This year’s Hat Fair will offer four fun-filled days with hundreds of breathtaking performances

Hat Fair, Winchester, the UK’s longest running and most exciting Street Theatre Festival, is delighted to announce the dates for this year’s 36th event Thursday  1st July to Sunday 4 July 2010.

As ever, Hat Fair will continue to uphold its reputation for presenting innovative and beautiful outdoor performances, exciting, unique and highly skilled small-scale shows and an engaging programme of community arts and education, woven into the heart of the beautiful city of Winchester.

This year’s Hat Fair will offer four fun-filled days will be jam-packed with hundreds of breathtaking performances from over 45 national and international companies taking place throughout Winchester’s ancient streets.   Even in this economically uncertain world, Hat Fair doesn’t charge the audience a penny for any performances. The shows are free to view for all, though donations for the Artists are massively welcome, look out for those stewards with their collection buckets.

Special highlights on the small scale line-up this year include the Incredibly talented and hilarious The Pitts, Pete Sweet and The English Gents and many more circle acts that you will not have seen the likes of before.

Over the weekend there will be wonderful and interactive Installations around the town, Cathedral Green, The Great Hall courtyard and Close including, Little Lupin, Once Arts’ Picnic, BOSI’s ‘Squirt or Shirt’ and Akedemi’s new show, ‘TBC’ to name but a few. Also look out for Motionhouse and Urban Playground’s breathtaking new shows, and also the wonderful Wired Aerial Theatre plus the long awaited return of Winchester favourites ‘Skate Naked’ and ‘Stickleback Plasticus’.

Hat Fair are working with French Festival partners in the ‘ZEPA network’ to present the fantastic ‘Les Trois Points de Suspension’, ‘Acid Kostik’ and ‘VO Compagnie’, see the ZEPA link on our website to learn more about this exciting Anglo – French producing partnership.

Over the weekend there well also be many other festival treats and surprises.

In addition, the programme includes innovative community and education projects including Inside Out Day on Thursday, culminating in a procession through the city, where local school children ‘knock on the doors’ of civic buildings, asking senior representatives of the City to ask any questions they wish.

Friday is traditionally the unofficial ‘Festival Warm up Day’ and Schools Day, with a colourful procession of over 1000 children in costume with music and dance, culminating in outdoor theatre, circus and craft workshops in the grounds of the city’s famous cathedral, don’t miss Friday, it may not quite be the weekend, but it is for the Hat Fair!