{entry.title} {siteName}

Next festival

3 – 4 July 2027

Winchester

Welcome to Hat Fair

For one weekend, Winchester becomes one big outdoor stage.

From bustling streets to hidden spaces, you'll find street theatre, live music, comedy, dance, circus and spectacular aerial performances. Some will make you laugh. Some will stop you in your tracks. Some might change the way you see the world.

Most of the festival is free, so you can wander, discover something unexpected, and stay as long as you like.

Bring your friends. Bring your family. Bring your curiosity.

the wonderful Winchester Hat Fair, a joyous weekend of street theatre and outdoor performance

The Guardian, Lyn Gardner

Image gallery

  • A giant puppet being controlled by five puppeteers.
  • Two people balancing on a bicycle.
  • A person balancing on a ladder and juggling, in front of a large crowd outside.
  • An acrobat performing a cartwheel.

Free for everyone to enjoy

Hat Fair is family‑friendly and completely free to attend! No gates, no steep ticket prices — just a weekend of pure, outdoor arts magic for absolutely everyone.

A tiny handful of special indoor or limited‑capacity events might require a ticket, but you can experience the vast majority of our spectacular festival without spending a penny.

You can wander from stage to stage and soak up the atmosphere entirely for free. While a very small number of individual special events may require pre‑booked tickets, the heart and soul of the street festival is open to all.

Image gallery

  • Young people walking through colourful tunnels.
  • Two circus performers walking through the street. One person is being carried on the other's back.
  • A night time performance outside Winchester Cathedral.
  • A person dressed as a bird and running whilst carrying a cardboard box. A large crowd are watching.

What makes us tick?

Cheeky street theatre

Watch out! Our buskers love to pull unsuspecting passersby into the spotlight. You might end up holding a prop, joining a dance troupe, or becoming part of a human pyramid.

Mind‑blowing spectacles

From towering structures to intimate, curious performances tucked away in quiet courtyards, discover something that makes you go, 'Wow!'

Creative communities

Hat Fair is run by the charity Play to the Crowd. Every roar of laughter and gasp of wonder helps us bring communities together through the power of live performance.

Image gallery

  • A person hula hooping with multiple hula hoops, in front of a large crowd outside.
  • A group of people dressed as birds and pulling silly faces.

They say you can't buy happiness, but you can put some loose change in a performer's hat — and that's pretty much the same thing.

Love Hat Fair? Play your part

Hat Fair is proudly part of Play to the Crowd, an arts and education charity.

We love that our weekend of wonder is free for everyone to enjoy, but it takes a lot of behind‑the‑scenes wizardry to keep the festival alive.

By making a donation or joining us as a volunteer, you aren't just supporting one incredible summer weekend — you're funding year-round community arts, youth theatre, and culture across the entire district.

Image gallery

  • A group of dancers performing on a stage.
  • Two people on a stage. One person is laying on top of a wheelchair on its side.
  • A person doing a backflip in front of Winchester Bus Station.
  • Two acrobats suspended in the air.