The series will open with the First Night of the Proms on the 17th of July, hosting 86 concerts in the Royal Albert Hall and other venues around the country, before closing with the showstopping Last Night on the 12th of September. This year marks the 131st edition of the Proms bringing together composers, musicians and attendees from across the globe, with a special occasion planned for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The 2026 Proms will welcome The Met Orchestra from New York for the first time, as well as the return of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, plus a cohort of American composers and soloists. Other anniversaries celebrated this Proms season include the centenaries of the birth of historic figures including jazz pioneers John Coltrane and Miles Davis, and a concert celebrating 40 years of Paul Simon’s landmark album ‘Graceland’ with its featured stars Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

One of the most exciting nights comes early in Proms season, in the shape of ‘Prog Rock: A Fanfare For The Common Man’. The show will rifle through classic progressive rock songs by the genre’s most prominent names, including Genesis, Jethro Tull, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. The selection of tracks has been curated by BBC Radio 6 Music DJ Stuart Maconie, whose 2023 Northern Soul night has become a massive part of the Proms legacy in recent memory. Robert Ames, co-principal conductor of the London Contemporary Orchestra, will be conducting the BBC Concert Orchestra for this one on Saturday the 18th of July. Ames posted on Facebook about the announcement, saying “I grew up listening to prog rock with my dad, and I still do. Some of my earliest musical memories are of car journeys to school, moving between Pink Floyd, Berlioz, Genesis and Mussorgsky learning without really knowing it that music could be huge, emotional, strange, theatrical and completely transporting. That world left a big mark on me, so being part of this feels deeply personal — and very special.”

One to watch will certainly be ‘Bond and Beyond’, a deep-dive into the music and epic themes that have made the James Bond film franchise so unforgettable. From the timeless main theme, to older classics like those by Shirley Bassey or Paul McCartney and Wings, and modern ones by Chris Cornell or Billie Eillish, this show will have it all for the Bond fans. So far confirmed for the night is Carly Simon’s ‘Nobody Does It Better’ from ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ and Adele’s ‘Skyfall’ from the film of the same name. Canadian Daniel Bartholemew-Poyser will be guest conductor with the BBC Concert Orchestra on Tuesday the 25th of August.

August’s leg of the event will conclude with a special tribute to Alan Menken, whose Disney soundtracks have been an irreplaceable part of life for millions of children worldwide. Menken is one of 22 EGOT winners, proud owners of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award across disciplines of TV, music, film and theatre respectively. His scores include many of Disney’s biggest animated films, such as ‘The Little Mermaid’, ‘Aladdin’, ‘Hercules’, and ‘Beauty and the Beast’. Performances will be by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, with special guests from the National Youth Music Theatre, live on Monday the 31st of August.

The First Night of the Proms kicks off across BBC TV, radio, iPlayer and BBC Sounds on Friday the 17th of July. Currently, the lineup for the Last Night of the Proms on Saturday the 12th of September has not been finalised, with the BBC suggesting room for another show to rival last year’s closing set of Queen’s surviving members playing ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. The BBC estimates more than 300,000 tickets will be available over the full eight-week duration, with a quarter of them costing only £8. General booking opens on Saturday the 16th of May from the Royal Albert Hall’s website.

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