Hat Fair 'paused' for 2026 due to funding pressure

Winchester's Hat Fair attracts performers from around the world

One of the UK's longest-running outdoor arts festivals has announced it will not be staged next year.

The 2025 Winchester Hat Fair, taking place on Saturday, has been cut back to just one day from three days due to rising costs and falling income.

Organisers said a "pause with purpose" was needed in 2026 to try and source alternative funding for the event.

The festival, which last year celebrated its 50th anniversary, sees street theatre, circus, music and dance acts from around the world perform at indoor and outdoor venues throughout the city.

Organisers estimate about 95,000 people attend the Hat Fair each year

It is named after "hatting" events when street performers and buskers pass round a hat to collect donations from the crowd.

Run by arts charity, Play to the Crowd, Winchester Hat Fair has attracted more than 95,000 people on to the city streets each July.

Chief executive Deryck Newland said it was "fundamental to its purpose to delight and unite communities" but added the charity was under a lot of financial pressure for a number of reasons.

He said a full three-day Hat Fair would cost £250,000 to put on and take 18 months to organise.

The charity has seen an increase in the costs of sourcing and booking performers as well as for infrastructure such as mobile toilets.

Event organisers also face rising costs of security and health and safety assessments - including complying with new legislation designed to requiring public venues to counter the threat of terror attacks.

Like other employers, the charity said it was having to pay more national insurance contributions for staff.

Future funding from Winchester City Council was also uncertain, given plans for devolution and local government restructuring.

Hat Fair organiser Deryck Newland believes Winchester is missing out on vital government funds for culture and the arts because it is considered a wealthy area

Grant funding from Arts Council England ended three years ago.

Mr Newland believes that was part of the levelling up agenda, where "priority places" were given money instead of perceived as more affluent, such as Winchester.

"It's no cheaper to run an event just because we are in Winchester.

"We have to rely on donations and public support and that's challenging when everybody is struggling to make ends meet".

A date has been set for the festival to return in 2027 - Saturday, 3 July.

Mr Newland said not staging an event in 2026 would make it "stronger and more resilient".

Performances take place around the city, including here in 2024 outside the city's bus station