The Festival is held in and around Dorchester-on-Thames, a picturesque village in the Oxfordshire countryside, where the River Thame flows into the River Thames. The main festival venue, Dorchester Abbey, has been a place of worship for over 1300 years, and stands on the site of a Saxon cathedral built by St Birinus in the seventh century.

In fact, EMF Vice-President, Simon Jenkins, in his authoritative book England's 1000 Best Churches awarded the Abbey a 4-star rating. The Abbey is a popular concert venue and is often used for recordings by Oxford choirs as well as other groups. The recent restoration and development of the Abbey means increased comfort and better facilities, including disabled access through the south entrance, and enhanced acoustics.

Morning, afternoon and late evening events take place in All Saints Church at Sutton Courtenay (in whose churchyard both George Orwell and Herbert Henry Asquith, Prime Minister from 1908-1916 are buried) (see http://www.suttoncourtenay.info/all_saints.html), Radley College, and in the Chapel at Keble College in the centre of Oxford. The mediaeval Guest House situated next to the Abbey in Dorchester will also be used for talks.