Struggling to find great opera, in a canopied open-air auditorium, nestled away in one of London’s most picturesque parks?
Well, it’s not all over until the fat lady sings…
…at Opera Holland Park.
Don’t get us wrong, sometimes dressing up fancy to sip Champagne in the comfort of a red velvet armchair, under a dome of starry gold, is exactly what life calls for. However, other times, you’re after something a little more… relaxed.
Exclusively running for three months during the summer (this year from 28th May – 10th August), Opera Holland Park offers you the chance to not only watch world-class opera in a (covered) open-air theatre, wrapped in the warmth of a balmy summer’s eve – but you can arrive in your pyjamas if you’d like.
Ali Wright
As for the programming, you’ll find everything from well-known classics to the slightly more obscure, performed both by long-standing opera greats, as well as exciting, new emerging stars – plus a bit of ballet thrown in for good measure.
Still to come this season is:
26th-29th June: The rising stars of the Royal Ballet School perform excerpts from Petipa’s Paquita, as well as Frederick Ashton’s La Valse and the pas de deux from Rhapsody.
2nd-6th July: Catch semi-staged performances of Puccini’s early romance Edgar, set in Medieval Flanders as a knight tries to choose between two fair maidens.
19th July – 2nd August: Witness the tragic love story of Acis and Galatea, the most-performed piece during the composer Handel’s lifetime.
17th July – 3rd August: A revival of Opera Holland Park’s 5* production of Il Segreto di Susanna, double billed with Pagliacci – which involves affairs, murder, and clowns.
18th – 21st July: A series of events in honour of the legendary soprano Dame Kiri Te Kanawa’s 80th birthday, including recitals, masterclasses and concerts with rising stars supported by her foundation.
7-10th August: Classic Gilbert & Sullivan jollity comes to the park with The Yeomen of the Guard, a Shakespearean escapade involving misunderstandings and ‘reluctant marriage proposals’.
Finally, for anyone who just wants to dip their toes into opera, every other Friday OHP hosts Songs On The Steps, where some of the best singers for the season come and serenade you for a full forty minutes. For free.
You can keep your money, these guys have got all the notes they need.
NOTE: Opera Holland Park’s 2024 season is running 28th May – 10th August. For more information or to book, visit their website here.
Opera Holland Park Theatre, Ilchester Place, London, W8 6LU
Feeling peckish? Take a look at our guide to the best restaurants in Notting Hill.