SOUTHAMPTON, 23 June 2026: Cunard has announced its 2027 entertainment programme, which will include the return of four Event Voyages aboard Queen Mary 2 and a new series of Entertainment Residencies across its four-ship fleet, according to the cruise line’s official release.
The programme has been developed with cultural organisations spanning theatre, ballet, classical music and literature. Guests will be offered performances, workshops, talks and opportunities to engage with artists during selected voyages.
The new residencies will operate across Queen Mary 2, Queen Anne, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria, while the four returning Event Voyages will take place aboard Queen Mary 2.
Four Event Voyages return aboard Queen Mary 2
Theatre at Sea with the Olivier Awards will return on a Transatlantic Crossing from 20 to 27 October 2027.
The voyage will feature performances, workshops and behind-the-scenes sessions linked to the theatre industry and the forthcoming Olivier Awards season. The programme will take place during Cunard’s second year as Headline Partner of the awards, which are named after actor and director Laurence Olivier.
Dance the Atlantic, presented in partnership with English National Ballet, is scheduled from 16 to 23 July 2027. The voyage will include performances by dancers from the company, alongside talks and workshops exploring ballet and its production.
Anthony Inglis and the National Symphony Orchestra will return for an 18th year from 1 to 8 October 2027. The programme will include classical performances led by conductor Anthony Inglis, as well as talks and question-and-answer sessions.
Guests will also be able to join an onboard choir, rehearsing during the voyage before performing with the orchestra.
The Literature Festival at Sea will take place from 2 to 9 December 2027. Curated by the team behind The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival, the week-long programme will bring together authors, journalists and speakers for talks, discussions and literary events.
Entertainment Residencies added across the fleet
Alongside the Event Voyages, Cunard will introduce a programme of Entertainment Residencies on selected sailings aboard Queen Mary 2, Queen Anne, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria.
The residencies will feature theatre companies and individual performers presenting musicals, literary adaptations, historical dramas and solo productions.
Performances will be supported by related activities, including workshops, recitals and storytelling sessions. The programme will cover productions centred on cultural figures, historical subjects and literary works.
Among the announced titles is The Truman Capote Talk Show, an award-winning production portraying American writer Truman Capote.
The Essence of Audrey is a new biographical production inspired by the life of Audrey Hepburn, who travelled with Cunard during her lifetime.
Frozen Love: A Buckingham Nicks Story will explore the early relationship between Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham before their work with Fleetwood Mac.
Other productions included in the programme are An Afternoon Stroll with Hilaire Belloc and A Ghost Among the Living.
Specific ships, sailing dates and the full schedules for individual residencies were not detailed in the announcement.
Programme spans theatre, dance, music and literature
The 2027 line-up extends Cunard’s existing arts programming by placing both scheduled Event Voyages and shorter entertainment residencies across the fleet.
The four Event Voyages will remain centred on Queen Mary 2, with partnerships involving the Olivier Awards, English National Ballet, the National Symphony Orchestra and the team behind The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival.
Katie McAlister, President of Cunard, said: “Entertainment has always been central to the Cunard experience, and our 2027 programme brings together world leading cultural partners in a way that only Cunard can. From our signature Event Voyages on board the world’s only ocean liner to new residencies across the fleet, we’re giving guests the opportunity to connect with the arts in a way that simply isn’t possible anywhere else.”
Source: Official Cunard Press Centre release, 23 June 2026, Southampton
