Performing Arts Festival 2026
A stage for the whole Kingdom: St Chris hosts the second Performing Arts Festival
Young performers from 22 schools across Bahrain brought music, dance and drama to St Christopher’s School, with performances at both St Chris Primary Campus and our New Senior School.
The second edition of the St Chris Performing Arts Festival has drawn to a close, and what a festival it was. Over several days, students of all ages took to the stage in solo and group categories, from first-time performers at Level 1 to accomplished musicians, dancers and actors competing at Advanced level. The festival culminated in the Awards Ceremony at our New Senior School on Wednesday evening, celebrating the achievements of our young performers.
Performances took place in the Junior Hall at St Chris Primary Campus and the Black Box Theatre at the New Senior School. It was especially exciting to welcome performers into the 750-seat auditorium at teh Senior School for the first time, where the Rock and Pop and many of the music sessions came alive on a stage worthy of them.
Highlights from the festival
Across more than 35 competitive categories, spanning dance, drama, rock and pop, piano, vocal and instrumental music, the standard of performance was exceptionally high.
Awards were shared widely across Bahrain’s school community. Visiting performers from the British School of Bahrain, the American School of Bahrain, Ahlia School, Shaikha Hessa Girls’ School, Capital School, Sacred Heart School, Philippine School Bahrain, Ibn Khuldoon National School, New Millennium School, Abdulrahman Kanoo International School and Isa Town Intermediate Boys School were among the prize winners. Highlights included Shaikha Hessa Girls’ School taking first and second place in Group Drama Level 3, and the ASB Platinum Band winning the Secondary Large Instrumental category.
St Chris students also enjoyed a memorable festival, with ensembles such as the St Chris Chamber Choir, Gold Street Dance, the First Fret Guitar Ensemble and rock band STND all taking first place. Several of our students shone in more than one discipline. Marcela Trujillo Villarreal earned top honours in dance, rock and pop and vocal music, while Isobel Ofori-Quah won both the Level 3 and Advanced instrumental categories.
A word from our Director of Performing Arts
Dennis Haggerty, Director of Performing Arts at St Christopher’s School, said:
“This festival is about giving young performers from Bahrain a real stage, enthusiastic audience, and the chance to be inspired by one another. To welcome students from 22 schools in its second year, and to see them perform in our new 750-seat auditorium, has been a genuine highlight. The confidence, creativity and sheer talent on show, from our youngest soloists to our advanced ensembles, tells us that performing arts in Bahrain has a very bright future.”
Thank you
A huge thank you to every student who performed, and to the teachers, parents and staff from all 22 schools who prepared, supported and cheered them on. Our thanks also go to the St Chris Performing Arts team and the many colleagues behind the scenes who made the festival run so smoothly across both campuses.
We are especially grateful to our main sponsors, iCaur and Ardas, and also our partnership with Al Dana Amphitheatre for their generous support of performing arts in Bahrain. Their backing helps us give young people a professional stage to grow in confidence and share their talents.
Congratulations to all of this year’s performers and prize winners. We look forward to welcoming you back for the third Performing Arts Festival next year.