The city is treating us to a display of fiery reds and golden browns so dig out your knitwear, wrap up warm and read about what Winchester has to offer this month.

There’s a chance to see some great story telling at the Theatre Royal on the 4 November in the form of Wot? No Fish! In 1926 shoemaker Ab Solomons drew a doodle on the wage-packet he gave to his wife Celie. Throughout their marriage, right up until 1982, Ab developed his art, drawing a wage-packet picture every week for Celie.  One of Lyn Gardener’s top ten shows of 2014, this is a great night at the theatre. We saw it a the BAC and can thoroughly recommend!

Remember, remember, the fifth of November.  This year, the 58th annual Winchester Round Table Bonfire & Fireworks event takes place on Saturday 5 November.  Around 20,000 people will take to the streets for the torchlight procession around the city, culminating in an impressive fireworks display at the River Park Leisure Centre recreation ground.  Tickets are available to buy online now and money raised will go to charities and good causes in Winchester.

Now in its fifth year, the Winchester Short Film festival runs 4 – 12 November. Promoting emerging and seasoned talent in film-making, the festival will present a selection of films from the WSFF 2016 competition in a range of venues across the city including the Railway Inn and the Hampshire Records Office. For a full programme, or to book tickets, visit the festival website here. Our wonderful site sponsors Dutton Gregory have also kindly sponsored the WSFF festival too, a really supportive business in this fine city.

For more culture, visit the Theatre Royal on the 10 November for the chance to see the Happiness Project. Best known in the UK for her productions for Rambert, Northern Ballet and HeadSpaceDance, international dance artist Didy Veldman launches her own company Umanoove with a choreographic investigation of western society’s endless search for fulfilment. For more details or to book tickets, visit the Theatre Royal website here.

Here’s the trailer:

What better way to warm up the season with the Winchester Wine Festival.  It’s a chance to sample a selection of wines, curated by Winchester’s own BBC1 masters of wine, Susie Barrie and Peter Richards. There’s also the chance to stock up for Christmas or attend specialist masterclasses.  Tickets are £30 per person and can be bought online here.

And finally, the crisper weather can mean only one thing – it’s time to get festive.  The Christmas lights will be switched on at the Broadway on 17 November.  Events will start at 4pm.  Winchester really knows how to do Christmas.  There’s a website dedicated to it wth a handy guide to dates and events available here. The famous Winchester Christmas market in Cathedral Close opens 18 November – 20 December boasts its open-air ice rink, which is a suitably festive family trip out (20 November 2014 to 4 January). For those who are less Torvill and Dean, more mulled wine and stollen, there are plenty of other festive distractions on offer in the beautifully lit Germanic fairytale cabins, including holiday food and Christmas gifts.

Enjoy, Wintonians, and we’ll bring you updates throughout the month @Win_Guide.