SOUTHAMPTON has gone boat show bonkers while theatre and bricks are taking over Winchester.

There’s carnival cavalcades around Hampshire and a host of other fun activities for all the family this weekend.

Here’s our guide of the top ten things to do.

At Southampton Boat Show...

THOUSANDS are set to descend on the city this weekend for TheYachtMarket.com Southampton Boat Show.

The nine-day boating festival gets under way today at Mayflower Park, showcasing new vessels and gadgets among a host of stars.

It was launched this morning by Made in Chelsea star Millie Mackintosh, 110m hurdles champion Colin Jackson CBE and motorsport presenter Suzi Perry.

During the show, Sunseeker will also launch two new yachts in what the company is calling a “double world premiere”.

The celebrated festival of boating, which runs until September 24, will show off everything from boating accessories and sailing wear to boating holidays and luxury yachts.

Families can climb aboard a tall ship. Kaskelot will offer a treasure trove of stories and adventure for all visitors to explore as they step onboard this three-masted barque.

Get Afloat is the attraction to visit to have a go at dinghy sailing, stand up paddleboarding and for the first time at the show, bellboating.

Cruise Southampton water on the Ocean Scene, the show’s very own mini cruise ship, meet celebrity pirate Gemma Hunt, from hit CBeebies programme Swashbuckle, or ride the adventure canoe river.

At Theatre Royal Winchester...

THE venue is throwing open its doors for a free open weekend for all the family to enjoy.

Running from noon to 4pm tomorrow and Sunday, it will include a jam-packed programme of activities including back stage tours, taster theatre and movement workshops, technical displays, as well as face-painting and fun craft activities for the children.

You can even have a go at playing the ukulele!

The open weekend also provides a great opportunity to meet the Theatre Royal Winchester and Hat Fair team, hear their future plans and feed back your thoughts.

Tomorrow, visitors will get to meet some of the cast of this year’s panto Peter Pan, join in with a good old traditional audience participation song, dress up and have photos with their favourite characters – oh yes they can! plus poet Joe Riley will be creating wonderful poetry about the guests.

Younger visitors can have fun in the craft zone making Emperor’s New Clothes headdresses and can take part in a quiz around all things theatre.

Jane Austen fans can enjoy a promenade theatre performance of Austen Undone through Winchester city centre. This show is an entertaining exploration of the city in a who’s who, what’s what and this-and-that of Jane Austen’s life and works.

On Sunday, the theatre plays host to Four Score Years and Ten, a humorous, revealing and touching piece of verbatim theatre constructed from the words of six 90-year-old Winchester residents. Set at a jubilee celebration tea party the audience are invited to enjoy tea and cake alongside other party goers!

Tickets are free, but must be booked in advance from theatreroyalwinchester.co.uk or 01962 840 440.

At Winchester Science Centre and Planetarium...

THE Big Brick Challenge – a weekend of engineering and construction with LEGO bricks – takes place tomorrow and Sunday.

Experts from Hampshire’s Bright Bricks are presenting fun LEGO bricks building workshops throughout the day, helping you develop your LEGO building skills and to construct a 26-piece model aircraft that you can take home. Bright Bricks is also leading the construction of a huge and complex LEGO bridge over the course of the weekend, and participants can help the centre complete this masterpiece.

A series of competitive engineering and robotic challenges with LEGO Mindstorm take place in The Invention Studio. Snows Toyota of Hedge End are bringing a hybrid car to the centre and visitors are invited to design a car of the future, with LEGO prizes to be won. The Science Centre is also showing LEGO movies in it’s state-of-the-art Planetarium; The LEGO Batman flies into action on Saturday and you can join Emmet for The LEGO Movie on Sunday.

Advanced booking is recommended, reserve your place by visiting winchestersciencecentre.org

At 02 Guildhall Southampton...

PULL on the lederhosen and indulge in the Bavarian spirit as Southampton hosts a right old knees-up tomorrow.

A traditional German beer festival will return to the city for the fifth year running next month.

Southampton’s German Beer Fest aims to recreate the party atmosphere of the Oktoberfest celebrations.

Up to 700 people will be able to taste a variety of German beers and foods. But you don’t have to be a beer connoisseur to have a good time with the Alpine Stompers oompa band playing all the traditional beerfest songs, along with a DJ and singer and mädchens in traditional costumes.

In Bishopstoke...

