Experience family fun activities across Hampshire Cultural Trust’s museums and galleries
May half term is here in Hampshire (Saturday 27 May to Sunday 4 June 2023) and it’s shaping up to be quite the fun-filled time. Events are taking place all over the county at Hampshire Cultural Trust’s (HCT) museums and galleries, so whether you are visiting to experience Anglo-Saxon Winchester at 878 AD, travel back to the 1940s at Milestones Museum in Basingstoke, follow a fairy trail at Basing House or make a mosaic at Rockbourne Roman Villa- half term fun is guaranteed with HCT!
878 AD – Winchester SO23 8QY
During venue opening times.
Experience the sights and sounds of Anglo-Saxon Winchester and discover the stories of the people who lived there, brought to life with the spectacular world of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Discovery Tour: Viking Age.878 AD is a seamless experience in two parts: an interactive attraction with live performance and an augmented reality, self-led app tour of Winchester.
Adult £12 Child (5–15) £8.50 Concession £10 Family (up to 5 people, max 2 adults) £39.50. Suitable for all ages, children must be accompanied. Pre-booking via website recommended.
Milestones Museum – Basingstoke RG22 6PG
1940s week – Saturday 27 May to Sunday 4 June, 10am-4:45pm
Join us over May half term to explore what life was like in the 1940s. Over the course of the week, the museum will play host to live music, World War II re-enactors, make do and mend activities, vintage vehicles and more! Visit our website to discover more.
Enjoy wartime favourites like corned beef hash and spam fritters in our Rooftops Cafe or attend one of our food rationing demonstrations to find out how families in the 40s made a little go a long way. Visit our 1940s sweet shop to see how long you can make a 2oz weeks' ration of sweets last!
Visitors are encouraged to come in their own 1940s costume to really get into the swing of the era.
Included in admission £2.50 for additional trail, £1.80 for sweet rations. Suitable for all ages, children must be accompanied. Pre-booking not required but advised.
Aldershot Military Museum – Aldershot, GU11 2LG
Put it in print! – Wednesday 31 May, 10:30am-12:30pm and 1:30pm-3pm.
Get messy trying your hand at printing pictures this half term. Carve your picture into easy print foam, roll on some ink and see how it turns out!
Included in museum admission. Suitable for ages 5+, all children must be accompanied. Pre-booking not required.
Willis Museum and Sainsbury Gallery – Basingstoke RG21 7QD
Our Windrush Story – Thursday 27 to Thursday 4 June (see website for opening days), 10am - 4pm.
With the Windrush exhibition in the Sainsbury Gallery, to both commemorate and celebrate the 75th anniversary of arrival of Empire Windrush in London on 22 June 1948. We will be hosting a week of trails and activities inspired by the exhibition and Basingstoke's Caribbean community.
Individual activities may have a charge. Suitable for ages 4+, children must be accompanied. Some events may require pre-booking. See website for more details.
Winchester City Museum – Winchester SO23 9ES
Noble Normans! – Monday 29 May, 10am-5pm.
Ever wondered whether you'd be strong enough to fight in full armour? Or which weapon would cause the most damage? How about what would happen if you committed a crime in Norman times? Find out all this and more as the museum is taken over by noble Normans! With live demonstrations and interactive displays, this event is not to be missed.
Included in price of admission. Suitable for ages 5+, children must be accompanied. Pre-booking not required.
Allen Gallery – Alton GU34 2BW
Make & take! – Saturday 27 May, 11am-12pm and 12pm-1pm.
Join a fun decorative crafts session in the gallery and make your own small project to take home.
See website for details.
Coronation trail – Tuesday 2 May to Tuesday 6 June, during opening hours.
Join our special Coronation trail and find the royal themed items in the gallery.
Free. Suitable for all ages, all children must be accompanied. Pre-booking not required.
Basing House – Basingstoke RG24 8AE
Art in the garden – Saturday 27 May to Sunday 4 June, 11am-4pm.
