Holmes Fest September 19th – 28th 2025 – Programme of Events
Please click through to make your bookings!
This page is under construction, and links for all events will become available shortly…
DAY 1 AND DAY 2
19TH + 20th SEPTEMBER – HOLMES FEST – THE VARIETY SHOW
Back with a brand now show for 2025, join Matt Wingett and the Holmes Fest crew for a night of fun.
INFO
- VENUE: The Groundlings Theatre, 42 Kent Street, Portsea, PO1 3BS
- TIME: 7.30 start
- Tickets £15 Regular / £35 VIP
DAY 2 AFTERNOON:
CONAN DOYLE’S LOST WORLD KIDS’ WORKSHOP
DINOSAUR ART WORKSHOP FOR KIDS: James Waterfield is an Artist and Secondary school teacher with many years experience of delivering exciting Art Workshops for Children at events like Portsmouth Comic Con and Hastings Comic Con.
He will deliver a Special Dinosaur themed fossil workshop that you can decorate – and you can take your own dinosaur Fossil from the Lost World!
INFO
- VENUE: The Southsea Community Cinema and Arts Centre, 1-3 Palmerston Road, Southsea, PO5 3QQ
- TIME: 12.00 noon till 4.00 pm
- TICKETS: This is a FREE event – but please book your place here
DAY 3
SUNDAY 21ST SEPTEMBER – THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF THE HABERDASHER’S SCISSORS
Local writers and researchers, Alison Habens and Matt Wingett, claim to have discovered an extraordinary fact: three famous literary figures of the 19th Century, H.G.Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle and Rudyard Kipling met each other in the early 1880s, in the old Drapery Bazaar, Hide’s Emporium, on King’s Road in Southsea.
Even more amazing, they were involved in a dark mystery that might have come straight from one of their own stories. Hear it unfold, through a series of extracts from their autobiographies, solve a few clues yourself – and work out where the boundary between true history and pure invention sits…
INFO
- VENUE: Hunter Gatherer, Southsea, 249 Albert Road, PO4 0JR
- TIME 3pm – 4.30pm
- Tickets £7.50
Get your tickets here
DAY 4
MONDAY 22nd SEPTEMBER – GUIDED WALK OF CONAN DOYLE’S PORTSMOUTH
Matt Wingett invites you to walk the streets that young Arthur Conan Doyle walked 140 years ago. You’ll meet at the Landport Gate and take a walk through Old Portsmouth to Southsea. On the way Matt will tell you some of his adventures in the town and you’ll discover:
- where he got into a bout of fisticuffs on his first day
- the site where the real Dr Watson once lived
- why he was involved in real deaths, a stabbing and disasters in the city
- the pub where he attended an inquest
- how the town gave him place names for his characters
- the place where he met his wife to be
- how tragedy threw him and his first wife together
- the place where he met his “Platonic mistress”
- where he spent his last night before leaving the town in 1890
INFO:
- Meeting point: The Landport Gate
- When: 2pm Eventbrite Link
- Tickets: £15
Get your tickets here
DAY 5
TUESDAY 23rd SEPTEMBER – ZOINKS!
THE MYSTERY MACHINE MEETS SHERLOCK HOLMES
THE SPOOKY FOLKLORE BEHIND SCOOBY-DOO – WITH SPECIAL APPEARANCE BY SHERLOCK HOLMES
For people who love a mystery this popular show is great fun – and has a Sherlockian twist never seen before!
The classic Hanna Barbera cartoon franchise ‘Scooby-Doo’ has been enjoyed by adults and children alike since the 1960s. It has seen various versions come and go, but at its heart it has always dealt with mystery and the supernatural.
Mark Norman’s groundbreaking book Zoinks, published in 2024, is the first to examine the myth and folklore behind the Scooby-Doo villains, removing the mask to expose how well, or badly, the show has represented the real-world in the show.
Now, a new live show, full of humour and interactive, presents some of the content of the book in the style you would expect from the show. In an exclusive adaptation of the usual show, written for HolmesFest to include Sherlock himself, you can now experience Zoinks in Portsmouth for the first time.
Mark Norman is a public folklorist and author, and the creator of The Folklore Podcast – one of the highest-ranking shows in its genre worldwide with over 2 million downloads behind it. He has variously written for Penguin, HarperCollins, the National Trust and many other publishers. Zoinks: The Spooky Folklore Behind Scooby-Doo was written with input from many of the show’s writers and producers.
INFO
- VENUE: The Menuhin Room, Portsmouth Central Library, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth PO1 2DX
- TIME: 3.00 pm start
- Tickets: £7.50
DAY 6
WEDNESDAY 24th SEPTEMBER – DOUBLE BILL
CONAN DOYLE IN PORTSMOUTH / SHERLOCK AND BEYOND
Join two world-renowned experts to discuss Conan Doyle in Portsmouth and the legends behind the Hound of the Baskervilles in this fascinating double bill.
VENUE: Menuhin Room, Portsmouth Central Library
TIME: 7.00 pm start
TALK 1: BEYOND THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES: SPECTRAL BLACK DOGS
Ghostly apparitions of Black Dogs are seen all over the world, but in the United Kingdom we have the broadest cross-section of different types of sightings. But, unknown to many, the folklore which inspired Conan Doyle to pen his most famous Sherlock Holmes novel, ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ has been recorded since the 12th century.
