The 20th Annual Battle Proms at Blenheim Palace will be a Vintage Spectacular!

This year the Battle Proms are going to be bigger and better than ever, so pack a picnic, chill the fizz and get ready for a summer celebration like no other on Saturday 5 July. Alongside the breathtaking displays the Battle Proms is famous for – uplifting music, fireworks, Spitfire, cannons, cavalry, parachutes – this year will be a Vintage Spectacular to celebrate the VE & VJ Day 80th anniversary year in style in the stunning Palace grounds!

NEW for 2025 – If swing is your thing you can get your toes tapping with the gorgeous harmonies and 1940s glamour of the Battle Proms Belles and their superb live band, this year joined by the fabulous Victory Swing dancers, there to show you all the moves! Around the arena you’ll be invited to revive the nostalgia of a bygone era at the fascinating WWII living history displays led by the country’s foremost wartime enthusiasts, with authentic vintage vehicles, memorabilia and expert re-enactors.

There’s something for everyone in the carefully curated orchestral programme of iconic modern and classical pieces, taking in themes from Hollywood epics such as the 633 Squadron, The Great Escape and classic Western The Big Country, plus Gabriel’s Oboe, the moving theme of The Mission by Ennio Morricone, performed by the hugely talented young soloist Alex Franklin.

These rousing performances will be beautifully complemented by classical favourites you know and love, the concert opening with the legendary Grace Spitfire flying overhead in a choreographed displays to Holst’s wonderful Jupiter (I Vow to thee my Country). The horsemen and women of the Worcestershire Cavalry will ride along to The Light Cavalry Overture and, as ever, there will be a ground-shaking, breath-taking performance of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture and Beethoven’s ‘Battle Symphony’ in true Battle Proms style, with over 200 cannons providing the percussion!

In 2025 Battle Proms celebrate 21 years of working with the acclaimed soprano and exceptional talent that is Denise Leigh, who this year will give an uplifting performance of Somewhere from West Side Story and Voi che sapete from Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, before returning to lead the crowd in a joyous flag-waving, sing-a-long finale with Jerusalem, Rule, Britannia!, Land of Hope and Glory and more, under a sky of dazzling fireworks!

With such a packed afternoon and evening of entertainment, the Battle Proms is a great day out for the whole family, and with free parking, no booking fees and an invitation to bring as much food and drink into the arena as you wish, it’s also great value for money!

For full programme details and to grab your tickets to the ‘must see’ event of the summer head to www.battleproms.com

ENDS