Romesh Ranganathan on 10 October, Halloween at Hinton Ampner and Marwell, the bonfire on North Walls on 7 November and the Three Tenors on 13 November.

Winchester’s autumn diary is busier than it looks from the High Street. Romesh Ranganathan tries out new material at the Theatre Royal on Saturday 10 October, the same day The Arc hosts Winchester Poetry Day. Half term brings Halloween to Hinton Ampner, Marwell Zoo and the Watercress Line, and the Round Table’s bonfire and fireworks on North Walls on Saturday 7 November has its timetable out: fireworks at 7.45pm. The week after, the Three Tenors come to the cathedral on 13 November.

Everything here comes from the organisers’ own listings, first read on 28 September and re-checked on 5 October 2026, and each entry links back to its source so you can check before you set off. For places that are open whatever the month, see our guide to things to do in Winchester.

At a glance

  • Saturday 10 October. Winchester Poetry Day at The Arc, the Cathedral Scribes open day, and Romesh Ranganathan at the Theatre Royal.
  • Sunday 11 October. Max Fulham’s puppet comedy for children at the Theatre Royal, and the farmers’ market on the High Street.
  • 17 October to 1 November. Winchester BID’s free Spooky Winch letter hunt in the city centre, and Halloween games at Hinton Ampner.
  • Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November. Wild Autumn at Marwell Zoo for half term.
  • Saturday 7 November. Winchester Bonfire and Fireworks at North Walls: procession 6pm, fireworks 7.45pm.
  • Friday 13 November. London Concertante’s Three Tenors at Winchester Cathedral.

This week

  • Lullaby, Tuesday 6 October, 7.30pm, Theatre Royal Winchester. From £15. Jasmin Vardimon Dance, about 90 minutes; contains flashing lights and adult content (Theatre Royal Winchester).
  • Justice and the Rule of Law in the Age of Machines, Friday 9 October, 7.30pm, Winchester Cathedral, SO23 9LS. Adults £12, students £8, livestream £6. A Law Week talk by Sir Robert Buckland, the former Justice Secretary (Winchester Cathedral).
  • The Barber of Seville, Friday 9 October, 7.30pm, Theatre Royal Winchester. From £29. New Arts’ production of Rossini’s comic opera, three hours with the interval (Theatre Royal Winchester).
  • Winchester Poetry Day, Saturday 10 October, The Arc. A smaller day before the full festival returns in 2027: a workshop with Rachel Long at 10.30am (£20), a free open mic at 1.15pm with booking advised, and the free Winchester Poetry Prize ceremony at 3pm, hosted by Julia Copus, which needs booking (Winchester Poetry Festival).
  • Cathedral Scribes Open Day, Saturday 10 October, 10am to 4pm, Winchester Cathedral. Free, no booking. Calligraphy demonstrations, quills and gold leaf, and a chance to try it yourself (Winchester Cathedral).
  • Winchester City v Southall, Saturday 10 October, 3pm, The Charters Community Ground, Hillier Way, Abbotts Barton, SO23 7SR. Isthmian League Division One South Central (Winchester City FC).
  • Romesh Ranganathan: Work In Progress, Saturday 10 October, 7.30pm, Theatre Royal Winchester. From £30. Two hours with an interval, age 14+ (Theatre Royal Winchester).
  • Max Fulham: Monkey Business, Sunday 11 October, 2.30pm, Theatre Royal Winchester. From £12. A family comedy show with puppets, age 5+; Max Fulham’s adult show Memory Foam follows at 7.30pm, from £16, age 16+ (Theatre Royal Winchester).

Later in October

  • National Theatre Live: The Misanthrope, Tuesday 13 October, 7pm, Theatre Royal Winchester. From £15. Screening, 1hr 26mins with no interval, certificate 15 (Theatre Royal Winchester).
  • Baby Loss Awareness Week Remembrance Service, Tuesday 13 October, 7pm, Winchester Cathedral. The cathedral’s annual service for anyone who has lost a baby (Winchester Cathedral).
  • Beyond Fairness, Wednesday 14 October, 7.30pm, Winchester Cathedral. Adults £12, students £8, livestream £6. Isabelle Hamley, Principal of Ridley Hall, on justice and mercy, the last of the Law Week talks (Winchester Cathedral).
  • Of Mice and Men, Friday 16 October at 1pm and 7.30pm, Saturday 17 October at 7.30pm, Theatre Royal Winchester. From £14.50. A 65-minute version of Steinbeck’s novel (Theatre Royal Winchester).
  • Spooky Winch Halloween Letter Hunt, Saturday 17 October to Sunday 1 November, Winchester city centre. Free. Find nine letters on pumpkin signs in shop windows and unscramble the word; trail sheets from the Visitor Information Centre, The Arc or the City Museum, or online (Winchester BID).
  • Halloween Family Fun at Hinton Ampner, Saturday 17 October to Sunday 1 November, daily 10am to 4pm, Hinton Ampner, near Alresford, SO24 0LA. Halloween games in the gardens for ages 4 to 7; no booking, free with normal admission (National Trust).
  • The Haunted Bride, Tuesday 20 October at 7.30pm, Wednesday 21 October at 2.30pm and 7.30pm, Theatre Royal Winchester. From £15. Rumpus Theatre’s ghost play by John Goodrum, from a Dickens tale (Theatre Royal Winchester).
  • Nick Sharratt’s Once Upon A Drawalong, Saturday 24 October, 1pm, Theatre Royal Winchester. From £12. A draw-along with the illustrator, age 6+, with signed books on sale (Theatre Royal Winchester).
  • Winchester City v Cobham, Saturday 24 October, 3pm, The Charters Community Ground (Winchester City FC).
  • The Gospel Experience, Saturday 24 October, 7.30pm to 10pm, Winchester Cathedral. £25. The audience learns a gospel song in three-part harmony and sings it live; no need to read music (Winchester Cathedral).
  • Wild Autumn at Marwell Zoo, Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November, Marwell Zoo, SO21 1JH. Half-term activities with a zoo ticket; pumpkins for carving are £2 small and £4 medium, card only (Marwell Zoo).
  • RPM, Tuesday 27 October at 2pm and 7pm, Theatre Royal Winchester. From £12. Gorilla Circus, one hour, age 7+ (Theatre Royal Winchester).
  • The Spooky Science Show, Thursday 29 October, 3pm, The Arc. £12 each, or £40 for two adults and two children, minimum age 4 (The Arc).
  • Halloween Witches of Watercress Woods, Thursday 29 to Saturday 31 October, trains from Alresford at 12.30pm and 3pm. £35 a seat, under-2s free, plus a £2.50 booking fee. A Halloween story on the train, about 1hr 40mins, pitched as fun rather than frightening (Watercress Line).
  • The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Thursday 29 October, 7pm, Theatre Royal Winchester. From £10. Halloween-week screening, 1hr 40mins, 12A (Theatre Royal Winchester).
  • Dear Zoo, Saturday 31 October at 1.30pm, Sunday 1 November at 11am and 2pm, Theatre Royal Winchester. From £16.50. The picture book on stage, 55 minutes, age 2+ (Theatre Royal Winchester).
  • The Total Stone Roses, Saturday 31 October, doors 8pm, the Railway Inn, 3 St Paul’s Hill, SO22 5AE. £20 in advance, £27.50 on the door, 18+ (The Railway Inn).

