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The Winchester Hat Fair is the UK's longest running festival of BBC Hampshire Profile: The Mad Hatter
/ref> Over the years, the Hat Fair gained enough status that it was able to obtain funding from regional arts funders and the local authorities, as well as commercial sponsors. The aim of the Hat Fair's organisers is to continually raise the standards of UK Street Theatre, and to aid artists in their development from buskers to professional performers, by providing them with hospitality, conducive performing conditions, and, if possible, a small fee for their performances. Early fairs involved an evening of cabaret in which some of the best acts were showcased. Gradually, this expanded from one evening to four nights, in addition to a series of workshops aimed at developing local talent, and a
Official website
Winchester Street theatre Theatre festivals in England July events Recurring events established in 1974 Festivals in Hampshire {{UK-festival-stub
The Winchester Hat Fair is the UK's longest running festival of street theatre
Street theatre is a form of theatrical performance and presentation in outdoor public spaces without a specific paying audience. These spaces can be anywhere, including shopping centres, car parks, recreational reserves, college or university c ...
, comedy
Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...
, and music
Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...
which is held in Winchester
Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...
, United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, always during the first weekend in July.
Originally a buskers' fair, the first Hat Fair was held in 1974. Although the City Council and the local business community initially opposed it, they now support the event, which brings about 40,000 people to watch. The Hat Fair's organising and co-ordinating committee, which is also local to the city, has charge over the travelling players who converge from around the country and abroad to perform at the Hat Fair.
The first Hat Fair emerged from an informal gathering of friends, who tried out their new shows upon audiences, and who were paid by donations of money into a hat — from which practice the 'Hat' Fair got its name. The core group included members of the Winchester-based Attic Theatre Company, founded and directed by mime artist Jonathan Kay, who continues in the role of Founder and artistic director of the Hat Fair to the present day./ref> Over the years, the Hat Fair gained enough status that it was able to obtain funding from regional arts funders and the local authorities, as well as commercial sponsors. The aim of the Hat Fair's organisers is to continually raise the standards of UK Street Theatre, and to aid artists in their development from buskers to professional performers, by providing them with hospitality, conducive performing conditions, and, if possible, a small fee for their performances. Early fairs involved an evening of cabaret in which some of the best acts were showcased. Gradually, this expanded from one evening to four nights, in addition to a series of workshops aimed at developing local talent, and a
street party
A block party or street party is a party in which many members of a single community congregate, either to observe an event of some importance or simply for mutual solidarity and enjoyment. The name comes from the form of the party, which ofte ...
on the Hat Fair's last night.
References
External links
Official website
Winchester Street theatre Theatre festivals in England July events Recurring events established in 1974 Festivals in Hampshire {{UK-festival-stub