Twixmas in Basingstoke and Deane

Looking for things to do during Twixmas, those all-important days between Christmas and New Year's Eve, then here’s some ideas to keep you busy!

Shopping

Was something missing from your Christmas list or are you just wanting to hit the sales? Festival Place, The Malls and some Top of the Town businesses will be open. Check their websites for opening hours. You will also find shops at Chineham Shopping Centre, Viables Craft Centre, Overton and Whitchurch (check individual store opening times).

Activities

In the town centre, head to the Willis Museum and Sainsbury Gallery to see Beyond the Bonnets: Working Women in Jane Austen’s Novels. This exhibition has been specially created for the 250th anniversary of the birth of Jane Austen and explores the lives lived in the background. Discover the true stories of working women from Austen’s Hampshire and further afield and find the parallels between fact and fiction.

If you haven’t seen this year’s pantomime yet, there is still a chance to get tickets to Aladdin at The Anvil. There is one performance on Boxing Day and then a matinee and evening performance on Saturday 27, Sunday 28, Monday 29 and Tuesday 30 December.

Enjoy a fairy-tale Christmas at The Vyne, National Trust. Wander the gardens then explore the luxuriously decorated house with nods to some of our most favourite fairy-tales. The trail runs before Christmas then from 26 December to 5 January 2026, open from 11am to 3pm.

View of the north front across the lake in early morning light at the Vyne, Hampshire. The Vyne is a warm red-bricked Tudor mansion built in the 16th century for Lord Sandys, Henry VIII's Lord Chamberlain, which later passed into the hands of the Chute family, who cared for the house and estate for over 300 years. It was remodelled to its present configuration in the mid-17th century.

The Vyne ©National Trust Images/John Miller

Get outside

After some extra time indoors, why not wrap up warm and head out to the great outdoors for some fresh air.

War Memorial Park, Eastrop Park and Glebe Gardens are all walkable from Basingstoke town centre. Learn a bit more about the history of the town on the Basingstoke heritage town trail. You can find more inspiration for walks, bike rides and skateparks around the borough on the Love Basingstoke website.

War Memorial Park

Food and drink

The Beach Arms offers a Boxing Day menu which includes a traditional festive carvery, Vegetable Lasagne or a twist on your Stonehouse favourites - a Christmas Dinner Pizza. They also have a special Kids’ Celebration Menu! Miller and Carter also has a Boxing Day menu from £45.50 and a younger guests festive menu from £11.95 for 2 courses. Their A la Carte menu will also be available. Enjoy a Boxing Day lunch in the Glasshouse Restaurant at Oakley Hall Hotel then take to the countryside with your family, friends, little ones and even your canine companions for a walk around the gardens and woodlands.

The Sandford Springs Festive Lunch offers a nice break from the cooking with either a two or three course option, Available seven days a week, excluding Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day.

For more ideas, see our blog on festive food and drink in Basingstoke and Deane.

Visiting Basingstoke

We are perfectly located if you are looking to escape London after Christmas or just wanting a break before New Year. Oakley Hall Hotel have Twixmas packages and plenty of woodlands and gardens surrounding the hotel to explore. Basingstoke Country Hotel has a Twixmas package that includes 3 night’s accommodation, dinner and breakfast.

You’ll find plenty to do in Basingstoke and Deane during your stay, visit the Love Basingstoke website for more ideas on places eat, shop and explore.

October 2025

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