Step inside Van Gogh's iconic artworks

Van Gogh Alive, the most visited multisensory experience in the world, is coming to Wincheser in 2026. The event sees the artist's masterpieces come to life, giving you the sensation of stepping within his paintings. At Winchester Science Centre, Van Gogh Alive will take over the planetarium dome where you will be transported through Van Gogh’s world, from the Netherlands to Arles, surrounded by over 3,000 stunning images of his most famous works, including 'Starry Night' and 'Sunflowers' - and it'll all be set to a powerful classical score.

Van Gogh Alive at Winchester Science Centre. 22 January - 22 March 2026.

Celebrate one of Jane Austen's most loved novels

Just because Jane Austen's 250th anniversary year is over doesn't mean our love affair with Jane Austen is. As well as the new Jane Austen statue in to visit and our Jane Austen's Winchester trail, you can still soak up Austen's world year round in Winchester. During January 2026, Jane Austen's House in nearby Chawton is celebrating all things Pride and Prejudice with a series of tours, talks and readings. There's also a new exhibition about Pride and Prejudice being performed on the stage that you can check out while you're there.

Pride and Prejudice Festival at Jane Austen's House, Chawton. 24 - 28 January.

Read: Your guide to Jane Austen's Winchester 

Get your winter sun fix at Winchester Cathedral

There's no need to dream of warmer climes this winter when Winchester Cathedral is welcoming the Sun itself. 'Helios', an artwork by Luke Jerram, will be suspended inside the ancient cathedral from the end of January until the beginning of March, filling the space with a warm glow. You'll be able to get up close with the orb, which features detailed imagery of the Sun’s surface, with standard entry or you can let the sight brighten up your new year at an event. Pilates classes, folk gigs, silent discos and talks are all taking place in the sunshine. Who needs vitamin D supplements?

Here Comes the Sun at Winchester Cathedral. 30 January - 1 March.

Learn about Japanese artists' books

Visit The Winchester Gallery between January and March to ponder what a book is and what it can be. 'Folding Space' is the gallery's newest exhibition bringing together contemporary book artworks and artists’ books made in the UK and Japan. This exhibition is part of a wider series of projects that explores the connection between UK and Japanese artists and the books they make. You can take part in an event running on 5 February, where artist Noriko Suzuki-Bosco will lead an experimental drawing workshop exploring chance, play, and creative connection.

Folding Space at The Winchester Gallery. 30 January - 28 March.

Visit Winchester's first food hall

Winchester is welcoming it's very first food hall in 2026, with the arrival of Helch. It's the second Helch market to open - there's already one in Bournemouth - and you can expect "a street-food hall with six independent kitchens, an all-weather beer garden, craft-cocktail bars and a late-night club space sound-tracked by resident DJs." Work is currently ongoing to renovate the space, and it's set to open its doors in early 2026. Details are still TBC, but we know Mexican street food The Loco Lime is first confirmed food vendor to grab a kitchen.

Helch Market, Winchester. Opening 2026.

Mark the 10th anniversary of Winchester's Dark Skies Reserve

Winchester is the gateway to the South Downs, London's nearest national park, and the start of the South Downs Way, which connects the city to Eastbourne. This year we'll be exploring the park after dark as we're celebrating the 10th anniversary of the South Downs becoming an International Dark Sky Reserve. (That means the South Downs is an area where the night sky and nocturnal environment are being protected and safeguarded from light pollution - and it makes for dreamy stargazing opportunities.) There will be celebrations all through the year across the South Downs as well as a brand new night-time 'Constellations and Creatures Trail', but you'll be able to really embrace Winchester district's dark skies during February's South Downs Dark Skies Festival. Expect events, talks and lots of opportunities to embrace the darkness and look skywards.

South Downs Dark Skies Festival 2026. 12-22 February.

Read: Stellar places for stargazing in and around Winchester 

Watch an emotionally explosive Othello 

Winchester-based theatre company Discarded Nut Theatre Co is heading back to The Nutshell in spring 2026 with an "emotionally explosive" production of Othello. The retelling "rips into Shakespeare’s most devastating tragedy, exposing razor-sharp insights on toxic masculinity, race, and human fallibility" and is set to be a visually arresting and fearless production of the story you think you know.

Othello at The Nutshell, Winchester. 10 - 21 March 2026.

Get involved in Winchester's literary festivals

Two whole festivals for book-lovers and aspiring writers, Winchester plays host to a books festival in spring and a poetry festival in the autumn. Winchester Books Festival 2025's authors included David Nicholls, Patrick Grant, Tracey Chevalier, Kelly Holmes and more, with opportunities to listen as authors discussed their work or flex your own creative muscle at a workshop. 2025's poetry festival included the likes of a performative séance celebrating 10 years of Dead [Women] Poets Society, a reading from Robin Ince at P&G Wells bookshop, an Arthurian workshop and a poetry collage session for all-ages

Image: The Winchester Bookshop

Winchester Books Festival. 17 - 19 April 2026.

