Sting

Montreux Jazz Festival announces 60th Line-up with RAYE, Nick Cave, PinkPantheress, Deep Purple and more

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Montreux Jazz Festival has unveiled the line-up for its 60th edition, taking place on the Lake Geneva shoreline from 3 – 18 July 2026 with a celebratory programme that bridges generations, genres and continents, bringing together emerging artists with icons of contemporary pop culture and legends of jazz, rock and hip-hop. 
 
Among the headline artists announced are RAYE, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Deep Purple, The Roots, Sting, Lewis Capaldi, John Legend, Marcus Miller and James Taylor, joined by leading voices from today’s pop landscape including PinkPantheress, Tyla, Conan Gray, Lewis Capaldi and Zara Larsson. 
 
RAYE will open the 60th edition with a special performance, joined by a curated line-up of guests for an evening tailored specifically for the Festival, co-created by Audemars Piguet. The show will see the Auditorium Stravinski transformed into a completely new stage configuration – a first in the Festival’s history. Performing for the third consecutive year, RAYE follows in the footsteps of her heroes Nina Simone and Etta James, whose performances made a huge impression on her. The unique show follows the release of her Live at Montreux vinyl in 2024 and a continued rise to stardom marked by the success of “Where Is My Husband?” and her latest album, This Music May Contain Hope. 
 
Across the Auditorium Stravinski, the programme moves between generations and styles. A standout night on 11 July brings together The Isley Brothers, whose influence spans eight decades of rock, soul and funk, with The Roots, the genre-defining hip-hop collective. On 5 July, Aldous Harding shares a bill with Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, while 17 July pairs Loyle Carner with US funk outfit Vulfpeck. Elsewhere, Moby makes his Montreux debut, joining a bill that reflects the breadth of the Festival’s global outlook. 
 
From Johannesburg to Scandinavia, via the United States, the UK and Spain, the Stravinski Auditorium is set to become the epicentre of global pop. PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson, currently topping charts with “Stateside”, joined by amapiano Grammy Award winner Tyla, Scottish icon Lewis Capaldi and Conan Gray. 
 
Festival mainstays also return, including Deep Purple more than 30 years after their Montreux debut, friend of the Festival John Legend and Sting, a longstanding presence in the Festival’s history. Two legends of songwriting, Van Morrison and James Taylor, will bring the Festival’s 60th edition to a fitting conclusion. 
 
R&B and soul are strongly represented with the likes of GIVĒON, one of contemporary R&B’s defining voices, joined by Yebba, coming to the main stage after performing with Mark Ronson in 2023, alongside rising UK talent Sienna Spiro and Mercury Prize-nominated Joy Crookes, who makes her Festival debut. 
 
At the Montreux Jazz Lab, forward-thinking programming meets deep-rooted legacy. A cutting-edge electronic line-up on 5 July features Danny L Harle alongside the genre-defying ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U. Across two special evenings, the Lab becomes an intimate jazz club, with Charles Lloyd – who performed at the very first Montreux Jazz Festival in 1967 – returning for the 60th edition. He is joined by Marcus Miller, who reunites musicians from We Want Miles! in tribute to Miles Davis, alongside Billy Cobham and Gregory Porter. The Lab closes with French disco pioneer Cerrone and his orchestral Disco Symphonic project. 
 
The 2026 edition also marks a return to the Montreux Congress Centre, combining the Festival’s renowned acoustics and intimate setting with an expanded lakeside programme. 
 
Spanning jazz, soul, rock, pop, hip-hop and electronic music, Montreux Jazz Festival’s 60th edition celebrates six decades of musical history while continuing to spotlight the artists shaping its future. 
 
Tickets go on general sale on 1 April. To purchase and find out more, visit: https://www.montreuxjazzfestival.com/en/ 

Sting, Lulu, Olly Murs and more for Henley Festival 2012

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  • Sting will open the Festival on 4 July
  • Singing sensation Katherine Jenkins
  • Top 10 recording artist, acclaimed Opera singer and recently the star of Les Miserables Alfie Boe with guest musical funnyman Tim Minchin
  • Sixties-songstress, Lulu and The London Community Gospel Choir
  • X-Factor finalist Olly Murs will close the Festival on 8 July.

The Henley Festival is the UK’s most glamorous summer party; five magical nights on the banks of the River Thames in the beautiful Oxfordshire countryside. Tickets go on sale to the public from 15 March or you can beat the wait and become a Friend of the Henley Festival to get your tickets in advance. Tickets can be purchased at www.henley-festival.co.uk, or from the Festival box office: 01491 843404
Tickets priced from £35 per day. All Festival profits go to local charities [details below].

