Your Visit

Festival Hospitality

A visit to Waterperry Opera Festival offers the perfect day out, combining world-class opera with the beauty of Waterperry Gardens and a touch of indulgence. Whether you choose to relax with a picnic or enjoy our interval dining, the Festival provides a delightful setting for you and your party to savour between performances. To make your experience even more seamless, we offer a range of on-site food and drink options available for pre-booking as you plan your visit.

Climatarian Kitchen: Our new Hospitality Partner

This year we are excited to announce that we have a new partner, Climatarian Kitchen, for evening food. For the first time we will offer a pre-booked only sit-down dinner option in our marquee, as well as keeping some tables for reservation by picnickers. We will also have some new picnic hampers provided by our partner. Climatarian Kitchen inspires by elevating and transforming seasonal, responsibly sourced ingredients. They use imperfect produce rejected by major shops and food grown in community gardens. Their mission is to connect people from farm to fork to try to reduce the Carbon Cost of our food one stunning mouthful at a time.

Seasonal food should be a pleasant surprise, says Emily, founder of Climatarian Kitchen.

"Because our food is so seasonal, it’s difficult to provide photos of exactly what you might find on your plate or in your hampers in August. If it’s a bad year for mushrooms, we may need to use courgettes. Do not fret, we are known for generous portions made from fresh ingredients and a lovely variety so that our diners walk away satisfied. You choose your main ingredient or dietary type and we (with mother nature) will do all the rest.”

Seated Dining: Lawn Restaurant

We are offering a three-course dinner option this year for the very first time. Please book your dinner in advance, we will not be able to cater for walk-ins on the night. You can select a vegan, vegetarian, or meat-based main course. Water, and tea or coffee are included, and you will also be offered the opportunity to pre-purchase from the wine and drinks list nearer the time.

Here are some example menus:

  • Vegan

    Starter: Nasturtium leaf tacos with smoked tofu

    Main Course: Vegetable tagine

    Dessert: Coconut chocolate mousse

  • Vegetarian

    Starter: Roasted beet and goat cheese log

    Main Course: Cauliflower steak with peppercorn sauce

    Dessert: Saffron poached pears with ricotta and citrus shortbread

  • Meat-based

    Starter: Sausage roll with gooseberry chutney

    Main Course: Mini Yorkshire puddings with roast goose

    Dessert: Lemon tart

You may notice in the photo some of our tableware is not matching; that’s because of how it was sourced. When hospitality companies change their offerings, they often throw away usable linens and crockery, creating an unnecessary waste problem. At Climatarian Kitchen, we collect these unwanted items and keep them in use for many more years, furnishing events like these and sharing with many other community cafes.

 

Hampers

You can select a vegan, vegetarian, or meat based hamper. Every hamper will be self-contained in sustainable packaging which you can leave for recycling or composting on your way out. These will be easy to carry to your selected spot in the gardens.

Here are some examples of what types of food might be available on the day, and when possible you will be given a choice if multiple items are available. 

One of our signature grazing boards (e.g. dietary appropriate selection of olives, cured meats, cheeses, breads, hummus)

  • Seasonal fruit and vegetables

  • A cold salad (e.g. 3 bean, capresi, waldorff, couscous, macaroni, potato, coleslaw)

  • A savoury snack (e.g. bean empanada, vegetable tart, sausage roll, falafel, arancini)

  • A sweet snack (e.g. muffin, banana bread, fruit and nut bar, scone)

  • A pudding (e.g. lemon tart, slice of sponge, chocolate cake, brownie)

  • Fizzy non alcoholic drink 

  • Crockery, cutlery, and condiments

Picnic Pavilion

Make your visit even more special with a seat at a table in our popular Picnic Pavilion. For just £15 per person, you can enjoy a charming setting just a stone’s throw from the Front Lawn performance area. Each table seats up to six guests, and you’re welcome to book as many seats as you need, with a minimum of two per order. As a Picnic Pavilion guest, you’ll also have access to a dedicated parking area, with a steward on hand to grant entry through a private gate for a seamless and enjoyable experience.

Picnicking at Waterperry

Waterperry Gardens provides a stunning setting for alfresco dining, making it the perfect place to enjoy a leisurely picnic. You are welcome to bring your own picnic to enjoy at Waterperry, with a dedicated picnic lawn available by the teashop during the day. While picnicking is not permitted in the formal gardens during their regular opening hours, we are delighted that, with the kind permission of the Waterperry Gardeners, guests may enjoy picnics in the formal gardens during performance intervals. On evenings with an extended picnicking interval, you are welcome to set up from 5:30pm when the performance doors open, ensuring plenty of time to relax and enjoy the surroundings.

Festival Bar

This summer, we are thrilled to welcome back The Festival Bar, run by the Oxford Bar Company, following its hugely successful debut last year. Located at the heart of the Festival, the bar will be fully stocked with an enticing selection of drinks to complement your experience, from expertly crafted summer cocktails to award-winning, hand-picked wines, alongside draught beers and a variety of refreshing soft drinks.

To make the most of your visit, skip the queues by pre-ordering a bottle of still or sparkling wine for your party. Your chilled bottle will be ready for collection, allowing you to sit back, relax, and soak up the festival atmosphere with a glass in hand.