedy videos, which are enjoyed by millions of women and gays online. His critically-acclaimed debut show Villain toured internationally, including a sell-out run at New York’s SoHo Playhouse and London’s legendary Clapham Grand. He co-hosts the podcast Welcome To Hell with fellow comic Dane Buckley, which debuted in Apple and Spotify’s Top 10 comedy charts, and he is the author of the hit book Bedtime Stories for Privileged Children.