Winchester Brew - 9th October '25

Winchester Poetry Festival takes centre stage this week, joined by Winchester Law Week running inside the Cathedral. Add to that a bountiful mix of live music across the city (something for every taste), plus new shop openings and pop-ups, plays, talks, craft workshops, bingo nights and more. It’s shaping up to be a full and varied week.

As always, Winchester Brew rounds up the very best of what’s happening over the next seven days in the city and surrounding villages - gigs, food, sport, art and family fun all ready for you to dive into.

And if you know someone who’d love being in the know, send them this issue - when they sign up using your link, you’ll earn rewards for helping Winchester Brew grow.

Our featured pick of the events this week.

Winchester Poetry Festival is a biennial festival that aims to be a round table for poetry where everyone is welcome - a hub for poetry locally, nationally and internationally. Our 2025 Festival takes place 10th-12th October, with performances and activities to inspire and entertain all ages. 

With varied entry points (online/live streamed and in person), workshops, childrens' events, panels, pop-ups and headline readings, Winchester Poetry Festival 2025 will showcase the finest poets and poems of our age – the festival theme is “Revisiting The Classics”

Poets set to appear at Winchester Poetry Festival 2025 include Pulitzer Prize-winner Diane Seuss; Forward Prize-winners Mona Arshi and Luke Kennard; triple T S Eliot Prize shortlisted poet Fiona Benson; a musical poetry performance ‘Take Flight’ from acclaimed writer and performer Roy McFarlane and world-class vocalist and composer Randolph Matthews. The most exciting contemporary poets will be in Winchester exploring poems you know, and some that will be new, through readings, workshops, drop-in sessions, lectures and playful activities.

Winchester Poetry Festival 2025 will include free-entry, BSL interpreted, and live-streamed events - maintaining our commitment to creating a space where poetry can be accessed and enjoyed by all. 

The full programme is available at: www.winchesterpoetryfestival.org

A few exciting new arrivals to check out in Winchester this week:

Ocho Coffee at The Brooks Centre celebrates its grand opening today (9th Oct) with free coffee from 10 AM - 12 PM. Small-batch beans, great energy, and a perfect excuse to drop by.

Abbey Mill (formerly Inn The Park) is coming back to life! The team has been transforming one of Winchester’s most beautiful buildings into a new events and co-working space - and this weekend you can get a first look with their Street Food Pop-Ups
🍔 Friday 10 Oct (4–8pm): Burgers from local legends @ofmfoodtruck
🥩 Saturday 11 Oct (12–8pm): Steaks from @fieldandfurnace, plus live jazz

Mythic Tabletop Games on Parchment Street opens its doors this Saturday (11th Oct) - complete with raffle, costume competition, and treats galore. A free event for gamers and curious newcomers alike - just book your time slot at mtg.fan.

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 Law Week, Winchester Cathedral. This year’s Law Week Festival is a mix of services, talks, and performance with a focus on how societal perceptions of crime and criminality often lack awareness or rapidly become out dated – frequently shaped by the media and political agendas. Friday 10th → Saturday 18th https://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/event/law-week-festival/

🎭 Making a Killing, Theatre Royal Winchester. The ropes are ready, the crowd is waiting, and the hangman has a new apprentice. Performed by just two actors, Making a Killing is a razor-sharp, dark comedy about justice, corruption, and the cost of survival in a world disturbingly like our own. Tue – Wed 7.30pm Matinée (Wed) 1.30pm £14.50 https://www.theatreroyalwinchester.co.uk/whats-on/making-killing

🎭 Ballet Cymru presents Giselle, Theatre Royal Winchester, at 7:00 PM. A brand-new interpretation of this ghost-filled ballet tells the tragic, romantic story of a young Welsh girl named Giselle, who falls in love but dies of heartbreak. £15 https://www.theatreroyalwinchester.co.uk/whats-on/giselle

🎶 Zachary Lucky, The Railway Inn, at 7:30 PM. Zachary Lucky is unapologetically old-school country, armed with a husky, baritone voice, he often receives comparisons to songwriters such as Gordon Lightfoot and Kris Kristofferson. £10 https://railwayinn.pub/shows/zachary-lucky-2025-10-09

