Battle Proms returns to Highclere Castle

Open air picnic concert promises cannon fire, Spitfires and flag waving prom favourites

PACK up a picnic, put the drinks on ice and join the lively splendour of Battle Proms, at Highclere Castle tonight (Saturday).

Returning for the 11th year, the open air picnic concert programme features classical music alongside displays of Napoleonic horsemanship, live cannons and choreographed aerial display of Spitfires.

Beethoven's Battle Symphony, which lends the event its name, was composed to celebrate the Duke of Wellington's defeat of the French at the 1813 Battle of Vittoria and is rarely performed as the composer intended, with 193 live firing cannons as part of the score, but Battle Proms guests can experience this thunderous percussion.

A firework spectacular is also part of the line-up, set in the historical Highclere Castle estate, which is also the location of the filming of the ITV television series, Downton Abbey.

Hosted by Songs of Praise presenter, Pam Rhodes, soprano Denise Leigh returns again this year to bring the finale to life and crowd to their feet, before the fireworks light up the sky.

The musical programme also includes Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture, Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor and a sing-along finale full of prom favourites such as Jerusalem, Land of Hope and Glory and Rule Britannia.

Battle Proms supports the charity: Combat Stress:the Ex-Services Mental Welfare Society, which specialises in helping veterans of the armed forces and merchant navy with psychological injuries caused through service to their country.

Over the past six years, £80,000 has been raised for Combat Stress at the Battle Proms concert series, through audience donations and a contribution of the concerts' profits.

Gates open at 4.30pm, entertainments begin from 6pm and the event finishes by 10.30pm.

For ticket information, or to book, click on the link below.