Things to do in Portsmouth and Southsea in August
The summer months are slowly winding down, but Portsmouth’s event calendar is showing no signs of stopping! August is packed with family fun, live music, classic cars, hilarious comedy, eclectic markets, delicious food, and a huge gaming convention at Portsmouth Guildhall. Here are our highlights!
Portsmouth Kite Festival
📍 Southsea Common
⏳ 11th and 12th August
Portsmouth International Kite Festival 2018 takes place on August 11th and 12th on Southsea Common, and it’s free to enter! The collaborative event between Portsmouth City Council and the Kite Society of Great Britain promises to be more spectacular than ever, with over 100 kite fliers from across four continents traveling to the event.
Guildhall Games Fest
📍 Portsmouth Guildhall
⏳18th August
Grab the controllers and checkers — upcoming board game café Dice Portsmouth and Old Portsmouth-based arcade Game Over have teamed up with Portsmouth Guildhall for a huge games fest on Saturday 18th August. Expect every games console in history, a board game library of hundreds, and experts on both to help introduce you to every video and board game imaginable.
Mary Rose LEGO Mosaic
📍 Mary Rose Museum
⏳ All through August
Keep the kids entertained this August with a LEGO mosaic build at the Mary Rose Museum, resulting in a huge 12m x 3m depiction of the famous Cowdray engraving of the Battle of the Solent, featuring the sinking of the Mary Rose. Weighing 236kg once finished, the mosaic will comprise 9,218 tiles, carrying 589,924 1 x 1 bricks. The build runs from 10am through to 4pm daily.
The Last Bandstands
📍 Southsea Seafront
⏳First two weekends in August
Sited in the West Battery Gardens down on Southsea’s seafront, the bandstand is a staple of Portsmouth’s annual summertime entertainment. All of the shows are free! This summer’s schedule winds down in August, with the line-up including Mod music, jazz, pop-punk, and swing, soul, and motown. Bad weather may mean venue changes/cancellations.
August Roller Disco
📍 Southsea Skatepark
⏳ 4th August
Whether you’re already a keen skater or the only wheely thing you’ve ridden is a fairground ride, make Southsea Skatepark one of your destinations during the sunny month of August. Learn from some of the best, and let loose at this month’s Roller Disco, with music spun by Funktifino. This world-renowned skatepark is celebrating its 40th anniversary! No better time to start becoming a regular.
Love Southsea Markets
📍 Palmerston Road
⏳ Every weekend/month
The Love Southsea Markets have been an established monthly staple of shopping in Palmerston Road for six years, and they continue in 2018, on the first weekend of every month. 50+ local traders and food stalls will be setting up shop in the high street precinct. Keep keeping the pound in Pompey! In August, the markets take place from 9am to 5pm on Saturday 4th and from 10am to 4pm on Sunday 5th.
Victorious Festival 2018
📍 Southsea Seafront
⏳ August Bank Holiday weekend
Victorious Festival returns on the Bank Holiday weekend at the end of August, bigger and better than ever. The Libertines, Kaiser Chiefs, and Shed Seven kick things off on Friday night, followed by Paul Weller, Paloma Faith, and The Beach Boys’ frontman Brian Wilson on Saturday and The Prodigy, Years & Years, and the Sleaford Mods on the Sunday.
Spinnaker Tower Comedy
📍 Spinnaker Tower
⏳ 3rd August
Award-winning comedian James Alderson introduces three awesome acts to the Spinnaker Comedy Club spotlight on 3rd August. Opening the show is ex-Radio 1 DJ Tom Deacon who has made appearances on the likes of The Rob Brydon Show and Dave’s One Night Stand. And headlining is Bobby Mair, who’s been on all the big-name comedy shows. The bar opens at 7pm, and the show kicks off from 8pm.
Clocktower Classics
📍 Guildhall Square, Portsmouth
⏳ Sunday 19th August
This annual classics show is set to showcase 100+ classic cars, bikes, and emergency service vehicles. Watch Guildhall Square transform into a vibrant fleet of cars from the 1950s onwards, on show for enthusiasts and all to enjoy with prizes awarded for Car of the Show. Also expect live entertainment inspired by the past, a vintage outfit prize, food, drink, and market stalls.