The Southern Cathedrals Festival is the bringing together of the choirs of Chichester Cathedral, Winchester Cathedral and Salisbury Cathedral in the penultimate weekend of July. Chichester, Winchester and Salisbury take it in turn to host this event.[1]
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In September 1904 a service was held in Chichester Cathedral to celebrate the reopening of the main organ of Chichester Cathedral following its restoration in by Hele of Plymouth. This brought together the cathedral choirs of Chichester Cathedral, Winchester Cathedral and Salisbury Cathedral. In 1905, the cathedral choirs met in Salisbury, followed by Winchester in 1906. Bishop Wilberforce of Chichester died in September 1907, so the return to Chichester had to be delayed until 1908. Thereafter, the "Three Choirs Festival", as it was then known, continued until 1913 when the annual meeting was suspended because of the First World War. The festival was revived in 1920 and continued to be held until 1932. At that time the annual meeting consisted of just a single day and the joint performance by the three choirs of a choral evensong. In 1960 the festival was re-established, with the title changed to the "Southern Cathedrals Festival", and the proceedings increased to two days, with two joint Evensongs and the addition of a concert.[2]
The festival is now three days long consisting of three concerts, a choral masterclass, an organ recital, a Festival Eucharist, buffet lunches, evensongs sung separately by each choir and performances of the "Fringe Revue".[3]
The rota for hosting is as follows:
In 2011, the SCF was hosted at Winchester Cathedral.
The Fringe Revue is an entertainment which is written and performed by the hosting cathedral. It consists of solos sung by lay clerks, comedy acts by organists and vicars, and so on. It is always well received.