They’re the world’s greatest festival of classical music and a treasured British institution since 1895. The BBC Henry Wood Promenade Concerts, affectionately known as the Proms, roll into town mid-July, filling London’s Royal Albert Hall and beyond with 86 concerts and eight weeks of sumptuous sound, ending with the legendary Last Night of the Proms. The Proms are a golden opportunity to savour a delicious feast of international orchestras, conductors, choirs and soloists as well as a vast variety of music. Read our review of the BBC Proms 2026.
World Class Orchestras, Conductors and Musical Superstars
This year’s Proms proudly present 20 world and UK premieres. There are performances by the musical great and good from around the world including renowned pianists Yuja Wang and Martha Argerich, as well as an abundance of homegrown talent like cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, percussionist extraordinaire Dame Evelyn Glennie, Tenebrae Choral Ensemble and Northern folk sisters, the Unthanks. There’s a joyful Brass Band Prom featuring the Black Dyke Band, an evening of ‘Bond and Beyond’ and a very special late night Prom marking the 40th anniversary of Paul Simon’s Graceland, starring the fabulous Ladysmith Black Mambazo Band.
America’s music and musicians are always well-represented at the Proms. That’s especially true this year, with its season-long celebration of American music to mark 250 years since the signing of the US Declaration of Independence. The Proms will welcome top US conductors, soloists and orchestras like Marin Alsop, Angel Blue, Joyce DiDonato and the LA Philharmonic, conducted by the charismatic Gustavo Dudamel. There’s a Prom honouring the joint centenaries of jazz icons Miles Davis and John Coltrane, the premiere of a major new work by Wynton Marsalis, specially commissioned by the BBC, and ‘Enchanted’, a glorious evening of music written by Alan Menken (Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid) for Disney.
Proms across the UK
The Proms continue to expand their remit of sharing sounds with audiences around the UK. This year sees exciting Proms and workshops at Bristol Beacon, Gateshead’s Glasshouse International Centre for Music and Theatre Clywd in North Wales.
The Proms are affordably priced, with every Royal Albert Hall concert famously featuring ‘Promming’ tickets for £8, enough for 1,000 Prommers standing in the central Arena or the upstairs Gallery. All 86 Proms are broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and online, with many also televised.
Last Night of the Proms
As ever, the Proms season culminates in that beloved ritual known as the Last Night of the Proms (12 September 2026), complete with traditional fancy dress, party poppers, balloons and flag-waving sing-a-longs to ‘Rule, Britannia!’ and ‘Land of Hope and Glory’. Last Night tickets always sell out fast, but if you can’t get to the Last Night in person, you can still enjoy the magic of the evening live and online from almost anywhere in the world, courtesy of the BBC.
When are the BBC Proms 2026?
17 July to 12 September 2026
The BBC Proms Programme
For the Proms day-by-day lineup and further information, click on the link below.
The BBC Proms Tickets
Tickets are £8 to £165 and can be booked via the Royal Albert Hall website.
Images courtesy BBC Proms Press Office,. Main image: BBC Proms at London’s Royal Albert Hall, photo Mark Allan.