Hat Fair, the UK’s longest-running festival of Outdoor Arts, is back – and this year it will once again take over the city streets and green spaces of Winchester. Held over the first weekend of July, this year Hat Fair runs from Friday 1 – Sunday 3 July and will invite audiences of all ages to watch bright and bold street theatre, music, dance, comedy and circus.
There will be two ways to enjoy Hat Fair. On the Friday and Saturday, the festival will be free, with all performances taking place across the city centre; while on the Sunday, audiences can opt for a more relaxed festival fun-day experience with a ticketed event at North Walls Recreation Ground (with exclusive brand-new shows, outdoor immersive games and gig theatre not featured elsewhere during the festival). But whichever way festival-goers choose to enjoy Hat Fair, they will not bedisappointed by the full programme of performances suitable for all ages and interests.
Hat Fair will commence on the Friday with the Carnival, when hundreds of local school-children will parade through the city streets in colourful costumes and headdresses they have made in school, dancing to samba learnt in preparation. They will start at the Great Hall and after the procession, be greeted in Abbey Gardens by local community groups for a picnic. The parade will be followed by Autin Dance Theatre’s Eko, a 13ft Sea Giant puppet, that features in Out of the Deep Blue – a moving tale about our earth’s climate emergency, which the theatre group will perform on Friday afternoon.
Friday and Saturday feature an international visit from the mighty Fidget Feet with A Handful of Dreams, made possible with support from Culture Ireland. A Handful of Dreams is an awe-inspiring and heart-warming outdoor show that combines aerial and circus arts with live Irish traditional music and dance. This beautiful celebration will connect to the hearts of each audience member while restoring the joy of being alive.
Cat and Mouse Theatre recruit stars and crew from the street in Blockbuster Factory; while Bash Street Theatre’s The Cameraman features songs, music and silent comedy in a piece about an inept cameraman who becomes involved in the theft of the world’s largest diamond!
Avanti’s Full Circle draws a crowd through a series of odd actions, with strangers soon helping the performers with a series of tasks and one audience member-facing consequences; Curious Company Theatre’s Department of Complaints wants to hear from grumbling audience members. Post a niggle on the board or fill out a form. While Wet Picnic’s Dinner Table is a crash course in decent dining and eating etiquette, surreal and fun with audience participation, food mess and dancing.
“I can’t wait to bring Hat Fair back to the streets of Winchester city centre for the first time in three years. Last year’s Covid-secure version featured a restricted capacity out of necessity so it will be great to return in 2022 to what will hopefully be a full-fat festival in all its glory.”
There will also be mini-golf; circus skills from children’s favourite Juggling Jake; and the return of Out of Bounds, with Knights of the Renowned Fable – recreating adventures with wizards, kings and dragons. Audiences will get another chance to immerse themselves in the giant colourful labyrinth of chambers, Colourscape, by Eye Music Trust; and see the world in a different way with optical mirror illusion, The Amazing Camera Obscura. Children will love to try a range of musical instruments at The Musication Station. Plus, there will be food, drink and gift stalls.
Hat Fair and Playmakers Director, Andrew Loretto, said: ‘Let’s take to the streets once again on Friday and Saturday with a plethora of free, high quality professional and local community performances. Then buy your tickets for the very different Sunday offer where you can see unique performances and relax on our festival greenfield site.’
Hat Fair is the UK’s longest-running festival of outdoor arts.
Founded in 1974 by Jonathan Kay, Hat Fair inspires and is inspired by the people, heritage and public spaces within the city of Winchester.
Our aim is to shine a light on the city, transforming the everyday into the extraordinary.
Initially conceived as a busking festival, Hat Fair takes its name from the tradition of the audience showing their appreciation by putting money in the hat at the end of the show.
These days most of the festival’s artists are paid a fee to perform for free to our audiences. However, we still uphold the hatting tradition by inviting a dozen or so of the world’s best street performers to ‘hat’ at the festival each year – we offer a contribution to their travel costs and provide food and accommodation for them during the festival, but they are primarily paid through the generosity of our audiences.
In 2013 Hat Fair became part of Live Theatre Winchester Trust (now known as Play to the Crowd), which also runs Theatre Royal Winchester.
Bringing together a historic theatre and an outdoor arts programme in creative collaboration has allowed us to develop our artistic ambitions relishing the opportunities this presents for encouraging talent and championing quality arts.