What Should a School Performing Arts Trip Include?

A great school performing arts trip should combine opportunities to perform, learn, experience professional productions and explore the culture of a destination. It should also include the practical elements that make overseas school travel run smoothly, such as suitable accommodation, transport, meals, safeguarding arrangements and support.

The exact programme will depend on whether you're travelling with a choir, orchestra, concert band, drama group, dance group or mixed performing arts group, but the best tours balance education with memorable experiences.

So, what should teachers look for when planning a performing arts school trip?

1. Meaningful performance opportunities

For many groups, the opportunity to perform somewhere new is the highlight of the trip.

Performances give students a goal to work towards before departure and the chance to experience performing outside the familiar surroundings of their school.

Depending on the destination and type of ensemble, performance opportunities could include:

• Churches and historic venues
• Public squares
• Concert halls
• Schools
• Community venues
• Outdoor performance spaces
• Dedicated performance events

The important thing is that the venue is suitable for your group.

A 60-piece concert band has very different requirements from a chamber choir or dance group, so performance venues should be selected with factors such as group size, repertoire, instrumentation, technical requirements and student ages in mind.

Activ4's Performing Arts School Trips can be tailored around the type of group travelling and the experiences you want students to have.

2. Workshops that develop students' skills

A performing arts trip shouldn't only be about showcasing what students can already do.

It can also give them an opportunity to learn.

Professional workshops introduce students to different teaching styles, techniques and approaches to performance that they might not encounter in the classroom.

Depending on your group, you could incorporate:

• Musical theatre workshops
• Acting workshops
• Dance workshops
• Vocal coaching
• Instrumental sessions
• Ensemble coaching
• Performance masterclasses
• Rehearsal sessions

Workshops can be particularly effective when they're connected to something students experience later in the tour.

For example, a musical theatre workshop followed by seeing a professional production allows students to explore techniques themselves before seeing them used on stage.

3. The chance to experience professional performance

Students should have opportunities to be audience members as well as performers.

Watching professional musicians, actors and dancers can introduce students to new styles of performance and give them a different perspective on the subjects they're studying.

Depending on the destination, this might mean seeing:

• A musical
• A theatre production
• An opera
• A ballet
• An orchestral concert
• A live music performance
• A dance production

A performing arts school tour can incorporate professional performances alongside students' own workshops and performance opportunities.

4. Cultural experiences connected to the arts

One of the biggest advantages of travelling for performing arts is the opportunity to place music, theatre and performance within a wider cultural context.

Rather than filling the itinerary with unrelated sightseeing, think about experiences that complement what students are learning.

A performing arts tour might include visits to:

• Famous theatres
• Opera houses
• Concert venues
• Museums
• Historic performance spaces
• Music-related attractions
• Important artistic and cultural sites

A tour of Venice, Verona and Milan, for example, can introduce students to three very different Italian cities while combining performing arts with some of Europe's most important cultural settings.

Meanwhile, cities such as Paris and Barcelona offer another mix of performance, architecture, art, music and culture.

This is where a tailor-made itinerary can be particularly valuable: sightseeing can be selected because it adds something to the experience rather than simply filling time.

5. A balanced itinerary

One of the easiest mistakes to make when planning a school tour is trying to fit too much in.

Performing arts groups often need more flexibility than a standard sightseeing group.

Students may need time for:

• Rehearsals
• Warm-ups
• Sound checks
• Changing
• Instrument preparation
• Travelling to venues
• Setting up equipment
• Rest before a performance

If students have an important evening performance, spending the entire day rushing between attractions may not produce their best work.

A good performing arts itinerary should balance:

Performance + Workshops + Culture + Sightseeing + Social Time + Rest

Students should return home feeling inspired — not simply exhausted.

6. Experiences that bring the group together

Not every part of a performing arts trip needs to have an obvious curriculum link.

Social activities are important too.

Performing requires teamwork, trust and communication, and spending time together outside rehearsals can strengthen relationships within an ensemble.

Depending on the destination, you could include:

• Bowling
• Boat trips
• Theme parks
• Beach time
• Discos
• Group meals
• Guided tours
• Interactive attractions

For larger performing arts events, shared activities can also give students opportunities to meet and interact with performers from other schools.

7. Suitable accommodation

Accommodation is about more than finding enough beds.

Its location and facilities can have a significant impact on how smoothly your itinerary runs.

When comparing accommodation for a school performing arts trip, consider:

• Distance from performance venues
• Coach access
• Public transport links
• Student room configurations
• Staff accommodation
• Meal arrangements
• Group meeting spaces
• Security and supervision
• Storage for instruments or equipment

If your group is travelling with large instruments, costumes or technical equipment, storage requirements should be discussed before the accommodation is confirmed.

The cheapest accommodation isn't necessarily the best-value option if it adds lengthy transfers to every day of the tour.