Winchester Poetry Festival. Likely October 2026, exact dates TBC.

Tour Winchester's incredible vineyards

Wine lovers, listen up. Winchester district is home to an incredible number of amazing vineyards producing English Sparkling wines. You can swing by the vineyards for tours, tastings and events, or to pick up bottles to take home with you. Hambledon Vineyard also has a restaurant where you can enjoy lunch or dinner on selected dates. Our suggestion? Make a multi-day adventure of exploring a few of them by walking, cycling or catching the bus between vineyards. Start at The Grange and make your way to Raimes via Louis Pommery, stopping in Alresford for lunch. Extend your winery weekend by travelling on through the beautiful South Downs countryside to Exton Park and Hambledon Vineyard.

Celebrate Winchester's creative industries

This April, Winchester will be championing the city's designers, marketeers, architects, video and music producers, fashion designers and creative digital services with the From Behind Closed Doors festival. A celebration of creative industries in Winchester, the event will feature a curated exhibition showcasing the city's diverse businesses and studios open to the public.

From Behind Closed Doors, various locations. 24 - 27 April 2026.

Have a sleepover in nature

In 2026 we're all looking for some slow, soul-nourishing time in nature, and there's no better way to do that than by spending the night in the middle of nowhere. Winchester might be well connected (we're less than an hour by train from London FYI) but the city is also surrounded by bucolic countryside - and that countryside is dotted with charming and quirky places to stay. Book a night or three in a shepherd's hut or cabin at Avington Lakes for wild swimming, bird-watching, kayaking, paddleboarding and cycling, plus trips to the lakeside sauna. The Pigsty on Vale Farm is a rural hideaway a few minutes from the Clarendon Way walking route, so you can be surrounded by nature and also walking-distance from Winchester city centre. Blackwood Forest is a great option for wood cabins and hot tubs beneath the trees.

Read: Great places to stay in Winchester 

Surround yourself in classical sound

Whether you're a classical music lover or a total novice, you'll find an event to suit at Winchester's 19th Chamber Music Festival. The aim of the festival is to bring high quality chamber music to as wide an audience as possible. Last year, the festival put on eight concerts and four events, from a gala at Theatre Royal Winchester to an intimate late-night concert at St Lawrence Church via a performance from local primary school children who'd written their own songs with help from some of the festival's musicians.

Chamber Music Festival. 1 - 4 May 2026.

Learn a skill at Winchester's new craft and design festival

2026 will see the very first MADE Winchester Craft and Design Festival, within the impressive setting of Winchester Cathedral. The event is set to bring together the very best in contemporary craft, design, and traditional making, with exhibitor stands, stalls, demonstrations, talks, taster sessions and masterclasses from some of the UK's most exciting makers. It'll be a celebration of creativity in all forms.

MADE Winchester Craft and Design Festival at Winchester Cathedral. 7 - 9 May 2026.

Compete in the World Watercress Eating Championships

Thousands of visitors descend on Alresford each May to celebrate watercress, the locally-grown salad leaf. The beautiful market town becomes the site of a huge street festival, with stalls, performers, musicians, cookery demonstrations, face painting, family-friendly entertainment and much more. A procession kicks off the day with entertainers and children accompanying a newly crowned Watercress King and Queen, who will distribute the first of the season's watercress harvest to visitors. Later on, the adventurous can take part in the World Watercress Eating Championships. Those who are victorious end up in the Guinness World Records.

Alresford Watercress Festival. 17 May 2026.

Eat your way around Winchester

Back for 2026, A Taste of Winchester is a delicious fortnight of food and drink. You'll discover special menus, events and tastings across Winchester city and district, showcasing the best the area has to offer, from local produce to exciting global flavours. Restaurants, cafés, pubs, retailers, producers and makers will all come together for the foodie festival again this coming summer. All you need to do is bring your appetite!

A Taste of Winchester. 22 June - 5 July 2026.

Go to a rave in ancient palace ruins

Bishop's Waltham Festival is an annual celebration of the arts, with events taking place across the pretty market town in June. 2026's iteration will include a Friday night 'Regal Rave', a music festival with performances, entertainment and face painting, a family picnic concert with music from a symphony orchestra and an evening of open-air theatre, all within the atmospheric ruins of Bishop's Waltham Palace.

Bishop's Waltham Festival. 26 - 28 June 2026.

Head to a family-friendly festival

Book tickets to this four-day music and arts festival held in a beautiful rural location near the village of Wickham. You'll find live music on multiple stages as well as comedy, theatre, storytelling, yoga classes and more. Aiming to be one of the safest, most relaxed and family-friendly festivals in the UK, Wickham Festival is a chilled way to get that festival feeling. 2026 artists include The Proclaimers and The Saw Doctors, with more to be announced in the coming months.

