For more festival news go to www.timesonline.co.uk/festivals

HSBC CHELTENHAM JAZZ FESTIVAL
Stellar line up for this acclaimed jazz festival now in it's 12th year
Exclusives: US soul diva Eartha Kitt; guitarist Bill Frisell and drummer Jack DeJohnett
Headliners: Van Morrison, Maceo Parker and Dennis Rollins, BBC Big Band with Nicola Conte, Roberto Fonseca, Cleo Laine and John Dankworth
April 29 - May 5, Cheltenham, Glos
www.cheltenhamfestivals.com 01242 227979, prices vary
Click here to see location on a map

HEART OF THE WORLD FESTIVAL
Eclectic world and jazz city-wide festival spread over Cambridge featuring everything from Tibetan monks to cutting edge jazz
Headliners: Buena Vista Social Club, Tibetan Sand Mandala, Jose James, Basquiat Strings, Portico Quartet, Kanda Bongo Man
May 1-11, across Cambridge
www.heartoftheworld.co.uk, prices vary
Click here to see this location on a map

SOUTHPORT WEEKENDER
Bi-annual celebration of house music and other contemporary club grooves featuring some of the world's finest DJs
Headliners: Joey Negro, Gilles Peterson, Mr Scruff, Soul II Soul Soundsystem, Norman Jay
May 9- 11, Southport Pontins Holiday Centre, Merseyside
www.southportweekender.co.uk 0870 9901987, prices TBC
Click here to see location on a map

ATP VS PITCHFORK MEDIA
Uber-cool US alternative music website Pitchfork have selected the bands that matter for this weekend at Camber Sands.
Exclusives: TBC
Headliners: Ween, Meat Puppets, Deerhunter, Of Montreal, Los Campesinos!
May 9-11, Camber Sands Holiday Centre
www.atpfestival.com , £150
Click here to see location on a map

BRIGHTON FESTIVAL
The South Coast’s finest arts festival features theatre, dance and opera alongside a varied musical programme.
Exclusives: 'Afro Tribute to James Brown' featuring Manu Dibango, Cheikh Lô and Tony Allen
Headliners: Daughters of Albion featuring June Tabor, Norma Waterson, Kathryn Williams & Lou Rhodes; Fat Cat records nights featuring Vashti Bunyan, Vetiver, Nina Nastasia & The Twilight Sad: Luisito Quintero, Fanfare Cioccarlia, Miriam Makeba
May 3-25, Brighton
www.brightonfestival.org 01273 709709, prices vary
Click here to see location on a map

THE GREAT ESCAPE
Your chance to catch the indie bands everyone will be talking about over the festival months first - and in intimate venues to boot.
Headliners: The Futureheads, The Ting Tings, Kid Harpoon, Peggy Sue and the Pirates and Alphabeat amongst scores of others
May 15-17, Brighton
www.escapegreat.com £45
Click here to see location on a map

ATP VS EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY
Texas instrumentalists Explosions In The Sky curate this weekend of post-rock, folk, hip-hop and other alternative sounds
Exclusives: TBC
Headliners: Broken Social Scene, And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of The Dead, Iron and Wine, Dinosaur Jr, Adem
May 16-18, Butlins Holiday Centre, Minehead
Tickets: £150, www.atpfestival.com
Click here to see location on a map

BATH FESTIVAL
Eclectic mix of jazz, folk and roots artists programmed by avant-garde classical artist Joanna MacGregor.
Exclusives: poet Roger McGough and radical drummer Seb Rochford
Headliners: Andy Sheppard & Joanna MacGregor; Waterson:Carthy, Bob Brozman, Lisa Knapp, Horses Brawl, Tony Kofi Quartet, Bellowhead
May 21-Jun 7, Bath, Somerset
Tickets: www.bathmusicfest.org.uk 01225 463362, £8-£35
Click here to see location on a map

GLYNDEBOURNE FESTIVAL OPERA
The godfather of country house opera festivals hosts a staging of Monteverdi's last work L'incoronazione di Poppea. Other highlights include Tchaikovsky's operatic masterpiece Eugene Onegin and Bizet's Carmen.
May 18-Aug 31, Glyndebourne, Sussex
www.glyndebourne.com 01273 815000, £10-£190
Click here to see location on a map

EVOLUTION MUSIC FESTIVAL
Eclectic mix of pop, folk and dance gigs over a long weekend in Gateshead and Newcastle.
Headliners: The Streets, Kate Nash, CSS, Duffy, New Young Pony Club, Blackbyrds, Seth Lakeman, The Wailin Jennys, Tiga
May 23-26, Newcastle Gateshead
www.evolution festival.co.uk, prices vary
Click here to see location on a map

GATECRASHER WEEKEND SUMMER SOUND SYSTEM 2008
Sheffield-based clubbing empire extends it's annual summer shebang into a two day camping event with over ten stages
Headliners: The Prodigy, CSS, The Chemical Brothers plus big name DJs from house, trance, breakbeat and beyond
May 24 - 25 May, Turweston Aerodrome, near Brackley, North Hants
www.summersoundsystem.gatecrasher.com £59-£230
Click here to see location on a map

WYCHWOOD MUSIC FESTIVAL
Earthy boutique festival at Cheltenham racecourse that features runners from the folk, world and roots music scenes.
Headliners: The Proclaimers, The Divine Comedy, Duffy, Orchestra Baobab, The Imagined Village feat Billy Bragg, Eliza & Martin Carthy
May 30-June 1, Cheltenham race course, Gloucestershire
www.wychwoodfestival.com £35-£100
Click here to see location on a map

CASTLEWARD OPERA
This year's Summer Season includes a new production of the opera that launched Castleward Opera nearly a quarter of a century ago, Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte.
May 30-June 21, Castle Ward, N Ireland
www.castlewardopera.com 028-9263 9545, £42-£57.50
Click here to see location on a map

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