Grab some free art supplies and head out into the grounds of Basing House to discover the natural beauty of our ruins and gardens. Bring back your best work of art to be displayed in our temporary gallery space.
Included in admission. All children must be accompanied. Pre-booking not required.
Fairy trail – Saturday 27 May to Sunday 4 June, 11am-4pm.
Track down the Basing House fairies by finding the fairy doors hidden around the grounds. Find them all and win a special prize!
£3 per trail. All children must be accompanied. Pre-booking not required.
City Space – Winchester SO23 8SB
In Flow – Saturday 20 May to Sunday 25 June, during The Arc opening times.
In Flow is James Murray’s first solo exhibition and is presented as a response to Constable’s work in the main gallery. The exhibition is a series of new abstract works which celebrate painting as a medium.
Free. Pre-booking not required.
Curtis Museum – Alton GU34 1BA
Coronation trail – Tuesday 2 May to Tuesday 6 June, during opening hours.
Follow our Coronation themed trail through the museum.
Free. Pre-booking not required.
Red House Museum– Christchurch BH23 1BU
Museum make: cardboard castles – Wednesday 31 May, 10am-11am, 11:30am-12:30pm and 1:30pm -2:30pm.
Upcycle cardboard boxes and tubes, to create your own fantasy cardboard castle. There will be loads of craft materials and resources to hand to fuel your imagination.
£4.50 per make . Suitable for ages 4+, children must be accompanied. Pre-booking required.
Family bubble workshop with Squidge and Pop – Saturday 3 June, 11am-12pm and 1:15pm-2:15pm.
A magical world of bubbles awaits you in this interactive class for families. You'll learn bubble tricks, play games and get the opportunity to stand inside a giant bubble! Experience the fun, immersive and calming influence of a multi-sensory bubble workshop.
£9 per child, £3 per adult. Suitable for ages 4+, children must be accompanied. Pre-booking required.
Historic homes activity trail – Saturday 27 May to Sunday 4 June, during museum opening times.
Explore the museum and see if you can spot our mini historical model buildings hidden around our displays. Complete the trail and receive a prize.
£2 per trail. Suitable for ages 4+, children must be accompanied. Pre-booking not required.
Rockbourne Roman Villa – Fordingbridge SP6 3PG
Mosaic making – Saturday 27, Sunday 28, Monday 29 May and Thursday 1 to Sunday 4 June, during villa opening times.
Drop in and make your own mosaic coaster using colourful clay tessera pieces. A lovely craft activity to remind you of your visit.
£4.50 per mosaic. Suitable for ages 6+, children must be accompanied. Pre-booking not required.
Historic homes activity trail – Saturday 27 May to Sunday 4 June 2023
Explore the villa’s museum and see if you can spot our mini historical model buildings hidden around our displays. Complete the trail and receive a prize.
£2 per trail. Suitable for ages 4+, children must be accompanied. Pre-booking not required.
The Gallery – Winchester SO23 8SB
Constable: The Dark Side – Friday 26 May to Wednesday 16 August, during gallery open hours.
The exhibition has been specially curated for The Arc by art historian Nicola Moorby and will include examples of Constable’s work across a range of media – oil, watercolour, pencil and ink – as well as an in-depth look at mezzotint, a technique reliant on the emergence of light from dark.
Adults (16+) £9.50*/£8.50; Concessions: £7.20*/£6.50; Child (under 16s): £5.00*/£4.50 (*includes donation and Gift Aid).
Westbury Manor Museum – Fareham PO16 0JJ
Slippery slime making – Friday 2 June, 10:15am-11:15am, 11:30am-12:30pm, 12:45pm-1:45pm and 2pm-3pm.
Westbury Manor Museum is delighted to be hosting 'Creation Station' Fareham who will be delivering craft sessions on site. Make an individual pot of slime to take home.
Child tickets are £6.00 which includes a babycino from the museum cafe after the session. Suitable for ages 4+, children must be accompanied. Pre-booking required via the Creation Station Fareham website.
All information correct at the time of distribution. For more information, please visit https://www.hampshireculture.org.uk/events.