Winchester Hat Fair 2013

Winchester Hat Fair, Britain's longest running Festival of Street Theatre and Outdoor Arts, returns annually on the first weekend of July from Friday 5th to Sunday 7th July 2013. A crazy, colourful celebration of theatre and music, now in its 39th year, where entertainers perform voluntarily in exchange for money to be thrown into their hats. Supported by local businesses, colleges and organisations, this FREE festival takes Hat Fair takes over the whole of Winchester's ancient city centre.

Free events

Friday: Street theatre from Bram Graafland, Bongo Bolero, Candoco, Fraser Hooper, Lords of Strut, Ramshackalicious, Small Wonders commissionees Commotion Dance and many others can be seen throughout the City Centre from 1pm - 7pm.

Friday: Rag & Bone's strange and fantastic Boneyard Tales - Figures spring to life from a wasteland of discarded rubbish. A mound of mangled debris is transformed into a wonderland of angels, boats and mechanical trees. A combination of physical theatre, puppetry and live music at The Broadway from 8pm.

Friday: French circus artists Collectif Malunés present Sens Dessus Dessous outside The Great Hall from 8pm.

Friday: Ray Lee presents his sound installation Chorus in the Cathedral Inner Close at 2pm, 5pm and 9.45pm.

Friday: An illuminated sculptural walk from French sculptor Denis Tricot at The Weirs Walk, Winchester SO23 9JX www.hatfair.co.uk Time: 12pm – 12am (illuminated between 9pm-12am, with music between 10.30pm - 11pm).

Saturday: Street theatre from Bram Graafland, Bongo Bolero, Candoco, Fraser Hooper, Gobbledegook Theatre, Lords of Strut, Ramshackalicious, Small Wonders commissionees Commotion Dance and many others throughout the City Centre from 12pm - 7pm.

Saturday: The Big Dance returns with performances from Motionhouse, ponydance, Candoco and Hat Fair / Dance Up commissionees, Joli Vyann. There will also be a variety of workshops and demonstrations from local dance companies including Tango workshops accompanied by Argentinean Tango band, Violent Tango. Outside the Great Hall and Law Courts from 12pm - 6pm.

Saturday: French circus artists Collectif Malunés present Sens Dessus Dessous outside The Great Hall, from 6pm.

Saturday: Ray Lee presents his sound installation Chorus in the Cathedral Inner Close at 3pm, 5pm and 10pm

Saturday: The Broadway comes to life with an array of musical talent including Tankus the Henge and a silent disco with 3 DJs to suit a variety of musical tastes from 12pm - 12am.

Saturday: An illuminated sculptural walk from French sculptor Denis Tricot atThe Weirs Walk, from 12pm – 12am (illuminated between 9pm-12am, with music between 10.30pm - 11pm).

Sunday: 'Party in the park' with a mix of regular and new Hat Fair performers, stalls and eateries on Oram's Arbour. Performers include: Amazing Camera Obscura, Barnaby Gibbons, Dans la Poche, The Kiwi Comedy Tour, Leapin Louie and Makadam Kanibal's 'Les Cirque des Curiosities' from 12pm - 6pm.

Sunday: Street theatre from Bram Graafland, Bongo Bolero, Fraser Hooper, Lords of Strut, Ramshackalicious and many others on the High Street from 12pm - 5pm.

Sunday: French circus artists Collectif Malunés present Sens Dessus Dessous outside The Great Hall, from 7pm.

Sunday: Bad Taste Company present their new show Faust - a re-imagining of Goethe's masterpiece meets 1920s Prohibition in a world of gangsters, bootleggers, gamblers, flappers and hep cats, world-class hip-hop dance and authentic period styling fuse with flaming cocktails, burning boxing rings and a literally explosive set outside the Law Courts from 8pm.

Ticketed events

Daily: Mercurial Wrestlerperforms Magna Mysteria at various sites across the city. Participants start by collecting a tarot card from the Fortune Telling Machine in the Box Office at Theatre Royal Winchester. Tickets [£16 / £11 concessions]

Daily: Platform 4performs Memory Point(s) at the Theatre Royal Winchester. Tickets [£12.50 / £10 concessions]

Daily: Ponydancebring with Where did it all go right? at Bar 3one. Tickets [£13 / £11 concessions]

Friday & Saturday: Instant Witbring sharp improvised comedy to Hat Fair in The High Tea and Comedy Tent, Abbey Gardens suitable for audiences aged 10-14yrs and their families. Shows at 12.30pm and 4pm on both days. Tickets [£13 / Family ticket £36] ticket price includes high tea.

Friday & Saturday: Small Wonders this year encompasses 4 shows specially created for the under 5s on the Discovery Centre Terrace. Artists are Commotion Dance, Gobbledegook Theatre Plunge Boom and Shoofly Theatre. Tickets £11. 3 shows a day, 10am-12, 12-2pm and 2-4pm.

More info

Over the weekend there will be interactive installations around the town, walkabout acts, and shows, plus many other festival treats and surprises. The programme usually includes innovative community and education projects that include local school children.

Friday is traditionally the unofficial 'Festival Warm up Day' and Schools Day, with a colourful procession of over 1000 children in costume with music and dance, culminating in outdoor theatre, circus and craft workshops in the grounds of the cathedral. This year as well as the launch procession there's a Mad Hatter's tea party involving kids from local schools to the Small Wonders Park at the Winchester Discovery Centre and a tea-tent in Abbey garden for older ones.

Hat Fair doesn't charge the audience a penny for most performances but you can show your appreciation by putting coins (or notes!) in the artists' hats after the performance.

Hat Fair will be making a special welcome for the young this year. And for the whole family join us for the usual Sunday party at Oram's Arbour.

Accommodation

This event does not have camping, although there are campsites and accommodation in the immediate area.

More info

For more details, please see the Hat Fair website.

More information will be here when available.

Latest Updates