Student talent shines: Creative partnership brings festival to life

The energy was electric as local students took centre stage, showcasing incredible creative talent and passion at our 2025 Outdoor Arts festival.

Hat Fair 2025 saw more eager student performers take to the streets in Winchester city centre, once more for the chance to win the coveted Top Hat competition. These talented students didn't just participate — they helped shape the entire festival experience for our community.

Run and presented by Play to the Crowd, the Top Hat competition is a unique creative partnership with the University of Winchester. It gives final‑year students and recent graduates a high-profile public platform to showcase their original work, with the winner earning a funded spot to return to the official festival lineup the following year.

Nurturing the next generation of makers

At Play to the Crowd, we believe in giving young people real‑world opportunities to develop their craft.

2025's Hat Fair festival saw an inspiring collaboration with local educational partners, allowing students to work directly alongside industry professionals.

Celebrating this year's winner: dare to diverge

A massive congratulations goes to the student theatre company dare to diverge, who officially took home the prestigious Top Hat award!

Their winning show, Bunch of Clowns, absolutely delighted festival-goers. The piece was a brilliantly playful yet deeply poignant exploration of gender perception, blending sharp physical comedy with insightful storytelling. The judges were incredibly impressed by their creativity, energy, and readiness to take their work to a professional street‑theatre level.

Thanks to their win, dare to diverge will receive tailored mentoring from the Play to the Crowd team to help them develop their practice before returning as an official act on the main festival program.

Bold and boundary‑pushing student showcases

The competition was incredibly fierce, with a fantastic standard of raw talent on display across the city's festival spaces.

Audiences and industry judges were treated to some truly remarkable student‑led work, including:

• dare to diverge (The Winners): Their piece, Bunch of Clowns, was a brilliantly playful yet deeply poignant take on gender perception that absolutely delighted festival‑goers.
• Midnight Hags: This talented group stunned crowds with Agnes of God, a visceral, powerful movement piece that explored complex themes of good, evil, and the impact of patriarchy.

Returning champions make a powerful impact

Adding to the celebratory atmosphere, previous Top Hat winners, Truth Be Told Theatre Company, made a triumphant return to the official festival lineup.

They presented Shrewish Women — an inspiring production honoring historical figures who boldly defied social expectations. In a truly moving moment, the company was joined on stage by local women from the Trinity Winchester community for a striking, masked performance featuring handmade protest banners, perfectly capturing our charity's goal to build deep community connections.

Nurturing the future of the arts

This creative partnership with the University of Winchester is a vital part of our mission to act as a vibrant catalyst for a happier, more connected Winchester District. By giving emerging artists a professional platform, mentorship, and a live audience, we are proud to support the next generation of creative professionals as they take their first steps into the industry.

We want to say a huge thank you to all the university tutors, the industry judging panel, and every single student who poured their passion into this year’s competition. The future of outdoor arts is looking incredibly bright!