Entertainment in Ross-on-Wye

It’s just shy of a twenty-minute drive from our Ross-on-Wye hotel, but if you want to visit the people’s favourite theatre in the area then cross the Welsh border to Monmouth and see a show at The Savoy Theatre. It’s the oldest theatre in Wales, and while it only boasts a modest capacity of 360 seats the venue is a huge attraction. The decor is such that stepping inside feels like taking a trip back in time. Take a look at what’s on during your stay; The Savoy curates a programme of theatre, live music, comedy, and audiences with famous names. It’s also a cinema, where you can see all the latest releases, as well as a hand-picked offering of classics too.

A little closer to home is the Phoenix Theatre in Ross-on-Wye. It’s just off the High Street, around the corner from Truffles Delicatessen, one of our favourite places to eat in Ross-on-Wye. The theatre is home to the amateur Phoenix Theatre Company, which puts on a quite fantastic range of contemporary productions, with recent highlights including Gaslight by Patrick Hamilton, and an adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime.

Last of all, while Ross-on-Wye doesn’t have a major chain of cinemas, you can still catch a limited selection of films at the newly-opened The Gateway at the Labels Shopping Centre at the top of town. It’s a small space with plush sofas and luxury seating, which makes it feel more like a living room than a local cinema. As well as curating its own programme of screenings, The Gateway also hosts celebrity talks and live streamings of major entertainment events.

The Ross-on-Wye Cider Festival is one of our highlights of the calendar. As we mentioned once already on our page to Ross-on-Wye nightlife, the festival takes place in and around the Yew Tree Inn, the home of the Ross-on-Wye Cider & Perry Company, which prides itself on producing craft cider as naturally as possible. The results speak for themselves; we’d wager you won’t taste a cider much nicer than theirs. Then again, what better time to put their perry to the test than during the three-day end-of-August festival of booze that brings some of the best breweries in the area together in one place.

If you’re staying with us on the first Saturday of August, you can also join in the festivities of the Ross-on-Wye Carnival. It’s the oldest event in the town’s cultural calendar. The parade is the main event, culminating in a street party with a funfair, food stalls, and dastardly amounts to drink. It’s a lot of fun and, if the weather’s kind, arguably the best day of the year to visit Ross-on-Wye.