Festival Place
Retailer / private label
UnclaimedA large shopping, leisure and transport complex in central Basingstoke, Hampshire, England.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Festival Place is a major shopping and leisure centre in central Basingstoke, Hampshire, England. The complex opened on 22 October 2002 and was designed as a substantial redevelopment of the town-centre retail area, replacing or incorporating parts of the earlier shopping environment that had been created in the 1960s. It occupies approximately 102,000 square metres and is positioned close to Basingstoke railway station, making it an important part of the town's retail, entertainment and transport infrastructure. The centre contains more than 200 shops, combining national retailers with restaurants, bars, cafés and leisure operators. Large retail tenants have included Next, Marks & Spencer, Apple and HMV. Food and beverage venues are concentrated particularly around Festival Square, a covered outdoor-style public space intended to support dining and social activity. Examples identified in reference material include Nando's, Las Iguanas and Cosy Club. The complex also incorporates a Vue cinema, Basingstoke Sports Centre, Basingstoke Discovery Centre and Flip Out Trampoline Park, giving it a broader role than a conventional enclosed shopping mall. Festival Place is integrated with other civic and commercial facilities. Its development included the redevelopment of Basingstoke bus station, a multi-storey car park and connections to surrounding town-centre spaces. A tower with night illumination, an amphitheatre beyond Festival Square and a fountain in nearby Eastrop Park formed part of the wider urban design associated with the project. These features helped position Festival Place as a destination combining shopping, public space, dining and entertainment. The site has a layered history. In the 1960s, the area was cleared for a large concrete shopping centre. The first phase included The Walks and New Market Square, with The Walks later covered in 1987. A second phase became The Malls and was subsequently modified, including roofed and modernised areas in 2011 and 2012. A planned third phase was abandoned, and the resulting site became home to The Anvil concert hall. The 2002 Festival Place development extended the retail complex eastward, covered Porchester Square and replaced New Market Square and an earlier multi-storey car park. Between 2018 and 2019, Festival Place underwent a significant refurbishment. The work introduced a refreshed identity, logo and signage, while the car park received revised wayfinding, coloured parking zones, wider spaces, bay-light monitoring and additional disabled and parent-and-child parking provision. Payment facilities were also expanded into lift lobbies on every car-park floor. St Johns Square, an older town-centre area connected with the centre, was refurbished with updated shopfronts, fascias and outdoor seating. Festival Place has also had a local media presence. The Breeze radio station operated from the centre management block before being rebranded as Greatest Hits Radio in September 2020. The complex has appeared in popular media as well: BBC's Top Gear used it as a location for a sequence in series 12, episode 6, involving a Ford Fiesta and a Chevrolet Corvette. Overall, Festival Place functions as a regional retail and leisure destination whose significance comes from its combination of shopping, hospitality, entertainment, civic services, transport links and public-space redevelopment.
History
The land now occupied by Festival Place forms part of the modern redevelopment history of Basingstoke town centre. During the 1960s, the original urban fabric in the area was cleared to make way for a large concrete shopping centre. Its first phase included The Walks and New Market Square. The Walks was later covered in 1987, while a second phase became known as The Malls. The Malls subsequently received further alterations, including a new roofed area and modernised sections during 2011 and 2012. A proposed third phase of the earlier development was not completed. Instead, the area associated with that phase became the site of The Anvil concert hall. This left the town centre with a combination of older retail structures, civic facilities and transport infrastructure that was later reorganised through the Festival Place project. Festival Place was completed and opened on Tuesday, 22 October 2002. The development replaced New Market Square and a 1960s multi-storey car park, while extending the centre eastward into a new two-level section. It also covered Porchester Square and introduced Festival Square, a tower illuminated at night, and a redesigned relationship between the shopping centre and surrounding public spaces. The bus station was redeveloped as part of the project, and an amphitheatre was built beyond Festival Square. A fountain was installed in neighbouring Eastrop Park. The completed complex became a combined retail, leisure and transport destination rather than a purely enclosed shopping facility. It connected more than 200 shops with restaurants, bars and cafés, especially around Festival Square. Leisure and civic uses included a Vue cinema, Basingstoke Sports Centre and Basingstoke Discovery Centre, with Flip Out Trampoline Park later also identified as part of the complex. Its location near Basingstoke railway station and its integration with the bus station and multi-storey car park reinforced its role as a central access point for the town. A further programme of investment took place between 2018 and 2019. Festival Place received a new identity, logo and signage throughout the centre. The car park was extensively overhauled with new wayfinding, coloured parking zones, wider parking spaces, a bay-light monitoring system and increased provision for disabled and parent-and-child parking. Payment machines were subsequently installed on every floor in the lift lobbies, rather than being limited to the ground floor of the mall. St Johns Square was also refurbished with new shopfronts and fascias, modern public-space treatment and outdoor seating intended to complement the updated appearance of the nearby Malls Shopping Centre. Festival Place has hosted or accommodated activities beyond retail. The Breeze radio station operated from the centre management block until its rebranding as Greatest Hits Radio in September 2020. The complex was also used as a filming location for BBC's Top Gear, appearing in series 12, episode 6 during a sequence involving a 2008 Ford Fiesta and a Chevrolet Corvette. Its continuing identity is therefore based on a mixture of shopping, hospitality, entertainment, civic services, transportation and town-centre public-realm functions.
