THE ever popular RHS Malvern Spring Festival will celebrate its 35th anniversary next year with two special evening concerts.

The four-day festival, which runs from May 7th to 10th in association with boutique travel company Great Little Breaks, will this year see the introduction of ‘Music at Malvern’.

The concerts will see a 54-piece orchestra, fronted by Lesley Garrett, perform a special VE Day commemorative display, whilst BBC Radio 2 DJ Jo Whiley - returning to the festival for a second year - will also be hosting a spring celebration at a Gardeners’ Party.

Set at Three Counties Showground, RHS Malvern Spring Festival will commemorate and celebrate the 75th anniversary of VE Day on Bank Holiday Friday, May 8th. The concert will be performed by Worcestershire-based English Symphony Orchestra with soprano vocalist Lesley Garrett. 

On Saturday, May 9th, Radio 2’s Jo Whiley will be taking over to DJ a curated set of music chosen by the show’s special guests and exhibitors.

Jo said: “I’m thrilled to be coming back to RHS Malvern Spring Festival for its 35th anniversary celebrations, especially as I’ve been asked to provide an evening music set as part of its new ‘Music at Malvern’ feature. Music and gardening are two of my favourite things - both are very therapeutic and are known for being extremely beneficial to our wellbeing.

The concerts will be exclusive, with a limited amount of tickets available which include a 4pm entry to the festival, meaning visitors can come and enjoy daytime activities along with the evening’s entertainment.

Di Walton, Head of Shows at Three Counties Showground, said: “The addition of ‘Music at Malvern’ will bring a totally new element to the show and we think our visitors will really enjoy these great evenings that we have planned. 

“There will be a whole new staged area to the festival which will be designed to provide one of the best settings for outdoor live music, as well as contributing to things like talks held throughout the festival.

Evening tickets on the Friday are priced from £48 and Saturday evening tickets are priced from £38. There are also combined day and concert tickets on offer. Tickets can be bought from www.threecounties.co.uk/buy-tickets.

Advance tickets for day entry to the festival itself are now on sale, with prices starting at just £20 for RHS and Three Counties members, or £22 for the general public (plus 75p transaction fee). Children under 16 go free. Group tickets are also available.