Festival season under way in Winchester
Winchester becomes ‘festival central’ as it stages some of the most diverse and exciting events in the UK this summer.
From the world’s longest-running street entertainment festival to exceptional musicians, renowned authors and fine-dining local people can enjoy truly world-class events.
For would-be authors, Winchester Writers’ Festival 2015 is the perfect summer festival. Best-selling authors, poets, playwrights, commissioning editors, literary agents and industry experts will host workshops and give advice on how to enhance creativity and improve writing skills. This festival takes place from 19 - 21 June.
From the 24 – 28 June, Winchester Cathedral’s Cascades Flower Festival offers a stunning display of flowers within the historic cathedral. Tickets cost £10 per adult and £5 per child.
Marwell Zoo hosts an exciting Sunset Party in the Park on 26 June. Visitors can watch the animals at sunset, meet Marwell’s very own costume characters and enjoy exciting live street performances. Standard adult tickets cost £16 per adult and £12 per child.
Winchester Hat Fair is one of the city’s most iconic events. The festival, now in its 41st year, takes place from 3–5 July. Buskers burst onto the streets, providing wonderful celebrations of art and theatre performance.
Winchester Festival brings big names in the arts to the ancient capital and this year from 3-11 July the programme is more varied and appealing than ever before with a diverse range of talks from, among others, Poet Laureate Dame Carol Ann Duffy, historian Dan Snow and Chairman of the FA Greg Dyke.
On Devil’s Island from the 8-9 August, the Cheese and Chilli Festival will showcase a wide variety of tasty local and regional cheeses and chilli-based products. Attendees can also enjoy the ale festival, craft market and cookery demonstrations.
For those looking for a music festival then Blissfields at Vicarage Farm on 3-4 July and Boomtown at Matterley Estate on 13-16 August both have impressive line-ups this year.
The season kicked off with Winchester’s Alresford Music Festival on 6 June and Winchester Guitar Festival on 12 and 13 June featuring the likes of Gaëlle Solal and the Eden Stell Guitar Duo at Winchester Discovery Centre and other city centre venues.