🎶🎓 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. £13.5 https://www.theatreroyalwinchester.co.uk/whats-on/ukulele-improvers

🎬 After Dark - The Planetarium Experience: Living in Space, Winchester Science Centre, at 6:45 PM. Take a seat in the breathtaking Planetarium and discover the secrets of the skies above us during a presenter-led live show. £12.50 https://www.winchestersciencecentre.org/whats-on/planetarium-experience-october

🎤🌳 Gardeners' Question Time style Q&A - Bramston Talks, St Swithuns School, at 7:00 PM. Panel featuring: Pippa Greenwood, BBC's Gardeners' Question Time Barry Clarke, Botanist and Plant Records Officer Sir Harold Hillier Gardens Lucy Collis, Garden Designer. Charles Carr, Head of Hillier Wholesale Nurseries https://hub.stswithuns.com/events/view/gardeners-question-time-bramston-talks

🎶 Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here at the Planetarium, Winchester Science Centre, at 7:30 PM. Sit back and relax to the sights and sounds of the fulldome Planetarium visualisation of Pink Floyd's critically-acclaimed album, Wish You Were Here. Celebrating 50 years to the day since the album was released. £20 https://www.winchestersciencecentre.org/whats-on/pink-floyd-wish-october

🎭 Locomotive for Murder: The Improvised Whodunnit, Theatre Royal Winchester, at 7:30 PM. A totally improvised, totally hilarious murder mystery where killing the cast and cracking the case is in your hands. Expect shaky alibis and silver-tongued sleuths along with thrills, spills, and good old-fashioned kills. £16 https://www.theatreroyalwinchester.co.uk/whats-on/locomotive-murder-improvised-whodunnit

🎶 Rachel Stamp, The Railway Inn, at 8:00 PM. Stripped down versions of RACHEL STAMP’s varied catalogue as a duo with David on vocals and acoustic guitar and Will on electric guitar and backing vocals. Be prepared for an intimate evening with one of the UK’s most individual and cherished bands. £15 https://railwayinn.pub/shows/rachel-stamp-2025-10-10

🍽️🎓 World cuisine: Indian street food, Lainston House, at 10:00 AM. Learn to craft authentic curries and perfectly spiced sides. £195 https://www.exclusive.co.uk/cookery-school/classes/

🎓 Scribes Open Day, Winchester Cathedral, at 10:00 AM. Join us for a unique opportunity to witness the ancient art of calligraphy in action, led by the Cathedral Scribes – the only group of its kind based in any English cathedral. Visitors of all ages are invited to try their hand at calligraphy and create a piece of history for themselves. https://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/event/scribes-open-day/

🎶 An Evening of Spanish and Latin American Music, St Paul’s Church, at 7:00 PM. A concert of Spanish/Latin music for string orchestra. £20 https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/winchcamerata/winchester-camerata-classical-concert-october-2025/e-qmxmzp

🎤 Bingo at Tiffany’s, The Nutshell, at 8:00 PM. Join the fabulously funny Tracey Collins as she brings you the hilarious, heartwarming, and bonkers Bingo at Tiffany’s, starring the one and only Audrey Heartburn!  £18 https://discardednut.co.uk/thenutshell/whatson/bingo-at-tiffanys

🎶 Hayseed Dixie, The Railway Inn, at 8:00 PM. Hayseed Dixie began one innocent summer day in 2000 when John Wheeler and Mike Daly drank roughly enough whiskey to float a battleship from the Florida Coast over to Portugal and back and decided to play around in John’s studio. £30 https://railwayinn.pub/shows/hayseed-dixie-2025-10-11

🛍️ Made with Love - Craft Market, Worthies Sports & Social Club, at 10:30 AM. We’re back again for this fantastic local makers market.. A large range of different crafts offering a great choice for gifts and presents. Tables can be booked £10 https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/local-events/?_evDiscoveryPath=/event/3251720-makers-market-made-with-love

