Henley Festival: Sugababes and Boy George & Culture Club revealed as headliners

CHART-TOPPING pop group Sugababes and the Grammy Award-winning Boy George & Culture Club are among the headliners at this year’s Henley Festival.

The UK’s only black-tie music and arts festival has revealed its line-up, which will take place from Wednesday, July 8 to Sunday, July 12 on the banks of the River Thames in Henley.

Kicking off this year’s festival on the Floating Stage on Wednesday will be Boy George & Culture Club who rose to stardom in the Eighties.

Winning the Grammy Award for Best New Artist and BRIT Awards for Best British Group and Best British Single, Culture Club went on to achieve numerous international Top 10 singles, including Karma Chameleon.

As the sun sets on Wednesday evening, the jazz band, Ezra Collective, will perform in Pure Heaven – the first jazz act to win the Mercury Prize. After their album Dance, No One’s Watching, was released in 2024, they were the first jazz band to win the Group of the Year BRIT award.

Sugababes, the English girl group which comprises Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan and Siobhan Donaghy, will headline the Floating Stage on Thursday.

Since their formation in 1998, they have scored six Number One singles, had millions of global sales and multiple multi-platinum albums.

Glasgow performer, Lulu, will headline the Floating Stage on Friday night. Her career has seen her win Eurovision and receive an OBE.

More recently, she completed her sold-out tour Champagne for Lulu!, joined Robbie Williams on his stadium tour and shared the Glastonbury stage with Sir Rod Stewart.

The original Australian ABBA homage, Bjorn Again, will close the main stage on Friday night.

Blur’s Alex James will bring the Nineties anthems to the main stage on Saturday with Alex James’ Britpop Classical, featuring a full orchestra.

Rounding out the festival is The Bootleg Beatles, who will perform on the Floating Stage on Sunday. They last performed in 2024.

Formed in 1980 from the West End cast of Broadway hit musical Beatlemania, the group will take you on a whistle-stop journey through the Swinging Sixties.

Henley Festival was set up in 1982 as a charity mission to stage a memorable music and arts festival  for the community.

In 2022, the festival launched its RISE programme which provides a platform for aspiring professionals in music.

Hemani, a Berkshire-based company with a mission to empower innovation by investing in pioneering technologies shaping the future, were recently announced as Henley Festival’s new headline sponsor.

Jo Bausor, chief executive of Henley Festival, said: “This year’s starry line up promises to continue this fantastic atmosphere, and whether you’re a newcomer or returning, it is not only our performers but our audience who bring the glamour and feel-good factor.

“Dressed up in black-tie from sequins to suits, dancing to your favourite artists in a beautiful riverside setting, all festival-goers love how they can be part of the spectacle themselves.”

Tickets for this year’s event will go on sale on Thursday, February 26. 

See henley-festival.co.uk for details.