Dancers, singers and musicians are gearing up for the biggest event in the calendar as The Guild returns this weekend.

The festival gets underway at the Villa Marina on Saturday, April 26 and runs until Saturday, May 3, with eight full days of competition packed with all genres of music, speech, drama and dance.

There will be performances in both the Royal Hall and the Promenade Suite, while St Thomas’ Church will also be used for certain classes such as organ recitals and bible readings.

The Guild, which is also known as the Manx Music, Speech and Dance Festival, is one of the oldest running festivals in the island, with 2025 being its 133rd year.

It was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid pandemic, but has since made its return, complete with some new classes.

Classes cover all sorts of disciplines, from singing to drama and dance to piano, covering every type of music from folk, classical and pop.

The festival will get underway on Saturday morning, with a range of dancing acts taking place at 9.15am in the Royal Hall.

The rest of Saturday will see brass performances from 10am in the Promenade Suite, while Sunday will then see ballet take to the main stage in the Royal Hall as well as bible reading and organ playing at St Thomas’ Church.

After a full week of classes, this year’s Guild will then conclude choral performances in the Royal Hall and folk songs/bible readings in the Promenade Suite on Saturday, May 3.

Whole day tickets for the Guild are priced at £5, while a ticket for access to the whole festival can be bought for £35.

Under 18s will have free submission for the entirety of the festival.