🧶 Pretty Pressed Flower Pumpkin Workshop, Bella Crafts, at 1:00 PM. Step into the spooky season with this fun workshop! Our tutor will teach you how to produce the perfect stunning botanical pumpkin ready for Autumn decorations. £25 https://www.bellacrafts.co.uk/p/pretty-pressed-flower-pumpkin-121025

⚽ Winchester City Flyers FC vs Beaconsfield Town, Charters Community Stadium, at 2:30 PM. Come and support the Flyers in their next home match. https://www.winchestercityflyers.co.uk/teams/282109/fixtures-results

🧘☕️ 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 https://yogasocialclub-winchester.as.me/schedule/2d91818e/appointment/80186886/calendar/12357830

🎭 The Roy Orbison Experience, Theatre Royal Winchester, at 7:30 PM. The Roy Orbison Experience, the UK's newest and most authentic tribute to the music of Roy Orbison, one of America's most famous voices. £18 https://www.theatreroyalwinchester.co.uk/whats-on/roy-orbison-experience

🎶 Alex Roberts, The Railway Inn, at 7:30 PM. To say that Alex Roberts has many strings to his bow would be a metaphor forgiven for the fact that it helps to conjure his presence as a musical magician, in which a variety of instruments seamlessly pop into set, beautifully played and adored. £9 https://railwayinn.pub/shows/alex-roberts-2025-10-12

📚 A Kiss For All The World: Klimt & the Viennese Secession By Douglas Skeggs, The Arc, at 3:00 PM. The fears and anxieties of Vienna in the final years before the outbreak of the Great War found expression in the writing of Freud, the music of Gustav Mahler and the haunting paintings of Klimt, Kokoschka and Schiele. The lecture traces the course of this brief, often dark but always dazzlingly inventive period of art. £10 https://www.arcwinchester.org.uk/event/kiss-all-world-klimt-viennese-secession-douglas-skeggs

📚🏛️ Archives tour, Winchester College, at 11:00 AM. This tour allows a rare opportunity to view two medieval rooms which house the school’s Archives, as well as documents and artefacts relating to the school’s history which will be on display. Tours are delivered by our College Archivist, Suzanne. £15 https://www.winchestercollegeheritage.org/whats-on/archives-tour/

⚽ Winchester City FC vs Melksham Town, Hillier Way, at 7:45 PM. Come and support the Citizens in their next home match. £13.5 https://www.winchestercityfc.co.uk/whats-on

🌳🤝 Netwalking, Winchester Cathedral, at 10:00 AM. Netwalking combines the benefits of networking with the joy of walking through the beautiful city of Winchester. Connect with fellow business professionals while enjoying the surroundings of this historic location. £5 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hampshire-business-networking-presents-netwalking-tickets-853578374897

📚 Julie Mackay: The Ideal Victom, Winchester Cathedral, at 7:30 PM. Julie Mackay discusses how victims of crime are often viewed in polarised ways, based upon their age, gender and lifestyle and how not everyone is the ‘ideal victim’. £15 https://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/event/julie-mackay-the-ideal-victim/

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Could your home be their happy place?

Every week we’ll recommend a walking or cycling route in or near the Winchester area.

Some fun to end on…

Did You Know? The beautiful Great West Window of Winchester Cathedral is a jumble of multi-colored glass fragments, appearing almost abstract. This wasn't a deliberate design. During the English Civil War, Parliamentarian soldiers reportedly smashed the original window and scattered the pieces. After the war, the pieces were reassembled by locals, creating the unique "patchwork" window you see today.

Riddle Me This: What can travel all around the world without moving from its corner? Last week’s answer: Your name

Brain Teaser: You have six wine glasses lined up in a row. The first three are full of wine, and the last three are empty. By moving only one glass, how can you arrange them so that no full glass is next to another full glass, and no empty glass is next to another empty glass? Last week’s answer: Light both ends of the first fuse, and at the same time, light one end of the second fuse. When the first fuse burns out, light the other end of the second fuse. When that burns out, it will be 45 minutes.

Till next time,