Orkney's special midsummer celebration of the arts, the St Magnus International Festival, returns in June for its 50th year.
From large-scale anniversary moments to intimate storytelling, this year’s festival programme offers something special each and every day.
If you’re picking just a handful, these seven events capture the spirit and ambition of the 50th edition.
Opening Concert: Welcome to Orkney
The festival begins in celebratory style with a specially assembled anniversary orchestra, bringing together music by founder Peter Maxwell Davies, Sally Beamish and Mozart.
Expect bold orchestral colour, a virtuosic flute concerto and the uplifting energy of Mozart’s Haffner Symphony.
It will be an elegant and joyful way to launch ten days of music.
Suitcase Show: Trick of the Light Theatre
Inventive, witty and quietly haunting, this award-winning theatre piece unfolds from a stack of battered suitcases.
Inside are stories of love, loss, climate, and memory, told through clever staging, shadow play and analogue magic.
It’s visually striking, darkly funny and perfect for anyone who likes their theatre imaginative and a little offbeat.
Mozart’s Requiem
A cornerstone of the Festival’s choral programme, Mozart’s Requiem is performed by the Festival Choir and Orchestra in the dramatic surroundings of its pop-up space at Orkney Auction Mart.
Paired with music by Golijov and the overture to The Magic Flute, this is a powerful, large-scale concert exploring light, darkness and the enduring mystery of Mozart’s final work.
A Voyage to Fair Isle: Hebrides Ensemble
Marking the 50th anniversary, Hebrides Ensemble brings together new music, contemporary Scottish voices and Peter Maxwell Davies’ evocative title work, inspired by his visit to Fair Isle.
With the winner of the St Magnus Composer Competition also featured, this programme is both rooted in the festival’s history and looking firmly to the future.
Sagas, Skalds, Songs: Voces Thules
Travel back into medieval Iceland through poetry, folk song and legend.
This striking programme from leading ensemble Voces Thules blends sagas and secular song into a vivid portrait of Nordic history and storytelling - perfectly in tune with Orkney’s own deep-rooted connections to the North Atlantic world.
The Invisible Symphony: The Cooperation Band & The Wallace Collection
A true anniversary spectacle.
Brass choirs are positioned around St Magnus Cathedral to create an immersive, surround-sound experience in Gabrieli’s monumental music.
This performance also stands as a tribute to John Wallace, making it both musically thrilling and deeply moving.
A Journey Beyond Time
A bold and atmospheric late-night concert in St Magnus Cathedral, centred on George Crumb’s visionary American Songbook II.
With percussion, piano and voice filling the space from all sides, alongside works by Steve Reich and new contemporary composers, this is one of the festival’s most ambitious and sonically adventurous events.
And one extra you shouldn’t miss…Up in the Air: Anniversary Street Parade
A joyful, free finale that spills out onto the streets of Kirkwall.
Created by Surge, this large-scale parade features kites, live music and local performers, transforming the town into a celebratory spectacle and bringing the whole community into the festival’s 50th birthday.
These are just some of the many highlights to be found at this year’s St Magnus International Festival. View the full programme online and book your tickets now. The festival will be held across Orkney between 19 - 28 June 2026.