Family friendly events for 2025!

Check out our calendar of activities for this year

Many of our events are free or low cost. If you’d like to find out more, head over to www.fareham.gov.uk/events.

If you’re interested in sponsorship opportunities, contact leisure@fareham.gov.uk.

Pop-up beach

The much-loved pop-up beach is back once again in Fareham Shopping Centre, free for families to use all year round!

Located inside the shopping centre, near B&M, the pop-up beach also has a ‘grassed’ area where children can play with a range of lawn games throughout the year, free of charge. It will be here right the way up to October this year. Look out for activities run by Everyone Active on the first Friday of every month!

Opening times of the sandpit are during Fareham Shopping Centre’s opening times: Monday-Saturday 9am-5:30pm and Sunday 10am-4pm.

Artisan Markets

Funyard Events’ artisan markets have become very popular in recent years, showcasing an abundance of unique products, local crafts, gift and food stalls in West Street.

Dates arranged so far this year are:

12 April, 17 May, 14 June, 18 October, 15 November

999 Day

This is an free family favourite, with lots of local emergency service heroes and their vehicles on display. Come along and meet the Police, Fire Service, South Central Ambulance Service, RNLI, Hampshire Search and Rescue, Coastguard and many more.

This year the event takes place on Saturday 21 June.

Fareham’s Big Weekend

This is a brand new event for 2025, with events and activities to showcase what the town has to offer. From Fareham Shopping Centre to the waterfront, from Fareham Leisure Centre to Fareham Live, partner organisations and businesses across Fareham will be coming together to put on a huge variety of events and activities to showcase just how much the town has to offer.

Save the date: 12 and 13 July

Podium Playtime

This is another new event for 2025! Every Thursday during August will see a selection of outdoor games including giant chess, Connect 4, dominoes and more under the performance podium on West Street.

The games will be available from 10am until 1pm.

Play Day

A great event for children and all the family to get back to nature at Holly Hill Woodland Park and take part in a range of woodland themed activities. Families are invited to bring along a picnic, while children can complete their activity stamp cards to be in with the chance of winning a prize!

Play Day will be taking place on Wednesday 13 August

Bygone Fareham

This free annual event features an array of classic cars for visitors to admire. Local groups that usually attend are South Hants Vehicle Preservation Society, Morris Minors Owners Club, Original Minis Group 59-00 and Solent Mini Club, plus many independent car owners. There will also be singing and dancing performances, activities for children, and a pop-up vintage artisan market.

This free event takes place this year on 13 September

Christmas lights switch-on

This is the most popular of the Councils annual events, with thousands attending each year. Fareham’s Christmas lights switch-on includes a Christmas market, free children’s activities, fun fair rides, food and drink, and street and stage performers.

The Christmas lights switch-on will take place on 22 November