Our Favourite Outdoor Venues!

Jul 13, 2021

Our Favourite Outdoor Venues – Summer 2021 Edition

Welcome to our look at some of our top outdoor performance venues around the UK!  There are so many absolutely wonderful destinations that we have visited – and wish to visit soon – around Britain, so narrowing down just a few has been tricky to say the least. However, we have managed to get here for you a handful of places that simply had to be shared! Please feel free to take a read through our favourite outdoor venues – Summer 2021 Edition!

Portmeirion Village

Portmeirion Village is a beautiful and very popular holiday destination located on the estuary of the River Dyrywrd in North Wales. Tucked beneath the peaks of Snowdonia, this glorious stay gives you the best of everything! You have sandy beaches, the mountains and valleys of Snowdonia National Park, a plethora of woodland and the exquisite sub-tropical gardens. With so many things to do and so many fantastic sites to see, it is hard to be beaten in one of our top places to visit and perform at in the UK. The wonderful outdoor stage of the Bristol Colonnade is the perfect place to sing, make music and delight audiences. Read more

Portmeirion, North Wales

The Piece Hall – Halifax

The Piece Hall in the historic town of Halifax is an absolutely exquisite piece of architecture; hailed as Yorkshire’s most significant secular building. It has recently gone under an enormous conservation programme and it’s spectacular courtyard plays host to countless performances in the summer months. It’s the perfect venue for all types of performers, and creates a wonderful atmosphere for all choirs and bands. Overall, Halifax itself is an interesting town, full of culture and ultimately makes for a great break in Yorkshire. Read more

Parade Gardens – Bath

The Parade Gardens in Bath are a delightful place to perform, especially in the summer time. The bandstand is open for performances through the summer months and welcomes performers of all types including choirs and bands. In such a beautiful setting, it is no surprise that this is one of our top locations to visit. Along with Parade Gardens, Bath is an ideal city to visit for eateries, independent shops, museums and galleries, and a whole load of year round events in sport, music and theatre. Read more

Rylstone Bandstand – Shanklin

Rylstone Bandstand is located in the fantastic Rylstone Gardens in Shanklin, Isle of Wight. The Isle of Wight is full of natural beauty, these gardens being no exception! The bandstand holds concerts and performances throughout the summer months in the afternoon and evening. It’s a great destination for those wanting to get away without being too far from home. With so many incredible places to see, a hoard of things to do, and unmatched views, this is one of our favourite UK concert spots by far.

Minack Theatre – Cornwall

The Minack Theatre in Cornwall has to be one of the most stunning locations to perform at in the UK. Perched on the cliffs above the sea, this open-air theatre is a unique and beautiful place to hold a concert. There is plenty to do in the surrounding areas, whether its spending the day at the beach or taking a stroll through the pretty seaside towns on the Cornish coast.

Not to anybody’s surprise, this is a highly sought after place to book a performance. However, it is open all year round to visitors, and informal performances are welcome at the weekends in low season, and on Wednesdays during summer. Those looking for a more formal performance will have to get a booking in very early, but that can be a great thing to look forward to! Read more

Minack Theatre

I hope you agree with our top venue list! Of course, there are countless other incredible, unique and stunning places that we have also attended – and we hope will be able to attended in the near future – and we would love for you to come along with us! Please feel free to have a look through our Melodious Minim Break brochure too, to see what there is in store for our concert tours: Sound Escapes UK – The Melodious Mini(m) Break by Sound Escapes UK Performance Tours – issuu

Thank you all for your support, and let’s hope the end is near for these difficult times!

One of the best tours we have ever undertaken – musically, socially and geographically. Would heartily recommend Sound Escapes to any group considering a tour.
Carole Lindsay-DouglasAmici SingersWeston-Super-Mare 2023
From cathedrals and abbeys, churches and stately homes, all steeped in centuries of history, some in Roman Towns others in quintessential English ‘picture postcard’ villages, every choir and musical ensemble should spend a tour exploring the United Kingdom and Ireland. Whatever part of the country you to choose to visit, by working with a knowledgeable team of people who know the regions inside out from both a tourism and musical perspective, you will be guaranteed the richest of touring experiences
Tim KnightBritish composer and Choral Director
Jo and her team came up with a fantastic itinerary for our choir and planned everything to the last detail. We always felt we were in safe hands and that they were on the end of a phone to help us with anything we needed. We couldn’t recommend them highly enough.
Rosie SayersChairperson for Sing It Loud Community Choir
You’ve been patient and kind all the way through this, Jo – especially with it being the first international tour I’ve done, and with all the unforeseen changes to the travel arrangements, so thank you to you and the team.
Sarah MonteithChoir DirectorResound ChoirParis 2023
Fantastic tour in Bonnie Scotland, enjoyed by all who went, singing and non-singing. Brilliant organisation from Jo who really made it all look so easy.
Kate HymansTour organiser for Masterworks Chorale
As a Chorister, and eventually Head Chorister in our local church choir for eleven years, Jo was talented, dedicated and could always be relied on to work to the utmost of her undoubted abilities. I would expect that she would apply the same attributes to her professional life
P BuckmasterChoral Director

In May 2020 we were due to tour the Stirling area in Scotland and due to the current coronavirus pandemic we took the difficult decision to call off the tour. I’d like to give our thanks and praise to Jo and her team for all the planning and preparation she had done to put the itinerary together – she was able to provide us with an excellent range of stunning concert venues, plus some great suggestions for our leisure time, and we look forward to working with her again soon.

Sally ColesSecretary, Cantamici
Care and attention to detail of the highest degree. The planning with Jo Porter was detailed and meticulous, with nothing being missed, and although she was not involved in the accommodation arrangements, she nevertheless checked it out and acted as an intermediary.
Robin SpencerChoir Secretary, Phoenix Choir
Brilliant tour, expertly organised. Kindness and compassion. Nothing was too much trouble. Colin, our driver, was a complete gem and so knowledgeable about the isle. Lovely hotel staff where nothing was too much trouble
Felicity CourageChoir Director, Courage Choir
Sound Escapes did a fantastic job on arrangements for our tour . Would thoroughly recommend Jo to any choir looking to travel . All feedback has been positive from everyone who travelled . The extra care at meeting us at the coach and check in to ensure things ran smoothly went above and beyond .
Don OakleyMalmesbury ChoirOxford 2023

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