The Anvil is Basingstoke's local theatre. Located next to the Festival Place it can be slightly…read moretricky to find parking if coming to a show during the Christmas season. It is right across from both the train station and the bus stops, so taking public transit it also quite convenient. The Anvil itself has a wide variety of shows during the year. The acoustics are good, and the stage is large enough to host a number of different types of art. The pricing is also decent and there are really no bad seats in the house. The website is kept up to date so finding shows is an easy click away. If you want dinner and a show there are a number of restaurants on the other side of the Festival Place.

An excellent venue for music, dance, comedy etc…read more. With 2 bars it's a nice place to have a few drinks with friends before catching a show.

The small hall is a reasonable size and is in a reasonably fair state. The main large Hall has…read moreamazing potential. its spacious and ideal layout for parties / clubs etc.. However that's where positive comments end. The whole place needs a severe deep clean from top to bottom. Dirty and dusty, no working toilets in main hall. There are often leaks or plumbing issues and no hand soap or drying facilities. Said facilities are very outdated. Very Poor and unhygienic kitchen. Heaters hanging off the walls with unsafe wiring. Ceiling tiles brown from rot where leaks have been repaired. Only about a third of the lighting in this hall works. The smell is often very bad due to either the smell of damp dog or urine from the exceptionally poor toilet facilities. This review is genuine and not a grudge. I cannot believe that this hall is allowed to open its doors to the community. If you don't trust this review, go find out for yourself.

This cinema is quite well laid out once you get past the entrance - which is of course on the…read moreground floor while the cinema is on the first floor, so you have to go up/down escalators to get in/out. There is a big lobby with large snacks/drinks bar, and big screens with plenty of trailers in case you're late :D

Vue Festival Place is a moderately sized cinema multiplex located near a number of restaurant…read morechains just outside of the Festival Place shopping centre. It offers a range of comfortable seats that are on staircase levels so that wherever you sit, your view of the screen should remain clear. The screens are large, with good picture quality. Vue offers a student discount, and with Orange Wednesdays this helps to combat the ever rising ticket prices, but otherwise in comparison to most cinemas, the Vue prices are reasonable. This cinema offers the standard variety of sweets, popcorn, icecream, soft drinks and hot dogs that are expected of a cinema, and likewise with most places they are very overpriced. If you want to save money, buy your own sweets beforehand and take them in yourself.

This pub is open again and under new management; friendly landlord Morgan is pulling out all the…read morestops to make this venue 'Great' again, offering Real Ale, live music, pool, darts, pub games and various event nights. A welcoming hotel too, at very reasonable prices. Check it out!

This pub/hotel has been refurbished earlier this year and has certainly changed for the better…read more There are live bands at the weekend and the theme is usually rock, indie, punk, alternative. I believe the council are trying to put a limit on the noise and performing times and the outside area seems to be closed at the moment so no more BBQ (shame) what do you expect when you allow a block of flats to be built right behind a pub? Peace and tranquility?! Problem is people move in and then complain. Unless they are registered blind they could not have failed to spot the Great Western. So who gave planning permission for the flats then?? This is a very friendly pub and they do a nice pint of Old Speckled Hen. This real beer was named after an MG car which was used as a runaround by the staff at the MG plant and had been patched up and painted by so many different people that they called it the 'old speckled un' hence the beer! At least the British beer industry is still alive and well unlike the car industry! If you like a pub thats a bit different then try the Great Western. You couldn't be handier for the station, its across the road. Look out for the Syn City Rockers who do an excellent AC/DC and Thin Lizzy tribute.