Love Basingstoke presents Festive Friday

Festive Friday
Friday 20 November from 5pm to 8pm
FREE
Across the Top of the Town, Basingstoke town centre, RG21 7QA

Love Basingstoke is back to spread joy and festive cheer at the Top of the Town on Friday 20 November from 5pm to 8pm.

Gather your family and friends to kick off the Christmas season together with an evening packed of FREE festive fun including:

🎁 A Christmas market with small business and local stallholders for unique gifts and tasty treats.
🎵 Enjoy music filling Market Square from a local DJ plus live performances
🌟 Festive entertainment and cheeky pantomime characters from Pumpkin Pantos.
🎨 Get creative with Christmas crafts
☃️Festive games
🎅 Food and drink from Top of the Town businesses

Wrap up warm, soak up the atmosphere and celebrate the start of the season with us.

What to expect at Festive Friday!

We've designed this guide to help visitors find out more about Festive Friday before attending to make sure the event is right for them. We’ve included information about access, facilities and what to expect at the event.

Festive Friday event at a glance:

• Free festive event in Basingstoke town centre

• Friday 20 November from 5pm to 8pm

• Outdoor event across Market Square, London Street and Wote Street

• Suitable for all ages

• Festive entertainment, Christmas market, crafts, games and photo opportunities

• Performances in Market Square take place at:

o 5.15pm PQA Basingstoke

o 5.30pm Basingstoke Rock Choir

o 6pm The Magic Key from Pumpkin Pantos

• Paved in all areas, mostly level in Market Place and London Street. There is a steep incline on Wote Street.

• Likely to be busy, especially around the Christmas tree and performances

• Visitors can come and go freely at any time

• Free, no booking required

What is Festive Friday?

Festive Friday is a lively outdoor Christmas event taking place across the Top of the Town in Basingstoke town centre. You can wander between different locations at your own pace, stopping to watch performances, browse the Christmas market, take part in free activities or simply enjoy the festive atmosphere.

Throughout the evening at the three hour event you can expect:

• Christmas music and live performances

• A large Christmas tree and festive decorations

• Market stalls selling gifts, food and seasonal treats

• Families, children and visitors of all ages

• Areas with crowds, especially around performances and activities

• Various sounds including music, microphones, applause and general crowd noise

• Festive lighting after dark

Visitors are welcome to stay for the whole event or drop in for a shorter visit.

Event locations

Market Square

Market Square, Basingstoke, RG21 7LZ

What3words for this event location: ///news.beats.modest

Market Square is a level, paved open space opposite the Willis Museum and Sainsbury Gallery. A large Christmas tree will be positioned in the centre, with four smaller trees around the edges of the square. A stage and two gazebos will also be set around the central tree, creating the main activity area. Visitors can expect an open, festive setting with activities and performances around the Christmas tree.

Market Square is expected to be a busy area of the event, especially during performances when visitors may gather around the stage and Christmas tree, creating larger crowds. There is open space around the square, making it easy to move away from the activity if you would prefer a quieter viewpoint.

The stage will be used for festive entertainment. Performances will take place at:

o 5.15pm PQA Basingstoke

o 5.30pm Basingstoke Rock Choir

o 6pm The Magic Key from Pumpkin Pantos

A local DJ will be located inside one of the gazebos with space in front of the gazebo in the square itself for people to dance if they choose. A photobooth will be located underneath the second gazebo in the square for visitors to enter for a photo to keep as a memento of the event.

Music, microphones, loud cheers and audience applause likely to be audible throughout this area.

London Street

London Street, Basingstoke, RG21 7BE (from the Triumphal Gates)

What3words for this event location: ///such.ducks.jumped

London Street is generally a steady-flow area where visitors move between stalls, shops and activities. Crowds may gather around the free games and craft activities, though there are routes through the street and visitors can continue past activities if they prefer.

At the top of London Street, free festive games will be set up across the Triumphal Gates. Access is available to the left- and right-hand side of the games to exit the event. This area can be busy with crowds queuing to take part in the games.

London Street is also home to part of the Christmas market. The market consists of local stallholders who will be underneath gazebos staggered along London Street inbetween open businesses.

Free Christmas crafts will be located here under gazebo’s too. Look out for ‘Free activity here signs’ These areas can be busy with Children and families queuing to take part in the activities.

London Street is a paved level street with some bench seating.

Wote Street

Wote Street, Basingstoke, RG21 7NW (from the Triumphal Gates)

What3words for this event location: /// ///bolt.rent.snow

Wote Street provides a quieter Christmas market experience than London Street but is situated on a noticeable incline. Visitors using wheelchairs, mobility scooters or pushchairs may wish to take extra care when travelling along this section of the event.

Quick Facts covering all Festive Friday locations

Wheelchair/buggy access:

The event takes place on paved town centre streets and public spaces.

• Market Square and London Street are generally level.

• Wote Street is on a steep incline.

• Visitors using wheelchairs, mobility scooters or pushchairs can access all event areas, although some locations may become busy.

• Stallholders and activities are positioned to maintain pedestrian routes where possible.

• We recommend allowing extra time to move through busier areas.

Toilets:

The closest toilets to the event are located in Festival Place Shopping Centre. An accessible toilet is located off Castons Walk (path to the side of McDonalds) in Castons Yard Short Stay Car Park, these toilets can be accessed with a radar key.

Seating:

There are benches located in Market Square, London Street and Wote Street.

Crowds and Noise:

Festive Friday is a popular community event, and some areas may become busy.

You may encounter:

• Groups of people gathered around entertainment

• Queueing for activities or food stalls

• Christmas music and live performances

• General crowd noise, excitement and conversation

The busiest areas are expected to be Market Square during entertainment performances and London Street by the free games and activities.

Visitors are free to move between locations and leave crowded spaces at any time.

Is Festive Friday family friendly?

This event is designed to be family friendly with:

• Free festive games

• Free Christmas crafts

• Live entertainment

• Christmas market browsing

• Photo opportunities

Due to crowds and busy event areas, Children should remain supervised by a responsible adult at all times.

Quiet space:

There is no dedicated quiet space at the event, however because the event is spread across several streets, visitors can move away from activities and return whenever they wish. Quieter areas can often be found away from Market Square and the main free entertainment areas. You or your children are welcome to wear ear defenders.

Food/drink:

As part of the Christmas market, there are stallholders selling festive treats. Alternatively, there are several restaurants, cafes, pubs and bars available within walking distance throughout the Top of the Town and into Festival Place.

You are also welcome to bring your own snacks or picky tea. You will find bins located across the event, alternatively please take your litter home.

Getting to Festive Friday

Parking at Festive Friday:

Several town centre car parks are close to the event, but you will need to navigate from your chosen car park to the event.

At The Top of the Town the closest car parks include Joices Yard, Central Car Park and Castons Yard. You can find details of council run car parks here.

Blue Badge Parking is available at Feathers Yard, Joices Yard, Central Car Park and Castons Yard. You can find other details of Blue Badge Parking here.

Getting to Festive Friday by train or bus

If you are travelling by train, you can catch direct trains from London Waterloo, Winchester, Reading, Oxford, Southampton and Portsmouth. The train and bus stations are within walking distance Basingstoke town centre ready to enjoy the event.

Basingstoke train station - Basingstoke station, Station Hill, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG21 5NB

Basingstoke bus station - Festival Place Shopping Centre, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG21 7BE

Need more event information before or at the event?

If you're unsure whether Festive Friday is right for you or someone in your group, please contact the Love Basingstoke team before your visit. We'll be happy to answer any questions and help you plan your evening. Please drop us an e-mail at hello@lovebasingstoke.co.uk

At the event, look out for staff wearing pink high vis over our coats who will be happy to help.