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Our Venues

Lovingly restored to its former glory in 2001, Buxton Opera House is an exquisitely beautiful Edwardian theatre and one of the country's finest examples of Frank Matcham theatre design.

As one of Britain's leading receiving theatres, we present around 450 performances each year including dance, comedy, children's shows, drama, musical concerts, pantomime and opera as well as a lively Fringe Theatre and Community and Education Programme. The theatre is also home to the renowned Buxton International Festival. 

Buxton Opera House has a small Matcham Gallery featuring copies of Frank Matcham's original plans, photographs of the Opera House restoration and early show bills from the period. You can visit the Matcham Gallery during any performance, or as part of one of our regular Back Stage Pass theatre tours

Find out more about your visit.

“Frank Matcham's glorious Opera House at Buxton, with its warm and intimate design, always guarantees a night to remember for theatregoers”

Knutsford Guardian

Take a 3D tour of the Opera House



Pavilion Arts Centre/Buxton Cinema 

The Pavilion Arts Centre is our second theatre venue and is housed in the Pavilion Gardens complex behind the Opera House. The Arts Centre is now mainly used as Buxton Cinema.

The Pavilion Arts Centre/Buxton Cinema has 355 seats and its own spacious bar area. For Arts Centre events the box office is open for an hour before each performance. You can purchase Buxton Cinema tickets across the cinema bar just before the start of the film.

The Arts Centre is still used for independent small-scale drama, stand-up comedy including the Buxton Buzz Comedy Club and music events including lunchtime Coffee Concerts. Each July the venue becomes home to Buxton International Festival events and the Buxton Festival Fringe.  

Find out more about your visit.


As well as our year-round venues, the Opera House and Pavilion Arts Centre, we use other spaces nearby for special events and festivals. These include:

The Pavilion Gardens

23 acres of beautiful parkland, restored back to its Victorian splendour in 2004, a fantastic venue for open air performances in the summer months.

The Octagon

This fantastic octagonal shaped room is part of the Pavilion Gardens complex and is usually used for Antiques Fairs and Farmer's Markets throughout the year. The Octagon is currently closed for refurbishment. During this time Octagon events will take place in the Pavilion Gardens Marquee.

St John’s Church

With its simple Regency architecture outside and its awe-inspiring space and wonderful decoration inside, St John's Church is the perfect venue to enjoy some of our choral performances and events during the Buxton Festival.


To find out more about the history of our venues, please visit the Our Story timeline.