Winchester City Council’s recent renovations to Kings Walk provide a backdrop to the Festival. The new courtyard garden will be the focal point and a place to enjoy some live lunchtime jazz.
Kings Walk’s craft businesses will be hosting free workshops throughout the day. Design Junction will have sessions in pottery and tufting and The Well Worn will help you make a Sashiko stitch patch or mend your favourite denims. Meanwhile at BellaCrafts you can try Indian block printing whilst children can enjoy crown decorating. Budding young performers can join workshops at The Nutshell theatre.
During the Festival shoppers can enjoy generous discounts at Polka Dot Piercing and Sunflowers Emporium and try a free pilates class at Winchester Pilates in their studio at 12.00.
The local cafés will be serving some special Festival treats. The South Downs Social will run a BBQ and craft beer bar on their terrace, complete with a DJs and live music. Open House Deli will have an outside bar and free tasty samples from local producers. BellaCrafts will also have delicious goodies on offer in their tea rooms.
The Kings Walk collective offers something a little different for the city. Whether you are looking for an unusual gift, a bicycle, a rare vinyl record or even a piercing, you’ll find them all in this unique quarter. The resident businesses are benefiting from the recent upgrade. As well as the courtyard garden, improvements have been made to lighting, signage and décor making the area far more welcoming. In addition, the revamped seating outside The South Downs Social and Open House Deli offers alfresco food and drink in the heart of the city centre.
BellaCrafts’, Victoria McClure said:
“It’s been brilliant to see the positive changes taking place and we are really excited to be building relationships and collaborating with the talented business owners on our doorstep.”
Cllr Martin Tod, leader of Winchester City Council said:
“I’m so pleased that the businesses are putting on this event. We’ve worked with them to plan our refurbishment of the building and make it a vibrant and attractive space, but ultimately, it’s the businesses themselves that make all the difference. We’re really ambitious for this part of the city as we work on the Central Winchester Regeneration programme. It’s great to be taking another step along that journey.”
See for yourself on 30th September. The first 250 visitors to the Festival will also get a free Kings Walk tote bag.
This event has been kindly supported by Winchester BID, Partnership Places, Jigsaw and Winchester City Council.