This year the Festival is celebrating 30 years at the heart of the English summer season and has announced a line up like never before.

Composer, singer, author, actor, activist – Sting was born in Newcastle, England before moving to London in 1977 to form The Police with Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers. The band released five albums, earned six Grammy awards, and in 2003 was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Since 1985, Sting has released 13 solo albums. To commemorate the 25th anniversary of his solo career, 25 Years, the definitive box set collection, was recently released. The Best Of 25 Years is also available as a double disc. Sting has sold nearly 100 million albums from his combined work with the Police and as a solo artist and has earned an additional 10 Grammy awards, a Golden Globe, an Emmy, and three Oscar nominations. This summer, Sting will perform many of his most celebrated hits at the Henley Festival on July 4, 2012.

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Aside from the headline acts, black tie revellers will enjoy candlelit dining at award winning chefs Albert and Michel Roux Jr’s riverside restaurant or have a more relaxed bite at one of the Festival’s six other restaurants. Along the riverbank world-class acts [full details below] from the worlds of jazz, opera, pop, theatre, comedy, cabaret and literature entertain while pop-up art boutiques and sculpture lawns bring major galleries and artists to the Festival – a unique ‘collectors’ concierge’ provides advice and introductions to those looking to buy.

The headline acts are closed each night by a dazzling firework display before partygoers dance into the night at the Festival’s resident nightclub.

Henley-on-Thames is 60 minutes from London by train, (or 10 minutes by helicopter to the Festival’s helipad). Many guests choose to make a weekend of it and stay in one of the many five star hotels in Henley or nearby [more details below].

Henley Festival 2012 acts:

Cabaret and performance:
Among the stand-up comedy acts on offer are Have I got News for you! regular Dr Phil Hammond,Fascinating Aïda star Sarah-Louise Young, and charismatic Canadian comedic Craig Campbell.

The Festival’s signature cabaret acts, The Roving Company of Eccentrica, will amuse, entertain, surprise and shock guests with their unique brand of street performances, spread throughout the Festival’s grounds.

World-class dining:
Revellers enjoy candlelit summer nights dining at Albert and Michelin Starred Michel Roux Jr’sFestival riverside Roux restaurant, try the Terrace Restaurant or Café du Soir, (no booking required) – or have a more relaxed bite to eat at one of the Festival’s street-food concessions.

FEAST! Contemporary arts programme
Pop up art boutiques and sculpture lawns bring major galleries and artists to the Festival and a ‘collectors concierge’ provides advice and introductions to those looking to buy. The Festival’s Visual Arts Programme includes FEAST! – an exceptional range of selling exhibitions – including the Festival’s famous Sculpture gardens – that showcases major international established artists and emerging talent.

2012 highlights include:

  • The serious surrealism of Alexander Vorobyev
  • Abstract contemporary art by Jeffrey Kroll and Nicolas Ruston
  • The Festival’s annual sculpture garden featuring the work of British sculptor Roland Piche and Auguste Rodin’s iconic masterpiece The Thinker.
  • “Carbon Art” specialist Alastair Gibson
  • Aboriginal Art from Australia
  • Body painted optical illusions created live by Kiwi artist Emma Hack

All profits to charity
The Henley Festival is a not for profit organisation. All profits raised go to local and national charities across the Thames Valley. This includes creating and funding the Henley Festival Orchestra which provides over 80 young people with a musical instrument, tuition and performance opportunities throughout the year. The Henley Festival Orchestra also enjoys the opportunity to work with outstanding international performers including Nigel Kennedy and Jon Lord. 
Find out more here: http://bit.ly/Avqze2

Stewart Collins, Henley Festival Artistic Director said: “To celebrate the Festival’s landmark birthday we’ve really pulled out all the stops. This year’s programme promises to be one of our most sensational to date – after all, 30 years is an achievement for any event and we wanted to see our guests celebrate in style. The Henley Festival is renowned for leaving our guests with magical memories and this will be an unmissable year for regulars and newcomers alike.’

The Henley Festival is sponsored by Invesco Perpetual, Westcoast, Lavazza Coffee, Goodhead and Courtiers, the Festival showcases some of the best loved artists and performers from the classical, jazz and contemporary music world, as well as talent drawn from the global cultural scene, from sculpture and street theatre acts to poetry and art.