When is the best time to bring a music group to England?

England works all year. Spring and early summer bring long evenings and festival season, from the Brighton Fringe in May to London Band Week in late June. Autumn is quieter and better value, and December brings carol services in churches and cathedrals across the country.

Do visitors need an ETA to travel to England?

Most do. Most visitors who don't need a visa for the UK, including US and Canadian citizens, must have an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before they travel. British and Irish citizens don't need one. Every traveller, including children, applies online, so build it into your planning early.

How much does a music tour of England cost?

Every tour is costed individually, and four things make the biggest difference. Group size matters most: shared costs such as coaches and guides are spread across everyone, and groups of around 30 or more usually share them well. Where you stay matters too, as London costs more than most of England, so many groups balance a few nights in the capital with a stay elsewhere. Hotel standard and the number of nights make up the rest. Tell us about your group and we will put together a quote.

Can a tour combine England with Scotland, Wales or Ireland?

Yes, and many do. York and the north of England are a natural stop on the way to Edinburgh, Cardiff is about two hours from London by train, and Dublin is a short flight away. We plan the whole route as one tour.

Can we bring our own instruments, or hire them in England?

Both. Most groups bring their own wind, string and smaller instruments, and we hire percussion and large instruments locally, so your group can travel light.

How much of England can we see in one tour?

England rewards time. London alone is a destination in its own right and can easily fill four or five nights, with day trips to places such as Canterbury, Oxford and Windsor. Most groups get the best tour by pairing London with one other region and giving each the time it deserves. That leaves room to perform at your best, get over the flight and really take in where you are. We'll help you shape a route around your music and your must-sees.

What kind of venues can we perform in?

Cathedrals and historic churches, concert halls, conservatoires and royal and historic settings, depending on your ensemble and repertoire. We judge every venue as musicians, so a resonant cathedral goes to a choir that will sound glorious in it, not a band it would swallow. The best-known cathedrals book up years ahead and can never be guaranteed, so we always line up strong alternatives.

Destinations · England

Music tours in England

Sing and play in cathedrals with centuries of choral music, perform amid the pomp and ceremony England does like nowhere else, and share the stage with its bands and choirs.

Start planning your tour

Why England suits touring ensembles

England has one of the richest musical traditions in the world. Its cathedrals have sung choral services for centuries, the marching and concert band grew out of its military band tradition, and its brass bands are still thriving. Add the pomp and ceremony of royal England, and few countries give a touring ensemble more to connect with.

England rewards a focused tour. London is a destination in its own right and can fill four or five nights, with day trips beyond. Pair it with one other region and your group has time to perform well, get over the flight and take it all in.

We build each itinerary around your repertoire and the audiences you want to reach, pairing a London concert with a cathedral performance or an exchange with a local band, so every day of the tour has a musical purpose.

Pomp and ceremony

Royal pageantry, military parades and ceremony unmatched anywhere in the Western world.

Cathedral choral tradition

Choral services sung for centuries, from Westminster Abbey to Canterbury Cathedral.

Military and brass bands

The tradition the marching and concert band grew from, and a brass band scene still thriving today.

Orchestral history

Handel wrote his Water Music for a king on the Thames, and Mozart played London as a child.

Where to perform in England

From cathedrals to conservatoires, England has a stage for every kind of ensemble. We judge each one as musicians: whether your percussion will fit, and whether a cathedral acoustic will flatter your choir or swallow your band.

St Paul's Cathedral seen from the Millennium Bridge in London

Cathedrals and churches

Lunchtime concerts in spaces such as St Paul's Church, Covent Garden, and the chapel of the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich.

Waterfront buildings in Greater Manchester at sunset

Concert halls

Professional halls such as Kings Place and Sinfonia Smith Square in London, and The Stoller Hall in Manchester.

York Minster rising above the city walls and gardens in York

Conservatoires

Perform and take workshops where England trains its next generation of musicians, such as the Royal Northern College of Music.

The Radcliffe Camera and college spires in Oxford

Royal and historic settings

Outdoor performances that feel like an occasion, such as marching in the grounds of Hampton Court Palace.

Brass players performing together in a band

String players performing in concert, the kind of local ensemble a band meets on a cultural exchange

Choir singing in a church, the kind of local group a band meets on a cultural exchange

Share the stage with English musicians

England's bands and choirs make generous hosts, and an exchange is often what students remember most. Our network is strongest with brass and concert bands, and we have good friends among England's choirs.

Hosting a visiting group is real work, so we keep it light for your hosts, make it worth their while and protect time in the schedule for the exchange itself.

Our links with British military music have opened doors that are rarely open to visiting groups, including workshops with military musicians. These depend on timing and availability, but when the fit is right, we ask.