8. Appropriate transport and equipment arrangements

Transport can be more complicated for a performing arts group than for a conventional school trip.

A drama group may be travelling with costumes and props. An orchestra or concert band could have instruments ranging from violins and clarinets to cellos and percussion equipment.

Before booking travel, establish exactly what your group needs to take.

Think about:

• Airline instrument policies
• Luggage allowances
• Coach storage
• Oversized instruments
• Props
• Costumes
• Music stands
• Sheet music
• Technical equipment

In some cases, hiring larger equipment at the destination can be more practical than transporting it from the UK.

Working through these requirements early can prevent expensive surprises later.

9. Meals that work around your programme

Meal arrangements might sound like a small detail, but they become much more important when you're responsible for a large group of students.

Consider how meals fit around rehearsals, workshops and performances.

An early evening performance, for example, might require dinner to be moved until afterwards or an earlier meal to be arranged.

You should also establish how dietary requirements and allergies will be managed before departure.

Your itinerary should work as a complete programme rather than treating accommodation, meals, performances and activities as separate bookings.

10. Safety, safeguarding and support

A performing arts trip still has all the planning requirements of any other educational visit.

Schools need to consider appropriate supervision and risk management throughout the programme, including during:

• Travel
• Accommodation
• Workshops
• Performances
• Sightseeing
• Free time
• Evening activities

Teachers should also know who they can contact if something doesn't go according to plan while they're away.

Activ4 provides Group Leader Support before departure and 24/7 support while groups are travelling, helping teachers manage both the planning process and the practical realities of taking students overseas.

11. Experiences for different abilities and disciplines

Not every student on a performing arts trip will be at the same level.

Some may have been performing for years, while others might only recently have joined an ensemble.

Activities should therefore be appropriate for the group's ages, experience and abilities.

The same applies when several disciplines travel together.

A mixed performing arts department might include musicians, singers, dancers and actors. Rather than giving everyone exactly the same programme, parts of the itinerary can be adapted so students have experiences relevant to their discipline before coming together for shared activities.

That's one of the advantages of creating a tailor-made school tour rather than choosing a fixed itinerary.

12. A memorable final experience

A strong performing arts tour should have something for students to work towards.

That could be a final concert, showcase, performance or shared event that brings together what students have experienced during the trip.

It gives the tour a sense of progression:

Learn → Rehearse → Experience → Perform

More importantly, it gives students a moment they can look back on.

Performing in another country, taking part in a professional workshop or stepping onto a stage somewhere completely new can become one of the experiences students remember most from their time at school.

So, what should a school performing arts trip include?

At its best, a performing arts school trip should include meaningful performance opportunities, specialist workshops, professional performances, cultural experiences, appropriate sightseeing and time for students to enjoy travelling together.

Behind all of that should be carefully planned accommodation, transport, meals, safeguarding and support.

There isn't one perfect itinerary.

A choir shouldn't necessarily have the same tour as an orchestra, and a drama department shouldn't simply be given an itinerary designed for a concert band.

The best performing arts trips are built around the students taking part.

Planning a performing arts school trip?

Activ4 has more than 25 years' experience organising tailor-made school tours, with programmes created around each group's interests and objectives.

Whether you're travelling with a choir, orchestra, concert band, dance group, drama department or mixed performing arts group, we can help create a programme combining performance, learning and cultural experiences.

From transport and accommodation to workshops, performance opportunities and activities, our team can help bring the different elements together into one itinerary.

Explore Performing Arts School Trips

Performing Arts School Trip FAQs

What activities can you include on a performing arts school trip?

Performing arts trips can include student performances, professional workshops, theatre or concert visits, cultural sightseeing, venue tours and social activities. The activities you choose should reflect the discipline and objectives of your group.

Do students have to perform on a performing arts tour?

Not necessarily. A trip can focus more heavily on workshops, professional performances and cultural experiences. However, including a performance opportunity can give students something exciting to prepare for before travelling.

Can choirs, orchestras and bands perform abroad?

Yes. Performance opportunities can be arranged for different types of school ensembles, subject to the group's requirements, destination and venue availability.

Can drama and dance groups take performing arts trips?

Yes. Performing arts tours aren't limited to music groups. Drama, dance and musical theatre groups can take part in workshops, performances, shows and other discipline-specific activities.

Can different performing arts groups travel together?

Yes. Mixed groups can have some shared activities while workshops and performance opportunities are adapted for different disciplines.

What destinations are good for school performing arts trips?

The right destination depends on your group and objectives. Cities with strong music, theatre and cultural traditions can be particularly suitable, while some groups may prioritise the availability of specific workshops or performance venues over the destination itself.

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Want to create a performing arts tour around your students? Request a quote and tell us what you'd like your group to experience.