Become a Friend of BVOF and help keep opera, music, and education thriving across the Blackwater Valley and beyond.
As we prepare for our 2026 season (26 May – 1 June), featuring Mozart’s Don Giovanni as the headline opera, join us in shaping the next chapter of the festival’s success.
Already a Friend? Explore what’s new this year and extend your support by inviting a friend to join.
Not yet a Friend? Now is the ideal time – enjoy exclusive benefits or give a Friends Membership as a thoughtful gift for the music lover in your life.
Becoming a Friend of BVOF means joining a community whose commitment sustains the festival’s performances, artists, and education programmes.Through this collective support, more than 7,500 students have now experienced live opera – many for the first time.
Friends are recognised through priority booking, opening much earlier this year with a generous six-week window, along with access to exclusive events throughout the year and personal acknowledgement in the festival programme. Members also enjoy thoughtful touches such as a welcome enamel pin badge and invitations to special musical gatherings with Artistic Director Dieter Kaegi.
The BVOF Friends Membership programme reflects the generosity of those who sustain Ireland’s summer opera festival and its educational work throughout the year. Spanning tiers from Leading Lights (€150) to Guiding Lights (€2,500), it offers supporters a closer connection to the festival through a carefully designed suite of benefits.
BVOF Friends enjoy a range of exclusive benefits:
- Priority booking for festival performances and dining
- Invitations to member-only music events throughout the year
- A welcome gift – exclusive Friends enamel pin badge
- Recognition in our season programme
- Complimentary glass of bubbly on arrival at the opera
- Complimentary opera ticket packages according to tier
- Private briefings with Artistic Director Dieter Kaegi and other special events
🎟️Priority Ticket Booking for Friends Opens 22 November 2025 🎟️
“It was outstanding. The students were blown away by the evening. You have opened the world of opera for them.”
— Ann Mannix, Glanmire Community College
“Being a Friend is much more than early booking or special events – it means backing the festival’s work in schools and across the community. Friends help bring education programmes into classrooms, rehearsal attendance for students, and a sense of belonging to the local story.”
— Susie Wingfield, BVOF Friend
Tickets for the 2026 festival go on general sale in January 2026.
