Festival Programme
Welcome to the first What’s On Guide for the Alton Arts Festival. This handy guide includes the majority of ticketed events currently on sale - and many of those coming on sale soon. There will be plenty of FREE events taking place during the festival period and we’ll produce a more complete programme nearer the time. Click on the event you're interested in to learn more and buy tickets. (No link yet? Keep checking back!)
FRIDAY
5 JULY
All day
THEATRE
HSDC Alton Showcase
5.30pm
LITERATURE
Beginner to Bestseller
Waterstones Alton
7pm
MUSIC
Opening Night at the Opera
Chawton House Barn
7.30pm
MUSIC
LYR
Alton Assembly Rooms
SATURDAY
6 JULY
10am – 2pm
ARTS IN THE PARK
Public Gardens
9.30am – 12.30pm
ART
Paul Harfleet – Learn to Draw a Bird
Community Centre
11am
THEATRE
WonderGig
Alton Maltings
2.15pm
THEATRE
Comedy Club 4 Kids
Alton Maltings
4.30pm
LITERATURE
Writers on Writing
Assembly Rooms
7.15pm
THEATRE
Arthur Smith
Alton Maltings
7.30pm
MUSIC
Daudi Matsiko
Goldfinch Books
SUNDAY
7 JULY
10am – 12pm
ART
Community Centre
​
10.30am – 11.30am, 11.45am - 12.45pm
ART
Clayful Playful Family Workshop
Allen Gallery
​
12pm – 2pm
LITERATURE
Goldfinch Books
​
1.30pm
MUSIC
So Sweet a Touch
St Nicholas' Church
​
2pm – 5pm
ART
Jane Austen's House
​
1.30pm
MUSIC
Richard Walters & Chris Riddell
Holybourne Theatre
​
5pm – 7pm
LITERATURE
Writing for Wellbeing Community Centre
​
5.30pm
MUSIC
St Lawrence Church
​
7.30pm
MUSIC
Goldfinch Books
MONDAY
8 JULY
1.30pm - 4.30pm
ART
Make a contemporary textile hanging
Community Centre
5pm
LITERATURE
In Conversation With Laura Bates & Patrice Lawrence
Martin Read Hall
7pm – 9pm
ART
Painting and Prosecco
Cassidy's
7.30pm
THEATRE
Funnybones Comedy Club
Holybourne Theatre
7.30pm
THEATRE
Alton Fringe at the Festival
Wessex Arts
TUESDAY
9 JULY
7pm
ART
Film workshop - The Fictitious Inhabitants of Alton
Community Centre
7pm
LITERATURE
The importance of place in historical fiction
St Nicholas' Church
7.30pm
MUSIC
Ben Bloor Organ Recital
St Lawrence Church
WEDNESDAY
10 JULY
9am – 12.30pm, 2pm – 5.30pm
ART
David Wilkins
stone-carving workshop
Chawton House
5.30pm
LITERATURE
Songwriting workshop
Goldfinch Books
5.30pm
MUSIC
Testament
Holybourne Theatre
7.00pm
LITERATURE
Worldbuilding ...Live
Wessex Arts
7pm
THEATRE
Richard Herring’s ‘Can I have my ball back?’
Martin Read Hall
7pm - 9pm
ART
Photo Walk – Camera Club
Bandstand, Public Gardens
THURSDAY
11 JULY
10am – 3pm
ART
Alton Community Arts Exhibition
Community Centre
1pm
MUSIC
Lunchtime Organ Concert
St Lawrence Church
5.30pm – 6.30pm
LITERATURE
Poetry workshop
Goldfinch Books
6pm
THEATRE
Wessex Arts
7pm
LITERATURE
Poetry night
Goldfinch Books
7.30pm
MUSIC
Simeon Walker
All Saints Church
​
FRIDAY
12 JULY
11am – 1pm
ART
Getting Started With Pastels
Allen Gallery
6pm
THEATRE
The Nettle Dress (Film) Wessex Arts
7.30pm
THEATRE
Strictly Showtime
Alton Maltings
7.30pm
MUSIC
Austen & Friends
All Saints Church
7.30pm
MUSIC
Cara Dillon
Assembly Rooms
SATURDAY
13 JULY
9.30am – 12.30pm
LITERATURE
Pen2Paper children’s creative writing workshop
Alton Maltings
10am – 12pm
LITERATURE
Creative writing workshop for teens
Community Centre
​
10am – 1pm
ART
Connecting with nature through art
Community Centre
1.30pm – 4.30pm
LITERATURE
Edit your manuscript
Alton Library
2.30pm
THEATRE
Alton Maltings
​
7pm
MUSIC
Holybourne Theatre
SUNDAY
14 JULY
​
12pm – 6pm
Public Gardens
3.30pm
MUSIC
St Lawrence Church