Opera

Since 1979, when the Opera House re-opened and the Buxton Festival began, Buxton has been an important centre for opera. Festival productions have ranged from Monteverdi to Peter Maxwell Davies, and the 2004 Festival will have no less than seven different operas on show.

Music

It was once calculated that Buxton had more bands per head of population than New Orleans. Whether or not this is true today, the town still boasts a huge stock of local talent. Brass bands (including one of the oldest brass bands in the country), folk, rock, country, jazz, blues, samba and classical performers ensure that all tastes are catered for. A regular programme of gigs, concerts and informal sessions provide a feast of entertainment throughout every week of the year.

Annual events include the Buxton Festival & Fringe (the largest festival fringe in England), the Gilbert & Sullivan Festival, Sainsbury's Choir of the Year finals, the Country Music Festival and memorial concerts for both Alexis Korner and Cozy Powell.

Art

With the Buxton Museum and Art Gallery, and a number of privately-owned commercial galleries, there are plenty of regularly changing exhibitions of paintings, photography, ceramics and more. Most local galleries also have impressive permanent collections.

Drama

There are several established theatre companies in Buxton, both professional and amateur, with a programme of well known and locally written plays. There are also regular visits from respected national companies, who perform at the Opera House.