Commissioned by REVEAL - Portland & Weymouth Towns of Culture 2025


In collaboration with Ed Viney Theatre

PORTLAND ADVENT(ure)

Twelve moments 〰️ Twelve places

〰️

Twelve moments 〰️ Twelve places 〰️

  • Come and find Jon! A tenor in the back of a van, singing his way round Portland — part chase, part concert, all adventure. Blink and you’ll miss him!

  • Voices Unbound take us up a gear with glorious operatic choruses and a gentle ease into the festive season — a shining part of Portland Sparkle.

    Voices Unbound are performing at 5:30pm

    EASTON SQUARE

    ///stunning.flops.sparkles

  • The story of Portlander Ethel Gee who was part of the infamous Portland Spy Ring in the 1950s and 60s. Written by Caleb Ranson and performed by Tamsin Fessey, this is a fictional account told from the point of Ethel herself - a remarkable story of deceit, love and illegal espionage.

    PORTLAND SOCIAL CLUB 6PM

    ///foil.slept.inner

  • Musician Rich Austin takes the celebrated poems of Portland poet and stone mason 'Skylark' and sets them to a mix of folk and blues music

    ROYAL PORTLAND ARMS 6PM

    ///amps.inquest.unwind

  • PERFORMANCE AT 5PM

    OperaUpClose presents Ariadne on Naxos — Joseph Haydn’s dramatic cantata, performed in English translation by Toria Banks.

    Stranded, heartbroken, and magnificent, Ariadne is the abandoned Cretan princess who mourns the loss of her heroic Theseus on the island of Naxos. In this striking reimagining, OperaUpClose brings Haydn’s masterpiece to our own Island!

    Mezzo-soprano Flora McIntosh performs this ravishing score in a newly reworked version, accompanied by accordion.

    HEIGHTS HOTEL 5PM

  • Experience Elgar’s majestic Sea Pictures — overlooking the sea itself! Sarah Pring, Royal Ballet and Opera regular and proud Dorset woman, sings to the waves over looking Chesil Beach and the night sky.

    PORTLAND HEIGHTS HOTEL 6PM

    ///extent.breakfast.flinch

One island

alive with

imagination

This December, PORTLAND ADVENT(ure) invites you to open a window into the island’s creative spirit — a trail of music, movement, story, and surprise unfolding across Portland.

Step into the season and follow where curiosity leads. Each performance is a fleeting moment — 15 to 30 minutes of magic — a little like an advent calendar, each window revealing something new and delicious.

All events begin at 6PM unless otherwise stated
Free entry, no tickets required — please note that entry to the Castle on 11 December requires a free advance ticket (sold out - sorry!).

Click the + beside each date to discover the locations and details of these island adventures.

The events on 5th, 8th and 12th are all planned to happen outside please keep an eye both here and on social media as they could be moved up till 4pm on the day

  • The 4 soliloquies of Hamlet performed by actor Maanuv Thiara. In this very special performance at Portland Castle, Shakespeare's greatest play - and one of the most famous plays in the world - is presented as a speedy descent into madness, mischief and mayhem.

    TICKETS ARE FREE BUT REQUIRED FOR ENTRY

    https://buytickets.at/destinationoperacic/1903618

    PLEASE NOTE - TICKETS ARE REQUIRED FOR THIS EVENT

    PORTLAND CASTLE 6PM

    ///racing.encoder.skid

  • It’s Christmas Eve in Paris — or at least, Portland’s version of it! A poet, a candle, and a knock at the door… fall in love all over again with Puccini’s La Bohème, sung under winter skies.

    TESCO CAR PARK, Easton 6PM

  • Hear Bach’s cello sing to the stones of St George’s Church as Sally Flann performs the First Cello Suite — music of grace, strength and quiet joy. One cello, one voice, echoing through centuries and walls alike.

    ST GEORGE’S CHURCH Reforne 6PM

    ///defrost.blotchy.fires

  • Jackonary comes to Portland with a full reading of the celebrated poem, 'Twas The Night Before Christmas, come for a show, book a table for a pizza!

    PORTLAND PIZZA COMPANY 6PM

    ///fishery.dries.objecting

  • From the co-creators of This Is NOT A Wedding, comes a wonderfully anarchic Christmas celebration and you're all invited!  Part comedy, part theatre, and a sprinkle of dance, this is a Christmas dinner like no other. Expect an absurdist take on those ridiculous family dynamics and social expectations that heighten when you're trying to look like you're having the best time at the most joyful time of the year. Can one family withstand the pressure and solve their impending Christmas crisis, retaining their exemplar status in the eyes of their community, and of course in the eyes of the big man, Father C?

    PETER TRIM HALL, Reforne 6PM

    ///grinning.lodge.pacifist

  • To misquote Shakespeaere ‘Our little ADVENT(ure) is rounded with a party!’ Join us at The Cove House Inn to raise a glass, sing and song and ready the festivities - come one come all!

    This event happens between 3:30 and 5pm

    THE COVE HOUSE INN

    ///boxing.rephrase.salaried