2025 Festival Brings Joy
Despite a drizzly start to the day, Hat Fair 2025 was once again a spectacular celebration of street theatre, outdoor arts and community spirit – drawing thousands to Winchester city centre on Saturday 5 July.
Our festival – proudly the UK’s longest-running festival of Outdoor Arts – brought together a vibrant mix of national and international acts, homegrown talent and community performers to transform the city’s streets and green spaces into a playground of joy, laughter and surprise. Families, friends and curious passers-by gathered to witness moments of magic, mayhem and memorable performances throughout the jam-packed day.
Hatters and Highlights: A Day of Outdoor Wonder
This year, our programme captured the playful, expressive and intriguing spirit of Hat Fair, staying true to our roots in traditional hatting – the practice of passing a hat for donations after a performance – while showcasing the breadth and brilliance of contemporary outdoor arts.
Crowds were treated to the UK premiere of Catch Me If I Fall by Juribonke, a breath-taking acrobatic trio from Austria, Kyrgyzstan and the Basque region, who combined daring physical feats with live saxophone to stunning effect. Meanwhile, Goldie Fiasco dazzled audiences with her shimmering presence and knife-throwing skills – enlisting fearless audience volunteers in a performance full of tension and theatrical flair.
One of the most touching moments came from George Orange, a beloved Hat Fair regular, who retires this year. With his trademark humour and tightrope walking skills, he invited young volunteers to share the stage in a joyful send-off. Equally charming were Rudkin and Hicks, whose eccentric clowning and infectious energy had audiences laughing along throughout the day. The UK African Acrobats wowed the crowds with an electrifying mix of limbo, fire-eating and spinning stunts that had both children and adults in awe.
A Colourful Festival Full of Character
Hat Fair is never short of colour and character, and this year was no different. Sienta la Cabeza saw hair-sculpting chaos with an on-stage salon, where brave volunteers emerged with imaginative hairstyles adorned with twigs, flowers and even a witch’s hat crafted from a vinyl record.
The youngest visitors flocked to The Last Baguette Theatre Company’s eye-catching hot pink set, erupting with excitement whenever their puppet rat emerged from hiding. Nearby, Joli Vyann delivered a tender and visually stunning dance-circus performance that explored the life of a couple living by the sea, underscored by real stories from local community members about their cherished beach memories.
Hong Kong’s TS Crew brought high energy to the streets with Prototyping (No Sugar No Milk), a seamless blend of dance, martial arts, beatboxing and physical theatre that moved fluidly through Winchester’s bustling centre. Fans of Jane Austen were delighted by a roaming theatrical piece uncovering the mystery of a lost manuscript, while the realistic elephant puppet Bella – brought to life by Animate Puppet Co. – charmed onlookers of all ages. The company also inspired creativity through hands-on puppet-making sessions for budding artists and families.
Celebrating Local Voices and Young Talent
A vital part of Hat Fair’s mission is to champion local artists and give a platform to new and emerging talent. Play to the Crowd's very own Playmakers Youth Theatre once again shone brightly, presenting three original shows. The youngest group brought history to life with a moving tale inspired by the wartime bravery of messenger pigeons. The School Years 7–9 group worked with a professional spoken word artist to explore belonging, safety and inclusion through powerful poetry, while our oldest participants combined theatre with installation art and protest banners to highlight the social issues that matter most to them.
The Top Hat competition, celebrating the work of University of Winchester students and graduates, saw bold and boundary-pushing performances take centre stage. Midnight Hags stunned with Agnes of God, a visceral exploration of good, evil and the weight of patriarchy, while dare to diverge won the competition with Bunch of Clowns, a playful and poignant take on gender perception. Last year’s winners, Truth Be Told Theatre Company, returned with Shrewish Women, honouring those who defied social expectations, and were joined by women from Trinity in a striking masked performance featuring protest banners.
The day also featured a wealth of local talent across multiple genres. Winchester’s Integr8 Dance brought dynamic routines to life; singers like David Dogwood shared tunes, while Jelvis brought the spirit of Elvis back to the streets. Lounge Room Lizards added a ukulele twist to proceedings, and vocal groups such as The (Amazing) Fusion Choir and Winchester A Capella filled the air with song. Winchester High Street was also graced by Blue Apple Theatre’s giant Jane Austen puppet, and audiences embraced cultural performances from the Ukrainian Kalyna Choir and Bulgarian folk dance group, Zdravets. And, of course, Juggling Jake’s red-and-yellow circus tent drew young crowds eager to master plate-spinning, unicycling and stilt-walking.
What’s Next for Hat Fair?
After the huge success and sheer joy of Hat Fair 2025, we’ll be taking a short break in 2026 – but we'll return on Saturday 3 July 2027.
Our heartfelt thanks go to everyone who performed, volunteered, attended, donated and helped make this year’s festival such a vibrant and unforgettable day.
Support Future Festivals
Hat Fair is a free festival for everyone – but we can only keep it that way with your support.
If you loved Hat Fair 2025 and want to help make future festivals possible, you can:
Thank You, Winchester!
Hat Fair 2025 was filled with cheeky moments, expressive performances and intriguing surprises – just the way we like it. Until next time… thank you for celebrating with us.
Photos by Stuart Allen
