I live in a small town, and while we do have a good town centre with a decent range of shops, occasionally I like to go somewhere a bit different for shopping and a change of scenery. Often, our choice is nearby town Basingstoke and the indoor shopping centre called Festival Place. It's a place I do like to go, especially at this time of year with all those Christmas decorations that give that festive feeling, and somewhere I'd recommend if you get the chance to visit!
Although Festival Place is primarily a big shopping mall, the area also boasts a cinema, several restaurants, bars and cafes, a large multi-storey car park and access to Basingstoke town centre as well. The centre is easily accesible by car, train and bus, and all travel information can be found on the Festival Place website. We always travel by car as its only around a 20 minute drive from Newbury, and we've always found the car park to be easy to use, and the fees are very
reasonable, with a 3-4 hour stay costing only £3. So here is a little look at what Festival Place has to offer.
The main attraction of Festival Place is definitely the shops, and with over 165 to shop in, you're definitely spoilt for choice when you shop here. There is something for everyone from favourites such as Debenhams, Marks and Spencer, and Next to more modern choices like Lush, Paperchase and H&M. The layout of the centre is very good and easy to navigate. The centre is on 2 floors, but there are lifts and escalators to be found everywhere around the mall. The ground floor is much larger than the upper, with 2 sections of main shops, almost parallel large corridors, and there is plenty of choice to be found on each. If you haven't been before, it can be quite hard to find your way but there are plenty of maps and store guides dotted around to help you out.
I like the range of shops available in the mall, because there really is something to suit anybody of any age or gender. My favourite shop there is the extremely large M&S store. It's really huge, being set on 2 levels and taking up a big corner of the mall all on its own. It also goes down into the basement where you can find the foodhall. The other very large stores include TK Maxx, Debenhams and BHS and all stock a big range of products and are great to shop in, especially at this time of year! Other favourites of mine are Paperchase which is a lovely stationary shop where I always find something I have to buy, a big H&M, Waterstones, Monsoon and Accessorize. My other half finds there is a good few shops for him as well, such as Suits You, Burton and Top Man, but to be honest thats about it for men's fashion! There is Zavvi and HMV for those who like DVDS, CDs and Games, 6 jewellers for those special presents, and a good selection of shoe shops as well for those of us who love our shoes! There is also a small Tesco Metro on site as well, so you can stock up on your groceries before you go home!
I always thought Festival Place was just about the shops, but I have been enlightened lately that there is so much more to it than that. The area boasts 30 different restaurants, cafes and bars, a VUE cinema, and even a Toni and Guy hairdressing salon! Some of the eateries are set in the centre such as Pizza Hut, Burger King and Dexter's Grill and Bar. However, some are slightly outside the main mall, including Subway, Nando's, Wagamamas, and Ask. There are plenty more other than what I have mentioned so there really is something to suit everybody, and many of the restaurants and bars stay open til very late, with the car park also staying open and having a flat rate after 5pm of just £1 for overnight, so its handy when you have a night out. The VUE cinema is located opposite a lot of restaurants and has a few screens and is a nice cinema to visit. It is a popular cinema, so its worth perhaps booking your tickets on the Vue website before your visit. Everything is located so closely to each other, its a nice place to go out, have a meal, see a film and just enjoy some time out in a great environment.
At this time of year, Festival Place is decorated in style, with lots of Christmas decorations and a few trees around as well. There is a Santa's Grotto for young children to visit, although Harry would be petrified so I won't bother taking him this year! You can book a slot online so you are guaranteed to see Santa on a day and time you choose, but you can also chance it and turn up as well. As I said, I haven't seen this but I can imagine its a great thing to do at this time of year. The facilities in the centre are very good, with plenty of toilets and baby change facilities around and are well signposted. Everything is always very clean and tidy, which goes for both facilities and the mall as a whole, and the whole look of the place is great - somewhere that is well looked after, fun to visit and is a great shopping experience. I really love going here and ending up going home with lots of bags full of goodies, knowing I've eaten well, shopped well and had a good time with my family. For anyone who lives near enough, it is a great place to go for anything you can think of, and the best thing is that you can shop in the warm and dry, especially in this freezing winter weather!
The main shopping centre is open from 9am to 8pm Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on Saturdays, and 11am to 5pm on Sundays. Christmas opening times can be found on the website, as well as a full store guide, downloadable map, travel information, car park charges as well as news and promotions available in-store. If you are thinking about a visit to Festival Place, I would definitely recommend a visit to the website, www.festivalplace.co.uk before you go to get an idea of what to expect when you get there.
Address: Festival Place Basingstoke Hampshire RG21 7LJ
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