This year is Kirker Holidays is celebrating its fortieth anniversary, having been the pioneer of short-haul city breaks in 1986. As demands have changed, so has what they offer, with each tailor-made booking made up of fourteen different elements, with anything from restaurant reservations, opera tickets, museum passes, along with some of their more famous inclusions such as a private water taxi transfer in Venice.
We have worked with Kirker from when we started in 1994, and know that many of you love the service they provide, extremely dependable and there us a level of quality that you just know you’re going to get.
What is probably slightly less well known is their collection of Cultural Tours and Music Holidays – essentially group tours featuring everything from art, horticulture, architecture, gastronomy, science, history, opera and ballet. What’s even better is that some of these are exclusives – such as the annual gastronomy tours they operate in Italy with famed Italian food expert Valentina Harris.
Joe Stilgoe Trio
As part of their celebrations, I was invited to an exclusive evening, with a select group other experienced travel agents in the south east (we’re talking the who’s who of the travel industry!) to celebrate, all themed around their music holidays and festivals.
It wasn’t just a presentation or speech though as to what’s included, or how its operated, but we got a small taste as to what you would experience at one of their festivals – and we were really moved at just how excellent it was.
We were treated to an exclusive performance by the Joe Stilgoe Trio, who are headlining The Kirker Jazz Festival in Alfriston next September. Joe Stilgoe, the son of the famed lyricist, songwriter and performer Sir Richard Stilgoe, and is a celebrated songwriter, singer and jazz pianist in his own right.
Here’s a small snippet of his version of the Glen Campbell classic Wichita Lineman:
The Kirker Jazz Festival is to take place at The Alfriston, overlooking the South Downs and the River Cuckmere, from the 7th September 2026.
Over the three days, there will be three themed concerts – one featuring classics by Cole Porter and the Great American Songbook, one with great movie classics, and a third based around classic show tunes from the theatre.
There are also three dinners included, each with the musicians, along with excursions to Lewes and a tour and wine tasting at Rathfinny’s Estate.
This really is a rare opportunity to see the group in such an intimate setting – much like we did in Waterloo! (Although Waterloo might not be so glamorous…!). As you can imagine, the evening was most enjoyable.
Joe Stilgoe
The price to attend the Jazz festival in Afriston is £1985 per person (single supplement £342) – including three nights’ accommodation with breakfast, three dinners with the musicians, excursions and the services of a Kirker tour leader. We can also arrange for Paul to drive you there as well.
There are additional exclusive Kirker musical festivals throughout the year – including the Kirker Music Festival in Tenerife in January, the Kirker Music Festival at the Tresanton in March, the Choral Festival in May, Eastbourne in June, a Chopin Festival in June, Suffolk in September, the South Downs in September, Ischia in October, and Alfriston and Madeira in November. All exclusive performances mainly cover a classical repertoire.
Contact us – the award-winning responsible travel agent on:
☎️ 01442 879787
📧 yourdreamholiday@traveltimeworld.co.uk
🧑🏼💻 traveltimeworld.co.uk
📍 254 High Street, Berkhamsted, Herts, HP4 1AQ