Wickham Festival. 30 July - 2 August 2026.

Go on holiday to a parallel world

August in Winchester means the arrival of Boomtown festival and this year is set to be the most 'unpredictable' and 'diverse' Boomtown yet. Expect surprising acts, a wide spectrum of musical genres and "themed districts bursting with unique design, ground-breaking stages, vivid characters, and unforgettable experiences." The festival organisers describe this year's festival as not "just a festival - it’s a holiday to a parallel world." The line-up for 2026 includes Scissor Sisters, Skrillex and Shaggy.

Boomtown, nr Winchester. 12 - 16 August 2026.

Visit an immersive flower festival

Floral installations will be taking over ancient Winchester Cathedral in September 2026 for 'Wild! A Festival of Flowers and Nature'. The festival will see the cathedral bursting with colour and creativity as hundreds of floral designers bring the wild beauty of nature to life through stunning installations, live botanical art and performances. Look out for thought-provoking installations exploring themes of climate change, nature's resilience and our human relationship with the natural world.

Wild! A Festival of Flowers and Nature at Winchester Cathedral. 15 - 19 September 2026.

Explore hidden history (for free)

Every day is a history lesson in Winchester, where the city centre is full of intriguing historical buildings. But the city's heritage really comes into its own each September for the Heritage Open Days festival, which is part of a UK-wide initiative to celebrate heritage places and spaces. Each year the festival celebrates history, architecture and cultural heritage with a series of free events, tours and talks, as well as free entry to Winchester spaces that aren't usually open to the public.

Heritage Open Days 2026, various Winchester locations. 11 - 20 September 2026.

Go wild at soft play

Winchester has a lot of amazing play areas and parks to keep little ones entertained, as well as a whole host of family-friendly attractions. But sometimes you just need an indoor soft play. Winchester's newest (and biggest) addition is Thrive & Wild, a soft play with an actually really good on-site café and wellness spaces in Kings Worthy, which is just outside Winchester city.

Thrive & Wild, Kings Worthy. Opening 2026.

Laugh out loud at Winchester Comedy Festival

Bringing the laughs year round, Winchester Comedy Festival is responsible for comedy galas, stand up shows and a cluster of festival funnies in September. 2025 will see a spring comedy gala in March at Theatre Royal Winchester, followed by shows from Scott Bennett, Michael Spicer and Flo and Joan in September. Keep an eye out as more may be announced!

Winchester Comedy Festival, various dates.

Mark 25 years of the Harry Potter films

Did you know the Kings Cross Footbridge that featured in the Harry Potter film series is located at Ropley station? The Handyside Bridge, which was erected in Kings Cross in 1893, was kindly donated to The Watercress Line in 2009. 2026 marks 25 years since Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was released, so make sure you look out for when you take a ride on the vintage steam railway. If you can't get enough of the magic, check out The Watercress Line's Wizard Week, which usually runs over the October half-term.

Read: Winchester on screen 

Strip off for an alfresco sauna session

We're hoping 2026 is a year for rest and replenishment, and what better way to do that than by trying out some hot and cold therapy while surrounded by nature? Winchester Garden Spa is a rural corner just outside the city centre, with a wood-fired sauna, wood-fired hot tub and cold water dipping pool with views of St Catherine's Hill. Head out of the city to try Wild Sauna at The Yard, a sauna with cold plunge that is surrounded by fields.

Read: Relaxing places to visit in Winchester

Channel your inner Viking on a rollercoaster

Opening during 2026, Valgard: Realm of the Vikings is a new area at Paultons Park, a popular theme park (also home to Peppa Pig World) near Winchester. Thrill seekers should prepare to step into a land of mighty Norse legends, epic family rollercoasters and immersive spaces. There will be a brand new rollercoaster, 'Vild Swing’ a 12m high Art Wild Swing, a Viking-themed playground and feasting dining hall. Skål!

Valgard: Realm of the Vikings at Paultons Park, near Romsey. Opening 2026.

Start a long distance walking trail

Grab your walking boots and hit the trail to have a wholesome time walking one of the many long-distance trails that start in or cross through Winchester district. These trails can be walked in one go, or in smaller sections. You could walk The South Downs Way, which starts in Winchester city, over five outdoorsy weekends, stopping at pubs and campsites along the way, or pick up a section of the Clarendon Way which links Winchester to Salisbury. The Pilgrims' Way also starts in the city, leading you from Winchester Cathedral to Canterbury Cathedral through miles of the North Downs. Another ancient spiritual route, the St James's Way is part of the world-famous Camino de Santiago, running from Reading to Southampton via Winchester city and it's surrounding countryside. A new waymarker stone was recently unveiled and blessed in Winchester outside St Bartholomew's Church.