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Nocturne Live 2025 at Blenheim Palace
18 June 2025 to 22 June 2025
About Nocturne Live at Blenheim Palace
Ediorial update:
Over the past ten years, Nocturne Live transformed the Great Court at Blenheim Palace into a grand arena with world-class acts and seating for 10,000, welcoming legendary artists and more than a quarter of a million visitors. The festival also offered a full-day experience, including VIP dining in the Palace’s renowned State Rooms, leisurely walks through its expansive grounds, or a waterside picnic. Sadly, Nocturne Live did not return to the Palace in 2026, marking the end of this chapter in its history.
Nocturne Live 2025 will turn The Great Court at Blenheim Palace into a grand arena with world-class acts and 10,000 seats.
It can be an all-day affair with VIP dining in the famous State Rooms, a stroll in the palace’s vast grounds, or a waterside picnic. It can also be an evening gig for those who just want to hear their favourite live music.
Since its inception in 2015, the Nocturne Live concert series, which has featured performances from the likes of Elton John, Kylie Minogue, Gary Barlow, Simply Red, Nile Rodgers, Noel Gallagher, Gregory Porter, Van Morrison, Tears for Fears, Gladys Knight, Elvis Costello, Simple Minds and Ennio Morricone amongst many others.
2025 Line-up
Thursday 19 June
Richard Ashcroft has been announced as the first headliner of next summer’s Nocturne Live concert series which returns to Blenheim Palace’s stunning Great Court. Joining Ashcroft are one of the most successful acts of the ’90s, Lightning Seeds, celebrating their 35th Anniversary with enduring hits. Multi-platinum-selling Liverpudlian band The Zutons complete the line up.
Friday 20 June:
The Songbook Tour will celebrate Gary Barlow’s status as one of Britain’s most successful songwriters and record producers.
Read more: First acts announced for Blenheim Palace’s Nocturne Live concert series in 2025
Tickets
Timings
The Nocturne Concert Area opens from 4.30pm and you will be able to enjoy a range of food and drink options before you take your seats in The Great Court. The music will commence at approximately 6.00pm, followed by two intervals. It’s expected to finish at around 11.00pm. The concert set times will be released approximately one week before the concert. Please check the Nocturne Live website for updates. For those with State Room Dining tickets, hospitality will begin from 4.30pm onwards. You’ll receive full information in advance of the concert.
Arrival and depature
Your Nocturne Live ticket will allow you to arrive at any time during the day of the concert and enjoy the beautiful grounds of Blenheim Palace. If you would like to visit the Palace itself, you can purchase a half price Palace, Park & Gardens ticket from the ticket page. Your Nocturne Live ticket will also allow you to do this when you arrive on the day. The Palace opens to the general public at 10.30am and the last entry is 3.45pm. For more information on what Blenheim Palace has to offer, please visit the Blenheim Palace website. Re-entry is not permitted except in extreme circumstances.
How to get to Nocturne Live 2025
Bus:
If you are travelling from the local Oxford area, the Oxford Bus Company will run a Special 500 Bus service which will pick up from Oxford Rail Station and stop at Summertown, Oxford Parkway Station and Kidlington en route to Blenheim Palace. The bus will return via the same route and will also stop at Pear Tree on the return journey. Buses will depart approximately every 30 minutes from Oxford Station between 9.00am and 8.00pm. After the concert, buses will leave when they are full. The last bus will depart 45 minutes after the concert finishes. You will have the opportunity to buy your bus tickets at the same time as your concert tickets.
Car:
If you do decide to drive, please be aware that Blenheim Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage site and its infrastructure wasn’t designed for a large number of cars to depart simultaneously at the end of a concert. There are three main exit roads that lead to a common main road which, despite best efforts, can become congested at peak times.
