Winchester Brew - 27th November '25

Winchester slipped into Christmas mode last week with the Cathedral Market opening its doors, and this week the festive dial nudges up another notch. Santa arrives at the Great Hall, the lights feel brighter around town, and Theatre Royal launches its big seasonal panto, Puss in Boots, a joyful burst of silliness and proper Christmas energy.

But even if your December does not revolve around tiny humans and grottos, there is plenty brewing across the next seven days. Gallery tours, candlelit concerts, jive classes, late-night films, woodland walks, tote bag printing and yoga that feels like Ibiza at sundown. It is a brilliant week to dip into something new.

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Let’s get into it.

Our featured pick of the events this week.

🎭🎄 Get ready for the purrr-fect swashbuckling Christmas adventure.

Life is tough for Colin the poor Miller's son, no money, no job and no chance of impressing the beautiful princess. It's just him and his faithful cat, Puss.

However, Puss is no ordinary feline and soon turns Colin from zero to hero and adventures begin. But they're going to need all the help they can get if Colin’s going to save the day and win the heart of the Princess.

Full of PAW-some gags, original songs and loads of audience participation, it's going to be MEOW-gic!

When: From Saturday 29th November, until 4th January. With a mix of morning, matinee and evening show times. The show runs for approx 2hrs.

Where: The Theatre Royal Winchester

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 where available.

🎁🛍️🎄 Winchester Christmas Market, Winchester Cathedral, on until 22nd December. Enjoy one of the best Christmas Markets in Europe with wooden chalets, the smell of mulled wine drifting through the air, the mix of handmade gifts and cosy food stalls.

🐆🏮 Glow Marwell, Marwell Zoo, starts on Friday. Glow Marwell is back! Explore Marwell in a whole new light. Follow the enchanted nature light trail through a magical world of breathtaking new displays that will fill you with wonder for the natural world. £24.95

🎁🎄🎈Santa’s Grotto at the Great Hall, The Great Hall, on from Saturday. Share a magical moment with Santa and his elf in the magical setting of The Great Hall Grotto, creating memories you and your family will treasure for a lifetime. Price includes a child and accompanying adult ticket and a gift. £25

🎭 Chesil Bare Stage: Shirley Valentine, The Chesil Theatre, at 7:30 PM on Thursday and Saturday, and 2:30 PM on Sunday. This production is performed with no set and minimal technical support, showcasing the basic raw talent of the actor, director and writer. Chesil Bare Stage is a new initiative helping to raise funds for the New Chesil Theatre - our ambitious development to transform our medieval church theatre into a modern and accessible for all community arts hub. £12

🎄🎐🎓 Christmas Glass Fusing Workshop, Winchester Cathedral, on Tuesday and Wednesday at 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM. Get into the festive spirit with a fun and friendly glass fusing workshop - a wonderful way to make beautiful keepsakes and magical memories with friends or family. £85

🎄🎗️ Winchester Santa Sleigh, Streets of Winchester, from Tuesday onwards. Santa, his sleigh and friends from Winchester Round Table will be coming down your street this December 2025 to raise money for local charities and good causes. This non-profit making event is put on by the community, for the community and is here to spread some Christmas magic across the city.

📚 P&G Wells Book Group, P&G Wells, at 6:30 PM. We read a mixture of books with a slant towards contemporary fiction. Any book we choose will be available in paperback. Books are chosen by P&G Wells staff and long standing members of the group. Places for each meeting will be limited to a maximum of 15 participants.

