Five arts based festivals are regularly staged in Guildford, focusing on music, books, popular music and summer activities.

The Guildford International Music Festival takes place biennially in the March of odd numbered years and presents classical music and other genres including jazz, world and popular music.

The Guildford Book Festival, which embraces all types of activity, both fiction (including poetry) and non-fiction, is based around the Autumn half-term week in late October/early November.

The Guildford Summer Festival is the most eclectic and wide-ranging of Guildford’s festivals, highlighting the work of local organisations and visiting companies in music, theatre, river events, walks, film, environmental issues and much more.

Guilfest, Guildford’s nationally acclaimed popular music festival takes place in Stoke Park over a weekend each year in late July or early August.

The Guildford Spring Music Festival takes place bienally in the March of even numbered years and presents concerts, master classes and workshops all held in The Electric Theatre. A feature of the festival is that all the performances include musicians with significant connections with the Guildford area, celebrating the wide variety of musical talent living, working or being educated here. There are seven lunchtime and seven evening events making up the festival week.