Discover East Hampshire - wonderful performance venues and events

Friday, 12 August, 2022

Local News

As part of a series of short videos promoting the many reasons to visit and enjoy East Hampshire, Damian’s latest one is all about the local entertainment, festivals and events that take place locally.

The Performing Arts - #5 video

We’re lucky to have some fantastic venues locally, including the Festival Hall in Petersfield, which hosts the brilliant annual Petersfield Musical Festival, bringing together local singers and instrumentalists of all ages for more than a century, but also many other groups and productions, including the Petersfield Dance Festival.

And there is of course the Phoenix Theatre & Arts Centre in Bordon. Once an Edwardian school, the Phoenix plays host to more than 100 shows a year, including comedy, drama, music and dance.

And new on the block is the Living Room Cinema in Liphook – a 60 seater independent cinema that screens a whole range of classic and current films, with a delightful café and bar alongside.

Beyond venues, we have many established performance groups, including the Petersfield-based Winton Players, celebrating their 75th anniversary this year, the brilliant Petersfield Youth Theatre for younger performers and known to many as PYT, and of course the Petersfield Theatre Group, which stages two full-scale musical shows each year. and over in Alton there is the Holybourne Theatre that hosts a fantastic pantomime each year.

And there are many other performance groups, such as choirs, choral societies, dance groups, and local musical events to cater for all tastes, including the Grayshott Folk Club that hosts a wide programme of Folk, Roots and Acoustic live events, and Grayshott Concerts, whose patron, Karl Jenkins, is one of the most performed living composers in the world.

Longhope Opera is another annual event held each year in Newton Valence, promoting young talent in a beautiful setting.

But we also have wonderful events that are a regular part of our local calendar, including the amazing Liphook Carnival, whose procession of floats and bonfire display, will return once again in October.

And the Petersfield Shakespeare Festival is another such unique event. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, this year’s production is Much Ado About Nothing, the staging for which is right behind me, at the delightful woodland setting of Wylds Farm near Liss.

For more information on these and other local events, please use the links below: