Winchester Brew - 18th December '25

The final stretch is here. Winchester’s in that lovely pre Christmas squeeze: plans everywhere, people pop up you’ve not seen in months, and the lights make even a quick errand feel seasonal. This week’s guide covers the last few days before Christmas Day, with plenty to dip into whether you’re leaning into the festive stuff or just looking for a good reason to leave the house.

We’re leading with a particularly festive and relaxed String Quartet by Candlelight at the Pump House, but it’s a packed run-in elsewhere too: planetarium “After Dark” nights (from Zeppelin to Pink Floyd), mince pies and a museum tour, Ukrainian Christmas at the United Church, comedy and family shows at The Arc, plus Cathedral concerts for a calmer reset between the chaos.

We’ll be taking a short break over Christmas week ourselves, then we’ll be back with a fresh issue on 1st January to help you shake off the New Year fog and find something cheerful to aim at, beyond the leftover mince pies.

Our featured pick of the events this week.

🕯️🎻🎶🍷🎄 Experience a unique, one of a kind event in Winchester, in the intimate spectacular Pump House. Enjoy a wide variety of string quartet tributes from the the 80s, 90s, 00s, 10s and 20s while choosing from the wine list at the Pump House.

The Vibe: Think of this as a social night out with a live soundtrack, rather than a formal concert. We want you to chat, laugh, and catch up with friends, all accompanied by our delectable, recognisable string quartet covers. It’s super informal, relaxing, and the perfect way to unwind.

When: Friday 19th December, at 7:00pm (Bar opens at 6:45pm)

Where: The Pump House

A curated list of events from the next seven days. We try to only include events that still have availability, though things can sell out quickly so best to check ahead. Cheapest adult ticket price option shown unless otherwise stated.

🎄🎬 After Dark: Starlight Cinema: Elf, Winchester Science Centre (Planetarium), runs Saturday to Tuesday. A totally different way to watch Elf, playing under the stars of the Planetarium screen, with popcorn, snacks and drinks available. Doors open 5:15 PM and the movie starts 5:45 PM. £8.50.

🚂🎅 Father Christmas Express, The Watercress Line Saturday to Tuesday. A properly magical steam train outing where you get to meet Father Christmas onboard, pick up a present at “Present Junction” back at Ropley. There are extra festive bits at the station too (activity trail, letters to Father Christmas, miniature railway, reindeer food). Adult £18.50, Child £24.50

🎭🎄 Puss in Boots, Theatre Royal Winchester, runs until 4th January, . Get ready for the purrr-fect swashbuckling Christmas adventure. Full of PAW-some gags, original songs and loads of audience participation, it's going to be MEOW-gic! £12

🔐🎄 Christmas Escape Game: Sleigh Bells & Sabotage, No. 45 Southgate Street, runs until 18th January. There’s trouble brewing at the Winchester Sleigh Depot. Follow a trail of missing melodies, stolen stockings, misplaced ingredients and one extremely impolite note as you uncover who’s been stirring up festive chaos. £22

🎀 Christmas Napkin Ring Workshop, Winchester Cathedral, at 1:00 PM. A relaxed, hands-on session to make a pair of Christmas napkin rings using willow bases, twine, and dried flowers, with an optional wooden name label to finish them off. £30

🪩 Hundred Watt Club (December 2025), The ARC, at 7:30 PM. A festive evening of burlesque and cabaret, packed with glittering showgirls, bawdy comedy, vaudeville, and circus acts. It’s adults-only (18+), includes an interval, and the bar opens at 6:30 PM. £18

🎸 After Dark: Led Zeppelin The Planetarium Experience, Winchester Science Centre, at 6:00 PM. A 45-minute, full-dome 360° audio-visual ride through 12 classic Led Zeppelin tracks, with surreal, abstract planetarium visuals. Doors reopen at 5:15 PM. £20

🌒 After Dark: Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon, Winchester Science Centre, at 7:15 PM (or 8:30 PM). A 45-minute, full-dome 360° visualisation set to the entire album, built for maximum “float through space and rethink your life choices” energy. Doors reopen at 6:30 PM for the first show (7:45 PM for the second), with a bar open for drinks. £25

🥧 Mince Pies in the Museum, The Royal Logistic Corps Museum, at 7:30 PM. A properly cosy after-hours museum evening with warm mince pies and mulled wine (non-alcoholic available), followed by a guided tour led by the Museum Director, plus time to browse the gift shop once the doors are shut to the public. £12

