Join Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s Ranger team and conservation charity, Natural Basingstoke to make a free bug house and learn about local wildlife, exploring a range of wild and gory curiosities.
Drop in activity.
Location 2: ///land.lush.issued
Join the Proteans as they present a selection of Geoffrey Chaucer’s most famous and celebrated works. A group of ‘pilgrims’ embark on a journey and tell outrageous tales to pass the time featuring a bawdy cast of nuns, knights, cooks, clerks, merchants, squires and even a cockeral or two!
Please note this is a ticketed event with tickets priced at £10 | £8 and available from the Proteus website.
Step inside a shipping container and discover a pop-up world of creativity! Southampton Solent University’s School of Creative Industries brings a bold and unique visual arts showcase to the heart of War Memorial Park. Packed with vibrant ideas from emerging artists, this exciting festival feature celebrates fresh talent shaped by hands-on, inclusive learning.
Something magical is stirring! The wait is over. The giant egg has hatched and the mystery has been solved. The Beast of Basingstoke has woken and is ready to meet its people…
Join over 20 community groups, local schools, and more than 500 marchers as The Parade of the Mythical Beasts launches the 15th year of Basingstoke Festival. Bring your friends, family and ‘roarsome’ energy for an evening of magic, music and myths. Witness a marching menagerie of mystical beasts as dragons, unicorns and phoenixes take to the streets.
Joining the anarchic extravaganza will be Mr Wilson’s Second Liners, the thunderous rhythms of the Basingstoke Silver Band Cavaliers as well as the Royal British Legion Band. You are all encouraged be a part of this joyful street party!
The parade starts at 5.30pm on Cross Street. Watch as the magic unfolds on Church Street, travels past the Willis Museum and the lively, feel-good parade continues down Wote Street, before arriving at the Festival Place Amphitheatre.
The excitement carries on as Mr Wilson’s Second Liners continue the party vibe performing 90s club classics. Tit for Tat Circus will then bring the mischief and mayhem with their new show, A Disorder of Knights, ending the evening with a bang and kickstarting three weekends of fantastic festival fun!
Whether you are a local resident, a visitor or one of the many creative minds who entered the Beast of Basingstoke design competition, this is a celebration for everyone.
We expect the performances to end by 7.30pm
Calling all adventurers! Would you like to take part in an Eco Quest?
The realm of fairytales has been attacked by classic villains who are polluting and destroying their magical world. Can you build the three pigs a new home? Help Jack to plant some magic beans? Take down Captain Hook and his rubbish wielding pirates? Find Thumbelina’s secret habitat?
Have fun exploring this family Trail at Basingstoke Festival and become an eco-warrior along the way!
Start point of the trail ///wins.windy.town
Join a trio of leading performance poets, Paul Lyalls, Sally Pomme Clayton and Zohab Zee Khan, for a fun-filled, interactive poetry show bursting with rhythm, movement, and imagination. This lively performance, from Apples and Snakes, invites audiences to get on their feet – dancing, singing and joining in – as words come alive. As part of the performance, come and hear a new Ballad for Basingstoke commissioned by Basingstoke Festival.
Duration: 45 minutes
Location 7: ///crowd.intro.toward
