Entertainment in Farnborough

A global draw which brings hundreds of thousands of tourists to the region, the Farnborough Air Show combines a trade exhibition and dozens of air shows and displays. A mainstay since 1948, the show is held every two years and is open to the public on the last Friday of the event. Farnborough is one of the most important aviation centres in the UK: it was the location for the first powered flight in 1908 and has also given the world the first public flights of Concorde, the Eurofighter and the Vickers VC10. The show is scheduled to take place at the end of July 2020, with repeat shows every two years. And our Farnborough West hotel is less than a mile from the airport.

Adrenaline and sports fans are well catered for in Farnborough with motorsports are one of the main attractions. Head to the nearby New Aldershot Raceway get your dose of banger racing, where beat-up cars charge around the track where collisions are encouraged or take control of the steering wheel yourself at Teamsport Indoor Karting with its 800m-track and split level track. Lastly, the Ignition Racing Simulators just next to Farnborough Airport is a 12-pod indoor racing simulator which can recreate rally driving, F1 races, touring cars and more. The high-tech gaming pods are open to adults and children over 10 and is also part of the same complex as Laser Run, a fun laser quest-style battle game.

There are several big-name football clubs nearby including Reading, but you can get your football kicks via Farnborough FC who play in the Southern League, effectively the seventh and eighth tier of the football leagues. The team hasn’t had many brushes with fame since being founded in 1967, but they are well-supported with home games played at the 7,000-capacity Cherrywood Road ground to the north of the town centre.

Take to the hills of Aldershot several miles south of our Farnborough Town Centre hotel to get your snowboarding, skiing and ‘donut’ fix. Alpine Snowsports is the large artificial site has three slopes – including one with floodlights for evening sessions – and also offers lessons, kit-hire and enough slope to keep experienced skiers and boarders happy.

The closest major venue for drama, music and comedy is the Camberley Theatre. The 520-capacity theatre has been a cultural mainstay in the region since opening in 1966 and has a varied roster of events including pantomime, children’s events, musicals, tribute acts and more.

The closest cinema to the town centre is Vue Farnborough, located in the Meads Shopping Centre. The modern seven-screen complex has Sony 4K screens and Dolby Surround Sound with plenty of nearby cafés and restaurants including Prezzo, Poppins and The Triangle Bookshop and Cafe.