🛰️ After Dark: The Planetarium Live: Busting Myths, Winchester Science Centre, at 6:30 PM. A presenter-led, 45-minute live Planetarium show that separates space fact from fiction, busting some of the biggest myths in the universe. Doors open at 6:00 PM for drinks and snacks before take-off. £12.50,

🎄 Ukrainian Christmas in Winchester, United Church (Winchester), at 6:30 PM. A festive evening celebrating Ukrainian Christmas traditions, with seasonal songs and a chance to learn a few cultural details along the way (including what a didukh is). Expect a warm, community feel, plus the option to try Ukrainian food (including borscht) as part of the celebration. £20

🪩 Christmas for Grown Ups, Guildhall Winchester, at 7:30 PM. A full-on festive disco night for adults with 70s disco, 80s pop and 90s dance classics, plus a few Christmas favourites. Doors open 6:45 PM (6:30 PM for VIP), dancing runs till 11:00 PM, dress code is glitter and Christmas jumpers… and yes, they promise snow. £21.50

🎤 Barnstormers Christmas Comedy Special, The ARC, at 8:00 PM. Get ready to laugh your stockings off! This Christmas, Barnstormers Comedy Night is bringing you a sleigh-load of laughter with our Christmas Comedy Special. It's the perfect way to warm up those frosty winter nights with some festive chuckles and ho-ho-ho hilarity! £12.50

🌌 After Dark: Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here, Winchester Science Centre, at 8:15 PM. A 45-minute, full-dome 360° trip through Wish You Were Here, with waves of colour, imagery and animation wrapping the Planetarium screen. Doors reopen at 7:30 PM, bar open for drinks. £20

🥾 Winchester, Kings Worthy, South Wonston Circular Walk at 9:45 AM. A 10-mile easy/moderate circular that follows the river by Winnall Moors, crosses Barton Meadows Nature Reserve, joins the Watercress Way (the old railway) to South Wonston, then loops back to Winchester on a different route. £2

🎶 Chamber Choir Concert: Advent and Christmas, Winchester Cathedral, at 12:00 PM. A beautifully calm lunchtime concert in the Quire, with the Cathedral Chamber Choir singing seasonal favourites that feel like a reset button in the middle of December. £15

🕯️ Christmas Candle Painting Workshop with Scarlet Standen, Holy Trinity Church Hall, at 2:00 PM. A hands-on workshop where you sketch a simple design, then hand-paint elegant taper candles using chalk-based paints and folk-inspired motifs, with Scarlet guiding you throughout. All materials are provided (you take home 4 painted candles), plus tea, coffee and cake. £35

🎭 Pinocchio, The ARC, at 2:30 PM and 7:30 PM. The Travelling Players hot foot it to your community with suitcases full of fun and frivolity. They tell the enchanting tale of a talented clock maker, who with no child of his own, carves from wood, a puppet of a boy. Pinocchio, full of life, curiosity and mischief, desperate to fit into the world, leads his father on a merry dance. £12

🏉 Winchester Rugby vs Havant II, North Walls Park, at 2:30 PM. A proper Saturday home fixture to round out the pre-Christmas run, with Winchester hosting Havant II.

⚽ Winchester City vs Shaftesbury, Charters Community Ground, at 3:00 PM. Proper Saturday-football energy at the Charters, with Winchester City hosting Shaftesbury in the Southern League Division One South. Turn up a bit early, grab a hot drink, and enjoy the very specific joy of non-league football done right. £13.50

🎶 Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols, Winchester Cathedral, at 4:00 PM. A beautifully compact 30-minute concert in the Nave, with the Cathedral Choristers and harpist Elizabeth Green performing Britten’s much-loved seasonal work. Perfect if you want something moving and Christmassy without committing your whole evening. £10

🎶 Jayetal, The Railway Inn, at 8:00 PM. To support their forthcoming EP release, JayetAl are returning to the Railway, bringing their euphoric symphonic electronica to a headline show, performing brand-new music alongside tracks from the EP. Special guests to be announced. £8

🎻 The Christmas Orchestra, Guildhall Winchester, at 8:30 PM. A big, festive concert experience with a 16-piece chamber orchestra, full lighting and sound, and a setlist that leans into Christmas film nostalgia plus sing-along classics (think Home Alone, Love Actually, Harry Potter, Elf, and more). Doors open 7:45 PM. £35