🤝 Speed Dating for 40s and 50s, The Winchester Stable, at 7:30 PM. Looking for love in Winchester? Join us for a fun-filled night of speed dating exclusively for singles in their 40s & 50s! £11/£22

🎬🍷 Film Society: Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Cabinet Rooms, at 8:00 PM. Over 18s only. Includes a drink on arrival. £14

🎶🎓 Ukulele Improvers, Theatre Royal Winchester, at 12:00 PM. Simply learn by playing songs in a friendly and relaxed environment and having a lot of fun. £13.50

🎶🎬 James Hood’s Mesmerica, Winchester Science Centre, at 6:00 PM. Discover Mesmerica 360 - the smash-hit multi-sensory experience where time stands still, and a new kind of magic surrounds you to soothe the senses. Mesmerica is an experience unlike any other - specifically designed to unwind. £24.50

🛍️🍷 Berkshire Printmakers: Print and Sip - William Morris inspired Tote Bags, The ARC, at 6:30 PM. Join us for a Print and Sip evening where you will make your own William Morris inspired Tote Bags! Includes a drink and your own printed tote bag to take away. £35

🎶 Christmas - The Candlelight Concert, The Guildhall Winchester, at 6:30 PM. Experience the Enchantment of ‘Christmas – The Candlelight Concert’ and prepare to immerse yourself in the holiday spirit as our incredible singers and live band deliver a fresh take on your favourite classic Christmas songs, all performed live. £38.75

🎶 Feel Love Club Night, The Railway Inn, at 7:00 PM. After the massive success of our first DJ night, we’re turning the volume up even louder. Get ready for round two-we’re back with bigger beats and wilder vibes. The dance floor won’t stop moving all night long! £10

🎤 Ria Lina: Riabellion, The ARC, at 7:30 PM. Following her killer debut tour, the wickedly funny Ria Lina realised she wasn’t just awake, she was ready to rebel. Expect a relentless stream of hilarity as Ria explores the state of the world, the eternal battle of the sexes, and the delight of throwing life up in the air after years of following the rules. £18

🚶‍♀️🌳 Organised Walk: Winchester - Cheesefoot Head Circular Walk, Abbey Gardens, at 9:45 AM.Join this walk of approx 8.5 miles, it leaves Winchester skirt St Catherine’s Hill, walk out to Morestead, then Cheesefoot Head. Then return to Winchester via Telegraph Hill and Chilcomb. £2

🧶🎄🎗️ Christmas Wreath Making Workshop - In support of Winchester Hospice, Hospital of St Cross, at 10:00 AM. This festive season, make something special to adorn your front door or dining room table at our Christmas wreath making workshop, run by Winchester Flower Club, in support of Winchester Hospice. £45

🎬🍷 Film Society: Sing-Along Screening: Wicked, Cabinet Rooms, at 10:30 AM. Over 18's only. Includes a drink on arrival. £16.75

📚🏛️ Discover the story of William Walker - the diver who saved Winchester Cathedral, Winchester Cathedral, at 2:15 PM. Step back in time on this guided, 90 minute tour to uncover the incredible story of how one man’s dedication and bravery saved one of England’s most iconic landmarks. £15

🎶🎈 King's Chamber Orchestra - Teddy Bear Concert, Hope Church, at 3:00 PM. This fun and interactive concert is perfect for children and families. Full of music, laughter, and a few surprise moments along the way! Bring your favourite teddy and enjoy a welcoming, relaxed atmosphere designed for all ages. £7

🧶🛍️ Christmas Makers Market, Projects Winchester, at 4:30 PM. Looking for a gift for that special someone? We have a range of independent artists and creators selling Jewellery, Ceramics, Art Prints, Candles, Decorations and more. We'll have Gingerbread decorating, Festive food, drinks, and music, so join us for a Merry time celebrating handmade and local crafters!

📚🤝 Winchesters Writing Group meetup, The South Downs Social, at 10:00 AM. This is the regular meet up for Winchester Writers’ Group. Come along to get to know a friendly group of fellow writers. Chat about writing and ongoing projects. Share ideas and advice. We're doing an hour of writing this week, so please bring a laptop.

