Join us for a sensational summer in Winchester district, with heaps of family fun, outdoor adventures and a festival season in full swing!
Unforgettable family days out
Start planning your summer holidays in Winchester with our jam-packed calendar of family friendly activities! Visit Winchester is your one-stop-shop for planning an unforgettable day out.
At Winchester Science Centre, enjoy summer bubble fun from 19 July to 3 September. Come and play with bubbles, dance with bubbles, explore nature’s bubbles and even get inside bubbles, all free with admission!
In a world-exclusive showcase, visit Marwell Zoo to see more than 20 awe-inspiring creatures crafted from over 2 million toy bricks. Extinction is running from 19 July to 7 September.
Step back in time at Historic Winchester venues across the city. Put your undercover Anglo-Saxon skills to the test, record your findings and earn your official Time Detective Agency badge at 878 AD from 19 July to 2 September.
Meanwhile, get transported back through time each week at City Museum. Solve history mysteries, get arty and crafty, and meet time travelling visitors on special days, from 19 July to 2 September. Find out more!
All aboard a fantastic Day Out With Thomas at The Watercress Line! From 5 to 10 August, don't miss your chance to take a ride behind Thomas, meet some of your favourite characters, and enjoy a trainload of excitement.
Theatre Royal Winchester is also putting on some fantastic family-friendly shows, including Spot's Birthday Party (22 - 24 July), Gorgeous Georgians and Vile Victorians (9 August), and Fireman Sam Live (10 August).
A festival season in full swing
Winchester's famously-fun festival season started on 5 July with Hat Fair, a beloved street theatre festival that transformed the city into an open-air stage. This year, Hat Fair also celebrated 250 years of Jane Austen with a hilarious walkabout show and a 9-foot tall Jane Austen puppet! The street festival is free to attend; simply wander through the city, taking in performances of song, dance, comedy, circus and more!
The summer months are also filled with celebrations of food and drink across the district. Make the most of A Taste of Winchester from 23 June to 6 July. The programme features a series of special events, tasting menus and offers celebrating the best of local flavours. Winchester is also proud to host the Foodies Festival on 18 to 20 July, serving up live music, live cooking demos and fantastic street food at the UK's largest celebration of food and drink.
Winchester's music festival scene is both eclectic and electric. The Grange Festival, 4 June to 6 July, showcases exceptional opera, dance, jazz and more, on a breath-taking English country estate. In a glorious market town, enjoy the family-friendly Wickham Festival, featuring live music on four stages plus a host of other entertainment from 31 July to 3 August. And just beyond the city is Boomtown, a unique, psychedelic festival and interactive theatre. You can expect a line-up that dances across musical genres, including reggae, punk, electronic, folk, and more from 6 to 8 August.
Explore Hampshire's great outdoors
Winchester district is the perfect place to dust off the cobwebs and get exploring outside. We've got plenty of walking trails - around the city, in the South Downs National Park, and in our charming market towns - so be sure to bring your walking boots with you when you visit!
Experience panoramic views of Winchester from St Catherine’s Hill, an iron age hill fort on the edge of the South Downs with this family-friendly trail. Or, you can carry on past Hockley Viaduct to The Bridge Inn in Shawford, an idyllic riverside pub offering delicious food and a stunning terrace.
If you are only in the city for the day and don’t want to miss a thing, the City Walk is the perfect place to start. You will meander along the bank of River Itchen towards Kingsgate Village. Stop here for some lunch at the award-winning Wykeham Arms, shop for books in the wonderfully quaint P&G Wells, and perhaps go for a tour of the medieval Winchester College.
For experienced walkers, the South Downs Way is the perfect route to explore some of the country’s most breath-taking scenery. The first stretch of the Way is from Winchester to Exton, a quaint village nestled in the South Downs National Park.
Whether you’re a family of seasoned ramblers looking for your next big hike or a city stroller wanting to take in the sights more sustainably, the Winchester district has something for everyone. Discover more in our guide to walking in Winchester.
A summer season of Jane Austen
This summer, enjoy a marvellous selection of events and festivities celebrating 250 years of Jane Austen.
At The Arc, a brand-new exhibition, Beyond the Bonnets: Working Women in Jane Austen's Novels, opens on 26 July until 2 November.
Meanwhile, Winchester City Museum is offering a unique glimpse into the personal life of the beloved author with its exhibition of Jane Austen’s very own pelisse coat. The pelisse will be on display until 16 June, returning to Winchester on 27 July until 20 October.
Gather your carriages and dance cards for a Regency Ball at The Great Hall on 16 August. Prepare for an evening of costumes, dancing Regency-inspired dishes!
At Jane Austen’s House, The Art of Cassandra brings together ten examples of Cassandra’s art, six of which have never been displayed publicly before. The exhibition is open until 7 September.
Make haste, tickets are selling out fast! Discover more Jane Austen 250 events.
Perfect summer stays
What's on this summer?
Wild Wednesday: River Dipping
Gilbert White's House
CLOSES: 28 August 2025
DATE: 27 Aug 2025 - 27 Aug 2025
CLOSES: 28th Aug 2025
CLOSES: 16th Aug 2025
Wild Wednesday: Grasshoppers and Crickets
Gilbert White's House
CLOSES: 21 August 2025
DATE: 20 Aug 2025 - 20 Aug 2025
CLOSES: 21st Aug 2025
Gilbert’s Garden: Scything Day
Gilbert White's House
CLOSES: 14 August 2025
DATE: 13 Aug 2025 - 13 Aug 2025
CLOSES: 14th Aug 2025
CLOSES: 10th Aug 2025
Wild Wednesday: Birds of Prey
Gilbert White's House
CLOSES: 7 August 2025
DATE: 6 Aug 2025 - 6 Aug 2025
CLOSES: 7th Aug 2025
Bluey & Bingo Meet and Greet
The Watercress Line
CLOSES: 25 August 2025
DATE: 22 Aug 2025 - 24 Aug 2025
CLOSES: 25th Aug 2025
Wild Wednesday: Beautiful Butterflies
Gilbert White's House
CLOSES: 31 July 2025
DATE: 30 Jul 2025 - 30 Jul 2025
CLOSES: 31st Jul 2025
A Natural History of Wonderland Trail
Gilbert White's House
CLOSES: 10 September 2025
DATE: 19 Jul 2025 - 7 Sept 2025
CLOSES: 10th Sept 2025
Horses and Wagons - a WW1 Living History Event
The Royal Logistic Corps Museum
CLOSES: 11 August 2025
DATE: 8 Aug 2025 - 10 Aug 2025
CLOSES: 11th Aug 2025
Free Drop-in Crafts at The AGC Museum
Winchester's Military Museums
CLOSES: 7 September 2025
DATE: 3 Jul 2025 - 6 Sept 2025
CLOSES: 7th Sept 2025