About Us

Dorchester Festival was started in 2005 following a major restoration of Dorchester Abbey.
It was initially a way of encouraging new people into the building and showing the potential of the Abbey as a venue for booking a variety of events.
Over the years it has become a major community event, offering opportunities to members of the community to perform and create and also to experience big professional arts events that would not normally be available on their doorstep in rural South Oxfordshire
It is entirely run by volunteers who take roles organising events, taking tickets or simply pouring tea!
We share our profits equally between Dorchester Abbey and a different local charity every time.

Join Our Mailing List

We’d love to keep in touch with you!

Add your details to our mailing list and we’ll give you a nudge just before discounts run out and if there are last minute additions to our programme.
We promise not to share your details with anyone else.

Become a Festival Friend

If you enjoy Dorchester Festival do become a Friend!

Friend membership is a charitable donation which supports the Dorchester Festival

Becoming a Friend costs just £45 and helps us to put on more exciting events, work with schools and support young artists.
For your Friendship you get

  • priority booking privileges on our amazing programme from 3rd February – 2 weeks before all non-Friends (you can book up to 4 tickets for the Friends area for each event)
  • a Friends section at the front of every seated event (front section prices only) so you are guaranteed a great seat!
  • 4 drinks tickets which can be used at any bar or exchanged for tea and a piece of cake at the daytime events
  • a warm glow, knowing that you have supported such a fabulous community exercise!

Becoming a Festival Friend couldn’t be easier! All you need to do is click on the button below. Your box office access information will then be emailed to you and your drinks tokens posted to your address with our thanks. Please use the name and email address that you will be using to order tickets.

Booking

Ticket sales are handled by TicketSource. They can be bought on the internet 24 hours a day with a 6% booking fee if you print an eTicket at home. For an additional 50p you can choose to receive a mobile ticket or postal tickets for an additional £1.80.
TicketSource offers a Telephone Box Office Service on 0333 666 3366 Monday – Friday 9am – 7pm and Saturday 9am-5pm
Tickets can be sent out up until 3 days prior to an event. After this time, you can choose to receive your tickets by e-ticket or mobile phone text message. Online booking is available until midnight the day before the event start time. After this time any remaining tickets will be available on the door.
Disabled parking and accessible seating can be booked either with your ticket or using the forms here on the website.
General enquiries can be made direct to the Festival office at festival@dorchester-abbey.org.uk

Tickets are not refundable unless the event sells out. If you find that you can’t use your tickets contact the Festival direct (festival@dorchester-abbey.org.uk) and we will try to re-sell them online or on the door (at your risk) once the event has sold out and then send you the value of your tickets less the booking fee and postage
We will exchange tickets for other events of the same or higher value if it is over 48hrs before both events and it is possible to do so.
Ticketsource offer refund protection – you can find out more about it here

Occasionally, events are cancelled or postponed due to circumstances beyond our control.  If an event is cancelled we’ll make every effort to ensure you receive a prompt refund of the ticket price. Where the event is moved or rescheduled, the tickets will be honoured for the rescheduled date.  Booking fees & postal charges are not refundable.

Tickets can be collected before the performance, typically 30 minutes prior when the doors open. Please remember to bring a printed copy of your receipt (which was emailed to you at time of booking) when picking up tickets from the Box Office.

Ticketsource accepts most major credit cards through the online booking facility.  We also accept payment by cheque payable to Dorchester Festival, which you must post to us in order to confirm your booking.  All transactions must be in Pounds Sterling
If you wish to contact us please write to us at
73 High St
Dorchester on Thames
Oxon
OX10 7HN

Box Office Timetable

Our planned box office schedule is as below, but there can always be last minute complications!  The best way to get up to date information is to join our mailing list!

  • 3rd February – box office opens for Festival Friends (find out how to join here)
  • 17th February – box office opens for all with a 10% early bird discount
  • 2nd March – tickets on sale at full price.