🎶 DJ Jimi Needles Wintery AV Party, The Railway Inn, at 8:00 PM. Think Home Alone meets Madlib in a snow globe. Bing Crosby breakdancing and the Grinch tearing up the decks. One night only. Naughty list approved! £10

🦌 It’s Christmas! Build & decorate a wooden Rudolph, The ARC, at 10:00 AM (and 2:00 PM). A hands-on kids’ workshop to assemble a 2D wooden Rudolph with moving arms and legs, then decorate it into a full personality. Expect paint, creativity, and happy chaos. £12

🧸 Oldilocks and the 3 Bears, The ARC, at 11:00 AM (or 2:00 PM). A warm, funny, puppet-packed twist on the porridge classic, with music, mischief, and a “naughty old lady” Oldilocks who is instantly entertaining for kids (and quietly hilarious for adults). A snug 45-minute show that’s ideal for ages 3–7. £12 (or £43 family of four)

🎭 Santa's Christmas Party, Theatre Royal Winchester, at 10:30 AM, 1:30 PM and 4:00 PM. The show where every child gets a present from Santa! Christmas is the busiest time of year at the North Pole, when Father Christmas makes presents to deliver across the whole world… and when everyone gets ready for Santa’s Christmas Party! £12

🎶 JazzBops - The Spitfire Sisters, The Nutshell, at 11:30 AM. Join us for our monthly lunchtime jazz concert made especially for grown-ups and their little ones (ages 0-4) - a jazz club designed with grown-ups in mind. £12

🎶 The Nutshell Jazz Club: House Band, The Nutshell, at 8:00 PM. This Christmas, we welcome back Alex Western-King and The Nutshell House Band to bring you a celebration of the festive season. After last year’s sold out double house, join Alex and his band for a night of holiday classics. £25

🎶 The Nutshell Jazz Club: The Late Show, The Nutshell, at 10:30 PM. Our Christmas LATE SHOW is back, bringing your favourite Christmas tunes to life with our fantastic house band. New Orleans style Christmas music led by Alex Western-King. Join us for a late night Christmas Jazz experience and bring in the Christmas season in style. £22

🍮 It’s Christmas! Make your own pom pom Christmas Pudding, The ARC, at 10:00 AM. A delightfully cosy 1.5-hour workshop where kids learn to make fluffy pom poms and turn them into a cuddly Christmas pudding creation. Grown-ups can tag along to help, and the café’s open before and after for a bonus hot-chocolate pit stop. £12

📚 Jolabókaflóð (Christmas Book Flood), P&G Wells, from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Drop in on Christmas Eve for P&G Wells’ take on the Icelandic “Christmas book flood”, with festive treats available while you browse, chat, sip, and pick up a last-minute book gift.

🎄 It’s Christmas Eve! Bauble decorating for ages 4+, The ARC, at 10:00 AM (or 11:30 AM). A cosy Christmas Eve craft session where kids design and paint their own personalised bauble using paints, glitter, and festive decorations, then take home a keepsake that actually makes it onto the tree. £8 per child

👼 The Big Nativity Service, Winchester Cathedral, at 11:00 AM (or 3:00 PM). Winchester’s big, joyful family service where kids are encouraged to come dressed as angels, shepherds, animals (a tea towel counts as a costume) and help bring the Nativity to life. No booking needed, and it’s designed to be friendly and welcoming for all ages. Free entry (donations welcome)

🎬 Screening: White Christmas (1954) [4K UHD], Cabinet Rooms (Film Society), at 1:00 PM. A cosy “secret cinema” screening downstairs in the Foreign Office, with just ten seats and a welcome drink included. Over 18s only, and it’s worth arriving 15 minutes early since they start the film right on time (no trailers). £12

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Could your home be their forever place?

A bit of froth to end on…

Did You Know? Think your festive food shop is daunting? For his 1206 Christmas feast in Winchester, King John ordered a staggering 1,500 chickens, 5,000 eggs, and 100 pigs to be delivered to the city!

Brain Teaser: You measure my life in hours, and I serve you by being devoured. Thin, I’m quick. Fat, I’m slow. The wind is my foe. What am I? Last week’s answer: They are three people: a grandfather, his son and his grandson.

Till next time,