History of the Festival

The Grantham Music Festival in its current form was started in 1963, initially as a one-off event. It has been held annually since then and the 2012 Festival had the special status of being the 50th Festival. The 1963 Festival was not, in fact, the first Grantham Music Festival to be held but represented the re-institution of something that had been discontinued many years before.

The Festival has enjoyed a long and well-deserved reputation as being one of the cultural mainstays of the town and surrounding region. Many performers have gone on to enjoy successful careers as professional musicians and even some of those who have been less well known as musicians in later life have made their mark nationally and even beyond!

The Festival has faced many challenges, particularly over recent years, but has managed to survive and flourish and continues to demonstrate Grantham's rich musical talent.