The annual syllabus for the 2026 Manx Music Speech and Dance Festival has been released and is now available at numerous different outlets across the island.
It will also be available to view online at the festival’s website https://www.manxmusicfestival.org/
The festival, which is also known as the Guild, will take place at the Villa Marina in Douglas from the April 25 to May 2 next year. It will be its 134th year and the 2026 programme features some changes to previous years with the syllabus larger and easier to navigate than in previous years, with organisers wanting it to be as accessible as possible.
One of the new classes for this year is a Eurovision song class for adults. This will be a one-off class specifically for 2026 to celebrate 75 years of the popular song contest.
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There will also be the introduction of a ‘Manx National Song book class for children and adults’, as well as the ‘Cranmer Prayer Book reading class for ages seven to 10’ which will offer young performers the opportunity to try out Prayer Book reading. The ‘Bible reading in Manx’ class has also been replaced by ‘The Lords Prayer in Manx’ section.
The festival scholarship of £1,000, provided by the Bulgham Charitable Trust, will be awarded for dance in 2026 and the winner will have the opportunity to either attend a summer school, or a course or alternatively use it for on-island tuition.
The syllabus features clear instructions on how to enter for anyone who may not have put themselves forward before and is considering entering next April’s festival.
Entries for the festival close on January 31.
Any enquires should be emailed to [email protected].