Ten Things To Do in Hampshire This Weekend...

Here's our guide to the top ten things to do...

(1) At Marwell...

THESE spook-tacular snaps show trainee wizards defying gravity to master the art of broomstick flying ahead of Halloween.

Channelling their inner witch or wizard, children have been captured on camera flying high at Marwell Zoo as part of their fun-filled half term activities.

Marwell Zoo’s resident wizard professor is now busy putting trainee flyers through their paces to earn their Level 2 broomstick licence. Sessions last 20 minutes and take place each day in the ‘flying arena’ on the front lawn on a first come first served basis.

The magical activity is part of Marwell Zoo’s special event ‘Boo at the Zoo’ which takes place until Sunday.

Join the scary witch at 11am, 1pm and 3pm for some creepy storytelling in the Haunted Hall.

Become part of the magic of Marwell Wildlife by getting creative and making your very own spellbinding wand.

Also, stop by the Pumpkin Patch to design and carve your very own special pumpkin to take home.

See marwell.org.uk

(2) At Beaulieu...

THIS year’s explosive Beaulieu Fireworks Spectacular, which is one of the biggest displays in the south, will celebrate Beaulieu does Broadway.

Choreographed to music and with a range of entertainment for the whole family, the display will begin at 7.30pm tomorrow night in the grounds of the Beaulieu attraction.

Arrive from 3pm to enjoy old time fairground rides, including a big wheel and popular gallopers, children’s swing boats and a coconut shy, before the start of the display.

On the Wave 105 stage, presenters Rick Jackson and Michael Coombes will get the evening off to a dynamic start with live entertainment running before and after the fireworks.

Tickets from beaulieu.co.uk or 01590 612888.

(3) At Longdown Activity Farm...

SCREAM with laughter when multi award-winning family entertainer Silly Scott performs his family magic show full of amazing tricks and comical gags.

At intervals throughout the day, Silly Scott will be mingling around the farm and making some spook-tacular Hallowe'en-themed balloon-twisting creations.

Magic on the Farm with Silly Scott runs until Sunday. when the farm closes for the winter.

See longdownfarm.co.uk

(4) In Guildhall Square...

THOUSANDS of people are set to flock to Southampton from today for a German-style beer festival this weekend.

Up to 10,000 people are expected to attend the Oktoberfest event in Guildhall Square for a Southampton take on the Munich spectacle which attracts six million visitors a year.

Beers from across the continent will be served in traditional Bavarian-style Stein glasses along with a variety of German cuisine and entertainment.

See oktoberfestsoton.com

(5) At Forest Arts, New Milton...

THE venue's first ever Festival of Spirits will take place tomorrow.

The Festival, which is all about spirits of the alcoholic kind, especially gin, vodka, whisky and rum, runs from 12 midday to 6pm.

There has been an explosion in new distilleries over the last 10 years – the most noticeable are the gins, but there are also new whiskies, vodkas, rums, brandies and liqueurs appearing on the market every year.

Amongst the 18 gins on offer at the Festival, Forest Arts are featuring Hiltingbury, Silverback, Test Valley Gin, Twisted Nose and Dancing Cows Lymington Gin, all from Hampshire, as well as Conker, based in Dorset.

The £10 ticket includes four samples from the range of spirits. Tickets and details from forest-arts.co.uk.

(6) Across the city....

SOUTHAMPTON'S Festival of Words SO: To Speak draws to a close this weekend.

Enjoy a host of events tomorrow, including the grand festival finale Words on Wheels which will see vintage buses filled with poets and storytellers for an outdoor public poetry contest. It takes place at Western Esplanade at 2pm.

Crime fiction meets crime fact in CSI Southampton at Central Library. Get inside the police lines and interrogate a panel with both crime authors Pauline Rowson and Graham Hurley and real-life crime scene investigators.

Saturday's events also include Schlock, a beautiful and moving exploration of pain, consent, the body and self at The Stage Door, award-winning singer songwriters Jon Hart and Maneli Jamal at The Art House and bad poetry contest The Anti-Slam at The Stage Door.

See sotospeakfestival.org

(7) At Go Ape...

GO Ape, the UK’s leading forest adventure company, is hosting spook-tacular events at the courses at Itchen Valley Country Park in West End and Moors Valley Country Park near Ringwood this weekend.

With lots of fun activities for children taking on Tree Top Junior, including face painting, creepy crafts and some beastly quizzes and riddles to solve, there’ll be no escaping a scarily good day out!

Children can dress up in their scariest outfits before scrambling around a series of spooky suspended tunnels, clambering across weird wobbly walkways and negotiating all sorts of other tricky (or treaty) spine-tingling obstacles, before leaping into thin air and zooming down hair-raising zip wires! With ghostly rustling in the tree tops and strange shadows it’ll be both creepy and captivating!

There’ll also be the spookily decorated Go Ape cabins, as well as Halloween-themed competitions with a range of prizes including a chance to win an unlimited Go Ape pass for the whole year!

Book now at goape.co.uk.

(8) At Mountbatten School, Romsey...

IT IS set to be a spook-tacular event, with scores of residents expected to take on the course.

Monster Dash, a 3km inflatable obstacle course, will take over Mountbatten School on Sunday for a day of Halloween celebrations.

Organised by local cancer charity Wessex Cancer Trust, the course includes eight immense inflatables for supporters to bounce over, squeeze through and slide down.

However, participants need to be careful as there will be Halloween horrors around every turn, organisers say.

Hundreds of people have already signed up from across the Wessex region for the event, sponsored by Winchester Motor Group.

Alongside the spooky fun there will be plenty of entertainment, merchandise stalls and Halloween refreshments on sale.

(9) At Crossfield Hall, Romsey...

THE people of Romsey are showing their support for local good causes as the Round Table Beer & Cider Festival approaches.

More than 20 local beers and ciders will be available, all from local brewers and producers. Flack Manor, Andwell, MASH, Vibrant Forest, Broken Bridge, Longdog and Red Cat are bringing the beer, whilst cider is coming from Meon Valley and Mr Whitehead’s.

The superb New Forest Yokels will keep everyone entertained throughout the evening.

Tickets have been selling well, but are still available from www.facebook.com/RomseyRT or by emailing beerfestival@rt484.org.uk.

The Beer and Cider Festival is the first part of Romsey, Chandler’s Ford & District Round Table’s fundraising efforts for 2017.

(10) At Easleigh Lakeside Railway...

SPOOKY ghost trains will be operating tomorrow from 4pm-8pm.

Your ticket will include two rides around the track. Save one of these rides for one of two ghost stories which will take place over the course of the evening. The first story will be younger child orientated and the second story will be aimed at families.

The station and track will be decorated in lots of spooky decorations with spooky Halloween music being played on the platform. There will also be games and activities found in the party room.

And who knows what else may be lurking in the dark country park…do you dare to find out?

Book at steamtrain.co.uk