Alton Arts Festival

01/06/2026

AAF Schools week is officially a go! Just today we have 8 wonderful creativity workshops taking place across both primary and secondary schools all over Alton and the surrounding villages.

The fabulous Meon Valley Studio - Jewellery & Silversmithing School is running two workshops today, for both Eggar's School and Amery Hill School, allowing students to experience the art and science of silversmithing.

Olivia has a Masters degree from the Royal College of Art, has exhibited at the V&A and Somerset House, and been featured in everything from Elle Decoration to the Sunday Times Magazine... and this week she's bringing all of that expertise to our local students! ❤

Thanks to generous funding from The Goldsmiths' Centre, students will take part in a hands-on jewellery-making taster session. Working in a fully equipped professional workshop, students will design and create their own silver ring or pendant while learning traditional techniques such as sawing, soldering, texturing and polishing. Each student will leave with a finished piece of jewellery they have made themselves.

Follow Olivia, check out some of the adult workshops she also runs, and stay tuned for lots more news and images as these incredible workshops get underway.

30/05/2026

https://www.altonherald.com/news/entertainment/altonian-violist-to-perform-at-towns-arts-festival-911726

The Cartref Chamber Collective will bring its chamber music to the Church of St Lawrence in Alton as part of the Alton Arts Festival on July 10 at 1pm.

29/05/2026

One of the loveliest venues in our patch is the brilliant Holybourne Theatre

A not-for-profit amateur dramatics group run entirely by volunteers, Holybourne Theatre runs many shows throughout the year, not only with their own adult and youth talent, but also invited performers, and musicians. Do check out their full programme on their website.

Did you know, there has been an amateur dramatic club in Holybourne since 1948? That's the kind of community and creativity we can all get behind!

Holybourne Theatre has been a key partner venue since our very beginning, and we're delighted to be hosting two excellent comedy shows there for AAF26 - the hilarious Marcel Lucont and the brilliant, family-friendly Olaf Falafel.

Support local theatre, support independent venues, and we can't wait to see you there!

Tickets for Marcel: https://wegottickets.com/event/696616
Tickets for Olaf: https://wegottickets.com/event/696129

28/05/2026

Have you ever wondered whether that family secret, half-remembered place, or extraordinary true story might become a novel? This is the AAF event for you!

Join novelist and writing coach Emma Darwin — whose blog This Itch of Writing has guided thousands of writers — and Louise Morrish, novelist and founder of Alton's own Charm writing group, for a warm and wide-ranging conversation about the art of turning real life into fiction.

Where do stories come from? What do we owe to the truth? And how do we find the courage to invent? Explore all this and more.

An event for writers at every stage and anyone interested in how true events make it to the page.

Get your ticket: https://wegottickets.com/event/696189

27/05/2026

Hands up if you'd like to be part of the fun! ✋

Final call for volunteers for the July festival - from artist supporters to ticket checkers to content capturers, we've got roles for everyone. If you can spare just an hour or the whole week, we want to hear from you.

Please fill out our brief form if you're interested, and we'll give you all the info you need.

https://www.altonartsfestival.com/volunteer

26/05/2026

Naima Bock left a band, started a gardening company, got an archaeology degree. Then made a couple of the most critically acclaimed records of the last few years.

Born in Glastonbury to a Brazilian father and a Greek mother, raised between Brazil and South-East London, she spent six years touring the world with the band Goat Girl before leaving to pursue an archaeology degree. The result of this unique background is music that feels genuinely rooted in something real. In an interview with her, The Quietus declared “after every song the applause and cheering is immense, so immense in fact that it seems to be coming from a different place than the usual formalities of a live show, a link between performer and artist forged somewhere deeper and more personal.”

We are bringing her to Goldfinch Books this July for a stunning, intimate evening that really feels made for her.

Thursday 9th July. Doors 7.30pm. Tickets £15:️ https://wegottickets.com/event/696119

20/05/2026

The brilliant James Parsons of Crazy Comic Club is bringing his comic art workshops to the AAF Schools programme at Alton Infant School, Ropley C of E Primary School, Selborne Primary School and Wootey Junior School — and we have a feeling things are about to get very silly indeed. 🦆

Expect giant ducks, radioactive bogies, and a firm reminder that there is no such thing as a bad drawing.

This is what the AAF Schools Programme is all about. We love it. 🎨

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18/05/2026

You know that feeling... you've written something, but it's not quite there yet and you can't see why?

Eleanor Updegraff can. She's edited for Penguin Random House, Canongate and Scribe, and on 8th July she's bringing that insider knowledge to an intimate two-hour masterclass at Goldfinch Books.

Every participant gets personalised written feedback on their own work. Real notes, from a real editor, on your words.

Places are limited. So if you're serious about your novel, book yours 😜 https://wegottickets.com/event/696179

14/05/2026

We are absolutely delighted to introduce one of the brilliant artists in this year's schools programme: the wonderful Junk Jodie!

Jodie Marsh-Hoffmann is an award-winning environmental storyteller who transforms waste materials into art, encouraging children to see the creative and ecological potential in the things we throw away. She has appeared on BBC News South Today, been featured in newspapers from Hampshire to Mumbai, and received the Basingstoke Mayor's Award for her services to the community.

This summer she'll be bringing her magic into local primary schools, sparking imaginations around sustainability, biodiversity and the natural world through hands-on making and storytelling. Chawton CE Primary School , St Lawrence C of E Primary School Treloar's, Wootey Infant and Junior Schools have chosen to hold Junk Jodie workshops this year and we know their students are going to absolutely love it.

Follow Junk Jodie at and stay tuned for updates as the workshops begin!

13/05/2026

You guys are absolutely FABULOUS and tickets just keep flying out the door!

Get in quick for these ones - they'll be the next events to sell out. From the glorious wit of Lucy Porter, opening the festival on Friday 3rd July, to live jazz in the beautiful gardens of Jane Austen's house, to the hilarious and insightful Robin Ince and 'The Perfect Couple', and the incredible talent of Katherine Priddy fresh off the back of her brilliant 3rd album, these are events you really don't want to miss out on.

Just imagine the FOMO!! Tickets are still available but you'll have to move fast....

https://www.altonartsfestival.com/whats-on