Festival Theatre

The Festival Theatre is a theatre building in Barnwell, Cambridge, featuring a horseshoe-shaped auditorium with three levels and two tiers of seating boxes. The solid brick structure contains multiple private boxes at different heights throughout the venue.

The building was designed by William Wilkins in 1814 in the late Georgian style and initially operated outside Cambridge's university area. In the 1920s, major changes were made including removal of the proscenium arch to support experimental theatrical productions.

The interior preserves seating and decorative elements that tell the story of its past uses and changes over the decades. Walking through the rooms, you can sense how the space once served audiences and now serves a different purpose.

The building is located on Newmarket Road and operates today as the Cambridge Buddhist Centre, so plan visits around its scheduled activities. Access is from the street level, and note that some areas may only be accessible during specific events or sessions.

The building underwent radical transformation by Terence Gray in the 1920s, who removed the proscenium arch to create an open staging area for innovative performances. This bold redesign made it a pioneer of modern theatre design in Britain at that time.

Location: Cambridge

Architects: William Wilkins

Official opening: 1814

Address: Newmarket Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB5 8DT, England

GPS coordinates: 52.20790,0.13446

Latest update: December 14, 2025 09:42