From live music and theatre to trains, tractors and cars, there's so much to do in and around Southampton this Father's Day weekend.
Here's our pick of five of the best things to do to keep all the family entertained this Saturday and Sunday June 15 and 16.
At Guildhall Square...
(Image: Pixabay)
A new festival for Southampton will get underway this weekend with performances from music icons Tom Jones and Madness.
TK Maxx presents Southampton Summer Sessions will see the city's Guildhall Square taken over in a series of live music events featuring some of the biggest names in the business.
Kaiser Chiefs and Nile Rodgers & CHIC will also perform headline sets over the next three weekends.
Other dates will feature Paloma Faith, Placebo, Air and Loyle Carner.
Southampton has been added to the Summer Sessions series for the first time in 2024 along with Bedford, Chepstow, Derby, Plymouth, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling.
Organisers have said Guildhall Square will be transformed into a destination for world-leading live acts and music fans alike.
At Exbury Gardens...
(Image: Exbury Gardens)
Classic car and steam engine fans will be chuffed with a Father’s Day weekend event boasting trains large and small, plus British-made Austin cars at Exbury Gardens & Steam Railway.
On Sunday, Father’s Day, dads will get half-price admission to the Gardens where they can enjoy the car and train events, plus explore the beautiful ‘horti visitor attraction in its early summer colours.
The Austin Counties Car Show will be taking place on the lawns near Exbury House. A selection of beautifully restored Austin Cars, manufactured between 1939 and 1954, will be on display. An event ideal for classic car aficionados, vehicle owners will also be available to chat and answer questions about their Austins.
On Saturday and Sunday, visitors will be treated to an array of model railways, owned by members of the New Forest Model Railway Society, as well as various working steam engines, all displayed within Exbury’s very own working railway shed. Enthusiasts will be on hand to give hints and tips on how to build model railways at home, with layouts sized from 30ft long to those you can keep on a windowsill. A popular tourist attraction, Exbury Gardens’ narrow gauge steam railway departs from a replica Victorian station, Exbury Central, and runs along its 1 ½-mile Rhododendron Line through the famous woodland garden.
At Beaulieu...
(Image: Supplied)
For the chance to admire a unique range of vehicles and enjoy some great entertainment, Beaulieu’s Custom and American Show is the place to be this Father’s Day.
There’s something for everyone to enjoy at one of the most highly-anticipated shows on Beaulieu’s events calendar, from an impressive range of cars and bikes in the showground to live music and entertainment as well as the whole of the Beaulieu attraction to explore.
This year’s Custom and American Show is set to be bigger and better than ever, with even more American motors, vibrant custom cars and awesome bikes and trikes plus a variety of musical performances and entertainment for the whole family to enjoy. Visitors can expect a stellar line-up of large, loud and lively machines that are sure to gather a crowd.
Most exciting of all, this event showcases some of the most individual designs of the motoring world - showgoers won’t know which creation to admire first! Filling the showground will be everything from outrageously modified custom classics and hot rods to powerful American muscle cars and sedans.
At Mayflower Theatre...
(Image: Matt Crockett)
It's your last chance to see Wicked cast its spell in Southampton as it finishes its hugely successful run at Mayflower Theatre on Sunday.
Based on the acclaimed novel by Gregory Maguire, Wicked imagines a beguiling backstory and future possibilities to the lives of L. Frank Baum’s beloved characters from ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ and reveals the decisions and events that shape the destinies of two unlikely university friends on their journey to becoming Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
Reprising her West End roles, Laura Pick stars as Elphaba.
Limited tickets remain.
At Longdown Activity Farm...
(Image: Pixabay)
If you like tractors, you’ll love Longdown when friends from The New Forest Tractor & Engine Preservation Society are visiting for the weekend.
Tractor enthusiasts will be delighted to have the opportunity to see a variety of tractors from yesteryear featuring names such as Ferguson, Fordson, Nuffield, and many others.
Plenty of experts will be on hand to answer questions and to talk tractors. There will also be a static display of stationary engines to watch, as they puff and steam away. For those that enjoy a bumpy ride, tractor and trailer rides will be on offer at intervals during the day as well as a full programme of the usual animal activities.
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