BISHOPSTOKE is set to be transformed into a sea of colours as the popular annual carnival is set to return this weekend.

The two-day event aims to bring the community together and offer residents a weekend of fun.

Celebrations will start tomorrow at 11am with a river float competition by the river opposite the Bishopstoke Memorial Hall.

Participants are asked to make and decorate a small river float inspired to the carnival theme which is Space. Following the river race, revellers will also have the chance to enjoy the duck race in the river.

The carnival parade will take place on Sunday, starting from the bottom of Underwood Road at 11am.

Parade entries will be judged by Cllr Maureen Sollitt, Mayor of Eastleigh, at around 12pm before the parade will turn up Sedgwick Road and will then turn down Stoke Common Road to Church Road.

The parade is also expected to go through Spring Lane before turning into Portal Road and arriving at Glebe Meadow, where the carnival fete is set to take place from 2pm.

Residents will have the opportunity to enjoy several stalls and a host of fun activities including various games, a dog show, a children’s entertainer and several inflatables for the youngest.

At West Quay Retail Park...

SET sail for the city centre tomorrow between noon and 5pm.

Visit Westquay Retail Park for boat loads of fun at the free Nautical Nippers Event.

There will be a remote control boat course, children’s craft workshops, and under the sea entertainers. Also enjoy special offers from West Quay retailer’s and be in with a chance of winning plenty of prizes up for grabs.

The event will be located on the car park adjacent to the park’s playground.

At Hampshire cinemas...

TWENTY years after Dame Judi Dench beautifully captured the aching loneliness of Queen Victoria in Mrs Brown, the diminutive national treasure slips back into regal garb for Victoria & Abdul, Stephen Frears’ heart-warming comedy drama torn from a long-lost page in history.

Set during the final five years of Victoria’s turbulent reign, the picture touches upon some of the same themes as Dame Judi’s earlier portrayal, albeit with more humour.

Mrs Lighter Brown, if you will.

The year is 1887 and Queen Victoria (Dame Judi) is comfortably installed as Empress of India, although she has never visited the domain.

In Agra, two lowly men – Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal) and Mohammed (Adeel Akhtar) – are chosen by British authorities to present the monarch with a ceremonial gold coin called a mohur.

They travel to Windsor Castle, where Abdul catches Victoria’s eye and is rapidly promoted to the monarch’s spiritual adviser or “Munshi”.

In Ringwood...

THERE will be not one, but two processions taking place at Ringwood Carnival tomorrow – an afternoon children’s parade at 2pm and an evening illuminated parade at 7.15pm.

Both parades feature community floats designed and built by local groups, clubs, schools, organisations, businesses as well as groups of families and friends. Also included within the parades are marching bands, steam traction engines, dance groups and feature cars.

Both processions are headed by the Carnival Queen, led by the Sampsons Percheron Horses.

As well as the processions, there are street entertainers, music bands, live entertainment, fireworks and the huge Adlam’s Fun Fair that all also take place on the day.

In Southampton city centre...

FOLK Dance Southampton takes to the city’s streets tomorrow.

The spectacular day of folk dancing aims to promote British folk dance to a wider audience.

The first event of its kind, it will be finished off with a mass ceilidh in Central Hall with the fantastic Jigfoot.

Groups including Pop-Up Playford, the King John’s Morris Men, Men of Wight, Fleur de Lys and Moonshine will take over the Bargate from 11am to 4pm.

Oyster, Sarum, Mayflower and Red Stags are among the dancers at the Westquay entrance on Above Bar Street.

The Rotary Clock and Palmerston Park will see plenty of dancing action throughout the day before a mass dance at Guildhall Square between 4pm and 5pm.

All the travelling dance sides and the public will come and dance the night away at Central Hall to what some people call an ‘English barn dance’.

Supplying the tunes are Jigfoot, a band that specialise in tunes from southern English sources that are bound to get you out of your seat and dancing.

At Southampton Common...

ALL the family can enjoy finding out about local wildlife with the trails, crafts and hands-on activities at the Wonderlife Wildlife Family Activity Day at The Hawthorns Urban Wildlife Centre tomorrow.

Look at smaller creatures under the microscopes as they become ‘mega beasts’ and see how some of these tiny creatures live extraordinary lives.

Follow the trails around the garden to test your knowledge about the different habitats and the wildlife that lives there and then get creative in the activity room with some wildlife themed crafts.

The event will run between 11am and 4pm.