- 2020
The Breeze becomes Greatest Hits Radio
[1]The radio station formerly based in the centre management block adopted the Greatest Hits Radio name in September.
- 2019
Refurbishment and car-park improvements are delivered
[1]The refurbishment programme introduced updated branding and expanded parking, accessibility and wayfinding features.
- 2018
Major refurbishment programme starts
[1]A centre-wide refurbishment began, covering identity, signage, public areas and car-park facilities.
- 2011
Modernisation of The Malls begins
[1]The Malls area underwent further alterations, including roofed and modernised sections during the 2011–2012 period.
- 2002
Festival Place opens
[1]The completed Festival Place development opened on 22 October, incorporating new retail space, Festival Square, transport facilities and public-realm improvements.
- 1987
The Walks is covered
[1]The Walks section of the earlier shopping centre received a roof.
- 1969
The Walks and New Market Square are completed
[1]The first phase of the earlier Basingstoke town-centre shopping development was completed toward the end of the 1960s.
- 1960
Earlier concrete shopping-centre development begins
[1]The area was cleared and developed as a large concrete shopping centre, creating the earlier retail framework later replaced or incorporated by Festival Place.
Products and positioning
A regional town-centre destination combining mainstream retail, dining, entertainment, public amenities and transport access.
Shopping centre retail · 2002
Retail shops
Festival Place contains more than 200 shops serving everyday and discretionary consumer needs. The tenant mix has included major fashion and department-store retailers such as Next and Marks & Spencer, as well as specialist technology and entertainment businesses including Apple and HMV. The centre therefore operates as a broad mainstream retail destination rather than a narrowly specialised mall.
Food and beverage · 2002
Festival Square dining and hospitality
Festival Square is a covered public-facing area containing restaurants, bars and cafés. Identified venues include Nando's, Las Iguanas and Cosy Club. The area extends the centre's use beyond daytime shopping by providing space for dining, socialising and evening activity.
Leisure and public amenities · 2002
Leisure and civic facilities
The complex incorporates several non-retail attractions and services, including a Vue cinema, Basingstoke Sports Centre, Basingstoke Discovery Centre and Flip Out Trampoline Park. These facilities broaden Festival Place's role as a town-centre destination and support visits motivated by entertainment, sport, education and family activities.
Brand decisions
2018
Centre-wide refurbishment and rebrandingStrategyBackground
Festival Place required refreshed visual presentation and improvements to customer circulation, parking and public areas.
Action taken
A programme running through 2018 and 2019 introduced a new identity, logo and signage, upgraded the car park and refurbished St Johns Square.
Aftermath
The centre gained updated wayfinding, expanded accessibility and family parking provision, improved parking technology and a more modern public-realm appearance.
2002
Redevelopment as an integrated town-centre destinationStrategyBackground
The earlier shopping-centre environment and associated transport infrastructure required a larger modern development for Basingstoke town centre.
Action taken
Festival Place replaced or incorporated earlier retail areas, added new two-level shopping space and Festival Square, and redeveloped the bus station and car-park facilities.
Aftermath
The project established a combined shopping, dining, leisure and transport complex near Basingstoke railway station.
Sources2 sources
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