Half term itself runs 26 to 30 October; our October half term and Halloween page has the rest, including the Theatre Royal’s other family shows.

November

  • An Evening with Jimmy Tarbuck, Sunday 1 November, 7.30pm, Theatre Royal Winchester. From £37.50 (Theatre Royal Winchester).
  • Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Wednesday 4 to Saturday 7 November, Theatre Royal Winchester. From £15. Winchester Musicals and Opera Society, at 7pm Wednesday to Friday and 10am, 2.30pm and 7pm on Saturday (Theatre Royal Winchester).
  • Alasdair Beckett-King, Thursday 5 November, 7.30pm, The Arc. £21 (The Arc).
  • Music for the Season of Remembrance, Saturday 7 November, 12pm to 12.45pm, Winchester Cathedral. The Cathedral Chamber Choir under Joshua Stephens. Free with a cathedral annual pass, booked in advance (Winchester Cathedral).
  • Winchester City v Westfield, Saturday 7 November, 3pm, The Charters Community Ground (Winchester City FC).
  • Winchester Bonfire and Fireworks, Saturday 7 November, North Walls Recreation Ground. The Round Table’s timetable: arena open from 4.30pm, torchlit procession up the High Street at 6pm, bonfire lit by the Mayor at 7.15pm, fireworks at 7.45pm, all marked approximate. Wristbands are £8 in October, £10 in November and £12 on the day, and River Park car park is closed from noon (Winchester Round Table). Our bonfire night page has every road closure.
  • Juliet & Romeo, Tuesday 10 November, 7.30pm, Theatre Royal Winchester. From £14.50. Lost Dog’s dance theatre piece, 1hr 15mins, with a post-show chat (Theatre Royal Winchester).
  • Winchester City v Hayes & Yeading United, Tuesday 10 November, 7.45pm, The Charters Community Ground (Winchester City FC).
  • An Evening of Eric & Ern, Wednesday 11 November at 6.30pm, Thursday 12 November at 2.30pm and 7.30pm, Theatre Royal Winchester. From £16.50. The Morecambe and Wise sketches on stage, 1hr 50mins with the interval (Theatre Royal Winchester).
  • London Concertante: The Three Tenors, Friday 13 November, 7.30pm (doors 6.45pm), Winchester Cathedral. £25 to £48. Opera arias and overtures (Winchester Cathedral).
  • Andy Parsons: Please #@!$ off to Mars, Saturday 14 November, 7.30pm, Theatre Royal Winchester. From £22. Stand-up, 1hr 50mins with the interval, age 14+ (Theatre Royal Winchester).

Remembrance Sunday is 8 November; our Remembrance Sunday page has the services across the district. The Christmas lights switch-on follows on Thursday 19 November.

On now

  • Ray Harryhausen: Myths in Motion, to 16 February 2027, The Gallery at The Arc. Adults £5.45, concessions £4.50, 16 and under free. An exhibition on the stop-motion animator; some timed slots sell out, so book ahead (The Arc).

Regular events

  • Winchester parkrun, every Saturday at 9am, North Walls Recreation Ground. Free, 5k on grass and tarmac paths; register once and bring your barcode (Winchester parkrun).
  • Winchester Farmers’ Market, the second and last Sunday of every month, 9am to 2pm, High Street and Middle Brook Street. The next are Sunday 11 October, Sunday 25 October and Sunday 8 November (Hampshire Farmers’ Markets).
  • Sunday market of art, design and collectables, the first and third Sunday of every month, High Street and Middle Brook Street. The next are Sunday 18 October, Sunday 1 November and Sunday 15 November (Southern Market Traders).

Send us your event

Running something in Winchester or the villages around it? Email hello@winchesterpost.co.uk with the date, time, venue, price and a photo. Listings are free, and yours will go on this page and in the diary on our What’s On section.

Sources