About Us
The Isle of Man Festival of Choirs have announced their Eighth Festival, which will take place from Friday 10th to Sunday 12th October 2025.
From its inception in 2010 the Festival has quickly established itself and is now recognised as a serious, yet friendly, musical competition of stature and attracts choirs from around the UK and Ireland and wherever choral singing is enjoyed and celebrated.
The competition will be held in the Villa Marina situated on Douglas Promenade. The centrepiece is the Royal Hall, a state-of-the-art and spectacular auditorium that combines Edwardian grandeur and comfort with the latest sound and light system to create an amazing atmosphere. This venue is indeed a pride of the community and a phenomenal place to sing and perform.
The weekend will begin on the Friday evening with the popular ‘Welcome Evening’ where choristers can meet, eat, drink, sing and get to know each other before the competition begins.
The festival will include an Ensemble Competition which will take place as a stand-alone competition prior to Sunday’s final. Each ensemble will be required to sing two contrasting pieces of no more than 10 minutes maximum.
The main competition, which takes place on the Saturday will include classes for Male Voice, Ladies Voice, Mixed Voice and an Open Class. The first two from each class will receive prizes of £500 and £200 respectively. Each choir will be called on to perform four contrasting pieces of their own choice, one of which will be unaccompanied. Winners of each class go through to the final on Sunday, with the overall winning choir scooping an additional prize of £1,500 and the ‘Choir of the Festival’ trophy.
There will also be ample opportunity for choristers and supporters to have great fun exploring the Isle of Man taking in some of the glorious countryside, rugged coastline, attractions, heritage electric, steam and mountain railways and historical sites.
Home to the Celts, Vikings and the oldest continuous parliament in the world, the Isle of Man is steeped in history and choirs can enjoy visiting the many Manx National Heritage sites dotted around the Island. 10,000 years of history presented as ‘The Story of Mann’ links medieval castles and ancient burial sites to a Viking longhouse and the largest water wheel in the world, Laxey Wheel, a model of Victorian engineering.
Geoff Corkish MBE, Festival Director and Chorister said: ‘I am looking forward to personally welcoming choristers to the beautiful Isle of Man to enjoy the 2025 Festival of Choirs.
‘Although competition remains at the heart of the Festival, it is aimed at supporting and nurturing the continuance of choirs and choral groups. We also strive to include family and friends during the weekend to ensure that they too can enjoy the many unique aspects of our Island while others sing!’
- Registration for the main festival classes is £50
- Registration per ensemble entry is £25
- For more information please contact Gary Corkhill: iomfestivalofchoirs@outlook.com
- The closing date for entries is Monday 30th June 2025.
The application form can be filled in online, or alternatively, can be found at the link below. Please complete and e-mail to iomfestivalofchoirs@outlook.com. Following receipt of your entry, payment details will be forwarded to the main contact for processing.
2025 Festival of Choirs Application Form
Festival
Format
There will be Four classes of competition:
Ladies Voice (Competition A)
Male Voice (Competition B)
Mixed Voice (Competition C)
Open Category (Competition D)
Each choir will be required to sing four contrasting pieces of their own choice, one of which must be unaccompanied. The winner of each category will go through to the Choir of the Festival Final where they will be required to sing a 25 minute repertoire of their choice but allowing only one piece already sung in their class entry.
Competition Rules can be found here
PRIZES
A Ladies Voice 1st Prize: £500 2nd Prize: £200
B Male Voice 1st Prize: £500 2nd Prize: £200
C Mixed Voice 1st Prize: £500 2nd Prize: £200
D Open Class 1st Prize: £500 2nd Prize: £200
Ensemble Competition
The Ensemble competition is a stand-alone competition that will take place on the Sunday prior to the Choir of the Festival final. Each ensemble, which will consist of between 4 and 12 voices, will be required to sing two contrasting pieces of no more than 10 minutes. Please note: this is an additional competition to the festival and the winning ensemble will not compete for the Choir of the Festival trophy.
Ensemble Competition Prizes:-
1st Prize – £150
2nd Prize – £75
FESTIVAL PROGRAMME (timetable subject to alteration)
Friday 10th October 2025
- 20:00 – Welcome Evening. This will take place at the Villa Marina and is an informal ‘get to know you’ evening with supper. Be prepared to sing your party piece by way of introducing your choir to the festival! Tickets are priced at approximately £18 per person (to be confirmed).
Saturday 11th October 2025
- 09:00 to 12:00pm – Rehearsal Opportunity.
- 9:00am to 18:00pm – Competition Day.
- Evening free.
Sunday 12th October 2025
- 13:00 – Ensemble Competition followed by Choir of the Festival final.
The above times are provisional and may be altered depending on the number of entries
Travel &
Accommodation
PACKAGE OPERATORS
The following operators are able to put together bespoke packages for the festival:
Steam Packet Holidays – www.steampacketholidays.com – 08722 992 992
Isle of Man Event Services – www.iomevents.com – 01624 664460
Please see www.visitisleofman.com for special offers.
Alternatively, you can arrange your own travel and accommodation for your visit.
To assist you in this, please contact Isle of Man Tourism on 01624 686801 or log on to: www.visitisleofman.com
TRAVEL CONTACTS
Travel by Air
- Aer Lingus Regional: Dublin – www.aerlingus.com
- Easyjet: Belfast, Bristol, Liverpool, London Gatwick, Manchester – www.easyjet.com
- Loganair: Birmingham, Edinburgh, Liverpool, London City, London Heathrow, Manchester – www.loganair.co.uk
Travel by Sea
- IOM Steam Packet Company: Heysham, Liverpool – www.steam-packet.com