Ways to take part

Band and choir exchanges · Choral evensong · Workshops · Folk sessions and ceilidhs

Between the concerts

England's history is everywhere, and so much of it is musical. We plan sightseeing around your performances, so your group arrives at every concert fresh.

Tower Bridge over the River Thames in London on a sunny day

Royal and ceremonial London

Westminster, the Tower of London and the Changing of the Guard, with a West End show to finish the day.

Fells reflected in a still lake in the Lake District, Cumbria

Day trips from London

Canterbury, Oxford, Cambridge and Windsor are all an easy day out, with no need to change hotels.

The Georgian sweep of the Royal Crescent in Bath

Beyond London

Roman Bath, medieval York and the Lake District, for groups pairing London with one other region.

Collage of Upbeat co-founders Keith Kelly and Gabby on their travels, at castles, historic sites, coastlines and concerts

Planned by musicians who know England

Our team are professional musicians who have brought ensembles on tour throughout England, from marching bands and concert bands to choirs and orchestras, and planned many concerts along the way. Over the years we've built strong partnerships, and real friendships, with the venues, local ensembles, guides and suppliers we trust across England, so your group is welcomed by people who know us and know the music. An Upbeat tour manager travels with your group from arrival to departure.

Meet the musicians behind Upbeat

Festivals

England's festivals give a touring group a ready-made stage and an audience that came for the music. Some are by invitation and others are open to any group that registers, so we'll help you find the one that suits your ensemble and the time of year you travel.

London Band Week

London, June. An annual celebration of marching bands, concert bands and wind symphonies, with visiting US school and college bands.
Brighton Fringe

Brighton, May and June. A large open-access arts festival on the south coast, where any group can register a show and find a venue.
Buxton Festival Fringe

Buxton, July. An open-access fringe in a Peak District spa town, open to amateur and professional performers of all ages.

Music tours in England for every kind of ensemble

School, collegiate and community groups all tour England with us. This is what England offers each kind of ensemble.

Marching band and drum corps

London Band Week performances in the capital, and outdoor shows in sight of famous landmarks.

Marching band tours

Concert band

Cathedral and town hall concerts, and exchanges with England's community wind and brass bands.

Concert band tours

Orchestra

Concert halls and historic churches with fine acoustics, in the land of Elgar, Holst and Vaughan Williams.

Orchestra tours

Choir

Sing in England's great cathedrals, in a choral tradition that goes back centuries, and meet local choirs.

Choir tours

Dance

Fringe stages in Brighton and Buxton, and workshops and exchanges with local dance groups.

Dance tours

Pipe band

Parades and heritage venues, with Scotland an easy add-on from the north of England.

Pipe band tours

Combine England with

Ireland

Just a short flight from England, or bring your tour coach across the Irish Sea on the ferry.

Music Tours in Ireland
Scotland

Travel north through England on your tour coach, with stops along the way, or take the overnight sleeper train from London.

Music Tours in Scotland
Wales

A short drive through the picturesque Cotswolds and on into the majestic hills and valleys of Wales.

Music Tours in Wales

England music tour questions

England works all year. Spring and early summer bring long evenings and festival season, from the Brighton Fringe in May to London Band Week in late June. Autumn is quieter and better value, and December brings carol services in churches and cathedrals across the country.
Most do. Most visitors who don't need a visa for the UK, including US and Canadian citizens, must have an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before they travel. British and Irish citizens don't need one. Every traveller, including children, applies online, so build it into your planning early.
Every tour is costed individually, and four things make the biggest difference. Group size matters most: shared costs such as coaches and guides are spread across everyone, and groups of around 30 or more usually share them well. Where you stay matters too, as London costs more than most of England, so many groups balance a few nights in the capital with a stay elsewhere. Hotel standard and the number of nights make up the rest. Tell us about your group and we will put together a quote.
Yes, and many do. York and the north of England are a natural stop on the way to Edinburgh, Cardiff is about two hours from London by train, and Dublin is a short flight away. We plan the whole route as one tour.
Both. Most groups bring their own wind, string and smaller instruments, and we hire percussion and large instruments locally, so your group can travel light.
England rewards time. London alone is a destination in its own right and can easily fill four or five nights, with day trips to places such as Canterbury, Oxford and Windsor. Most groups get the best tour by pairing London with one other region and giving each the time it deserves. That leaves room to perform at your best, get over the flight and really take in where you are. We'll help you shape a route around your music and your must-sees.
Cathedrals and historic churches, concert halls, conservatoires and royal and historic settings, depending on your ensemble and repertoire. We judge every venue as musicians, so a resonant cathedral goes to a choir that will sound glorious in it, not a band it would swallow. The best-known cathedrals book up years ahead and can never be guaranteed, so we always line up strong alternatives.