Henley festival appears to be making a bid to be upgraded to a higher place in the festival league table. The festival has announced its first headliner for 2016, Elton John, in one of only five UK shows he has scheduled for next year.
Nevertheless, isn’t going to be rivalling Bestival, the last festival Sir Elton headlined, anytime soon. Rather than having tens of thousands of revellers in fancy dress and taking goodness only knows what intoxicants, the event in the riverside town of Henley-on-Thames promises a crowd of 7,000 “with festival goers dressed in black tie and Michelin-starred food on offer”, as befits the genteel Oxfordshire town, better known for rowing than rocking.
Sir Elton will perform on Wednesday 6 July, the festival’s opening night, on a floating stage “in a unique riverside setting”. The festival intends to shake up its music for 2016, with a greater concentration on new and unsigned acts. The presence of Elton John marks a significant step up from previous years – at last year’s event, for example, the headliners were Jessie J, Lionel Richie, a George Gershwin tribute concert, Gipsy Kings and Spandau Ballet.
