Historic Royal Palaces and IMG have announced that Gladys Knight will open this year’s esteemed Hampton Court Palace Festival on 06 June, the only London date of her 2023 Farewell Tour. Tickets will go on general sale on Wednesday, 05 April, with an exclusive pre-sale to e-mail subscribers beginning today.
Hailed as the Empress of Soul, Gladys Knight is renowned for her string of universal hits, including US #1’s Midnight Train to Georgia and That’s What Friends Are For. As a member of Gladys Knight & The Pips, her tracks Take Me In Your Arms and Love Me, I Heard It Through The Grapevine, and It Should Have Been Me are instantly recognisable the world over.
With an incredible 7 Grammy Awards to her name and a recent National Medal of Arts, Gladys will take to the Hampton Court Palace stage on the opening night of this year’s festival, 06 June, for what will be her farewell London show.
Also performing at this year’s Hampton Court Palace Festival is a bastion of British music Tom Jones, iconic synth-pop duo Soft Cell, and legendary singer and songwriter Grace Jones. Kool & The Gang will bring their soul and funk fusion to the palace, while indie-rockers Kaiser Chiefs, pop sensation Rick Astley and the internationally acclaimed Björn Again will also take to the stage.
Now in its 27th year, Hampton Court Palace Festival, presented by heycar, is a summer festival like no other which features a series of incredible performances in a truly unique location. Taking place in the Tudor Courtyard of Henry VIII’s majestic palace, the festival gives fans the special opportunity to see world-class artists in an intimate 3,000-capacity setting.
Attendees will arrive at the palace gardens and can enjoy a spot of picnicking in the stunning surroundings prior to the concert, with two types of luxury hampers available to pre-order: The Courtier’s Best of British Picnic or The King’s Gourmet Hamper. Supplied by British Fine Foods, hampers will be available with meat or vegetarian options, with the option to add wine or champagne. Picnics can be purchased alongside tickets or separately as an addition to existing bookings.
Confirmed dates and artists so far are as follows:
| Date | Artist |
| Tuesday 06 June | Gladys Knight |
| Wednesday 07 June | Soft Cell |
| Thursday 08 June | Grace Jones |
| Friday 09 June | Kool & The Gang |
| Saturday 10 June | Kaiser Chiefs |
| Wednesday 14 June | Tom Jones |
| Friday 16 June | Bjorn Again |
| Saturday 17 June | Rick Astley |
