Whether you’re a seasoned aficionado or a stylish first-timer, here’s your guide to doing Glyndebourne in 2025 with aplomb.
What To See: The Season’s Standout Performances
This year’s programme, running from May through to August, is a triumphant mix of the familiar and the bold. Long-standing favourites share the stage with lesser-known masterpieces, each delivered with Glyndebourne’s signature theatrical flair and technical precision.
Highlights include a Mariame Clément-directed, Riccardo Minasi-conducted Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro which, in Glyndebourne’s own words, is Mozart’s ‘sexiest opera’. Janá?ek’s Ká?a Kabanová, meanwhile, will be sung in Czech and subtitled in English – but the rawness of this passionate story will come through in any language. Verdi’s Falstaff, on the other hand, is transposed to 1940s England, a ‘Shakespeare-meets-Ealing-comedy production’ which ‘combines humour with music that bursts with energy’.
What To Wear: Dress Codes and Dramatic Flair
Glyndebourne is no place for underdressing – yet there’s an art to looking appropriately elegant without veering into wedding-guest territory. Think effortless sophistication with a splash of drama – opera chic, not Ascot overload. Mid- or floor-length frocks (the more romantic the swish, the better). A well-cut jacket is your friend when the sun dips – and flats are fine – stilettos, not so much. You will be walking on grass, after all.
(For men, a dark suit or tux, depending on the night. Black tie is a strong yes for the Festival season. Shoes should be polished shoes while pocket squares add polish. And as for accessories, a straw hat or a heritage brooch will always be winners.)