🧶🎄 Everlasting Christmas Wreath, Bella Crafts, at 11:00 AM. Come and create a beautiful everlasting wreath, that you'll be able to bring out year upon year to stun and amaze all your friends and family! £39

⚽ Winchester City Flyers FC vs Farnborough, Charters Community Stadium, at 2:00 PM. Come and support the Flyers in their next home match cup game. £5

🧘 Evening sundown yoga with Sophie House, Elevate Fitness Studios, at 5:00 PM. Think relaxed Ibiza evenings, think relaxing yoga, think about time after class with your community. Finish your weekend by joining us for a calming yoga session followed by chilled socials. £10

📚 Winchester College Treasure Tour, Winchester College, at 1:30 PM. Explore the treasures of Winchester College’s collections, including works of art and rare books that are not normally on public display. Visitors will explore the College’s original museum and art gallery and part of the Fellows’ Library where there is a changing display of rare books and manuscripts, prints, and drawings. £15

🎬🍷 Film Society: The Holiday (2006) [SDH], Cabinet Rooms, at 5:30 PM. Over 18's only. Includes a drink on arrival. £15

🎤 Poetry Platform, The Railway Inn, at 7:30 PM. Come join us at Winchester’s most welcoming poetry open mic. Accepting spoken word and prose of all kinds we invite everyone from experienced wordsmiths to first time scribes and audience of all kinds along to an evening of lexicon, literature and language with several surprises along the way. Free to attend, free to read and free for all, come and join our wordy ball.

🪩🕺🏽 Dance Yourself Dizzy Jive Class, Guildhall Winchester, at 8:00 PM. Dance Yourself Dizzy is re-opening at Winchester Guildhall for class nights every Tuesday. Spread the word, bring your friends & spread the Modern Jive love! £10

🎄🗿 Festive Carving Workshop with Emily, The Colour Factory, at 2:00 PM and 6:00 PM. This session takes you on a little journey of wax carving! Covering all of the techniques you need to carve a 3D piece, Emily will guide you through creating a simple, seasonal shape in wax and how to give it a lovely finish! It will then be cast leaving you with a silver decoration AND a bronze decoration. £120

🎤🖼️ Beauty of the Earth: Curator Exhibition Tour, The ARC, at 2:00 PM. Join guest curator and Morris specialist, Suzanne Fagence Cooper, for a gallery tour, highlighting some of the key loans in the exhibition and the stories behind their inclusion. £14

🚶‍♀️🏛️ Walking Tour: Christmas at Abbey House, Visitor Information Centre, at 2:30 PM. An opportunity to visit Abbey House, the official residence of the Mayor of Winchester, followed by mulled wine, mince pies and a chat with the Mayor. £17

🎤🖼️ Beauty of the Earth: A Creative Conversation, The ARC, at 7:00 PM. Join guest curator and Morris specialist, Suzanne Fagence Cooper, for an evening lecture, exploring the legacy of the Morris family, and their love of green and growing things. £10

🎶🎭🎬 James Hood’s Mesmerica, Winchester Science Centre, at 7:15 PM. Discover Mesmerica 360 - the smash-hit multi-sensory experience where time stands still, and a new kind of magic surrounds you to soothe the senses. Mesmerica is an experience unlike any other - specifically designed to unwind. £24.50

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Could your home be their forever place?

A bit of froth to end on…

Did You Know? Winchester sits roughly 53 metres above sea level in the city centre, rising to about 93 metres at St Giles Hill and dipping to around 32 metres along the River Itchen. You can stroll from riverside to hilltop in little more than ten minutes - a compact city with its own mini vertical challenge.

Riddle Me This: You see a boat filled with people, yet there isn’t a single person on board. How? Last week’s answer: I was born in 2015 BC.

Brain Teaser: You have three boxes, each incorrectly labeled: “Apples”, “Oranges”, “Apples & Oranges”. Each box actually contains either only apples, only oranges, or a mix, but none match their labels. What is the minimum number of fruits you need to pull out (from one box) to correctly relabel all three? Last week’s answer: 11 times.

Till next time,