This talk explains the wide variety of different folkloric Black Dogs, and looks at the truth and the myth behind the origin stories for the Baskerville hound.
Mark Norman is a public folklorist and author, and the creator of The Folklore Podcast – one of the highest-ranking shows in its genre worldwide with over 2 million downloads. He administers the country’s largest collection of Black Dog material and is the author of the full-length study on the subject, ‘Black Dog Folklore’. He has variously written for Penguin, HarperCollins, the National Trust and many other publishers.
Break at 8pm for 30 mins
TALK 2: CONAN DOYLE IN SOUTHSEA – HOW PORTSMOUTH SHAPED HIS LIFE AND WRITING
Andrew Lycett wrote the definitive biography: Conan Doyle, the Man Who Created Sherlock Holmes.
Join him on a journey through Portsmouth and Conan Doyle’s life in the town, discovering how the city influenced his writing.
INFO
- VENUE: The Menuhin Room, Portsmouth Central Library, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth PO1 2DX
- TIME: Starts 7.00 pm
- Tickets: £10.00
DAY 7
THURSDAY 25th September
MURDER MYSTERY DINNER at CHAMBERS
Step into a candlelit Parlour where secrets flicker in every shadow and the clink of silverware masks whispered conspiracies. As the evening unfolds, you’ll dine among suspects, examine hidden clues between courses, and piece together the fatal puzzle behind Major General Drayson’s death.
Join us for an immersive mystery dinner at 27 Landport Terrace. Will you unmask the murderer before the final toast? Reserve your place—only the sharpest minds will survive the verdict.
Tickets include three course dinner and an evening of intrigue. We suggest you come dressed in your best deducing attire. Tickets booked directly with The Chambers – thechambers.co.uk
Arrive 1900 for 1930 dinner, carriages at 2230
INFO
- VENUE: The Chambers – 27 Landport Terrace, Southsea, PO1 2RG
- TIME: 7pm for 7.30pm start
- Tickets: £40
DAY 8
FRIDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER – THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE OPEN MIC
Step into the foggy streets of Victorian Southsea for a night of mystery, creativity, and performance at The Curious Case of the Open Mic – a special HolmesFest 2025 event!
Join us on Thursday 25 September at Hunter Gatherer Coffee Shop for an evening where words come alive and music stirs the soul.
Victorian attire is encouraged (but not required), as we open the floor to poets, storytellers, monologuists, and musicians.. The night unfolds in two acts: an open mic in the first half, followed by a curated showcase of featured performers.
Hosted by the charismatic Jackson Davies, this free event promises intrigue, inspiration, and a touch of theatrical flair. Whether you’re performing or spectating, come be part of the story.
INFO
- VENUE: Hunter Gatherer, Southsea, 249 Albert Road, PO4 0JR
- TIME: Doors open at 6:30 PM | Show starts at 7:00 PM
- Tickets: £5
DAY 9
SATURDAY 27th SEPTEMBER – THE LOST WORLD DAY –
7.30pm – The Centenary screening of The Lost World to mark the 100 years anniversary of the classic creature feature created by Portsmouth’s own Arthur Conan Doyle!
INFO
- VENUE: The Southsea Community Cinema and Arts Centre, 1-3 Palmerston Road, Southsea, PO5 3QQ
- TIME: 7.30pm
- TICKETS: Book your place here
DAY 10
SUNDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER – THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, STARRING BASIL RATHBONE
The final event of Holmes Fest… come along and enjoy the final night of the festival, and have some drinks afterwards!
The Hound of The Baskervilles stars the inimitable Basil Rathbone as Sherlock with his long-suffering sidekick Nigel Bruce.
It’s a fun, spooky story and an absolute classic of the silver screen.
Drinks available.
SPECIAL HOLMES FEST OFFER FROM OTHERWORLD ESCAPES & SIP AND SOLVE – UP 20% DISCOUNT ON ALL MYSTERIES!
Budding Sherlocks – it’s your time to shine!
Do you LOVE Mysteries and Adventures?
Other World Escapes is the #1 Fun Activity in Hampshire and #3 Escape Room in the UK
Find clues, solve puzzles and free yourself and your team before your time runs out!
With in-game characters, beautiful set design and sensory experiences, we provide YOU with a fully immersive, interactive and thrilling escape room experience.
To book:
- 1. Go to https://otherworldescapes.resova.co.uk/
- 2. When putting in customer information put “HOLMESFEST25” in promo code box
- 3. Receive 20% off for a team of 4-9 players. This requires booking in advance online or over the phone.
Sip & Solve – The only immersive puzzle bar in Portsmouth #3 bar in Portsmouth
Sip & Solve is an immersive puzzle bar where individuals and groups of 2+ players can solve puzzles, crack codes and sip their through to victory. Our Puzzle Pods© are mini escape room-style games set in a beautifully-crafted bar.
To book:
- 1. Go to https://www.sipandsolve.uk/
- 2. Click on “Book Now”
- 3. Once at the payments page, put in the coupon code: “HOLMESFEST25”
- 4. Receive 20% off for a team up any size up to 4 players. They must book online or over the phone.