Law Week Festival 2025 at Winchester Cathedral

About

Welcome to our third outing of the Law Week Festival, based in Winchester. As always, we here to champion unheard voices and shine a light upon hidden lives in new and engaging ways.

This year's Law Week Festival is a mix of services, talks, and performance with a focus on how societal perceptions of crime and criminality often lack awareness or rapidly become out dated – frequently shaped by the media and political agendas.

We start with two services at the Cathedral. Evensong for Homelessness Day in partnership with Trinity Winchester – remembering all of those living with homelessness and the impact it has upon peoples' lives. Followed by the Law Sunday Service which celebrates the work of the judiciary, police, and emergency services. Julie Mackay, veteran police detective and author of the award winning 'To Hunt a Killer' (now an award winning ITV News podcast) discusses the 'Ideal Victim' and how the media focus upon certain types of crimes and victims while others are overlooked.

BearFace Theatre returns with the premiere of Speak Out, Listen In: Perspectives on the Criminal Justice System – a new production that interweaves performance, recorded interviews, and the spoken word with audience participation. Be prepared to see the criminal justice system in a totally new light! Jessica Bull, author of the hugely successful Miss Austen Investigates books delves into the darker side of Georgian society, exploring how Jane Austen addressed the themes of betrayal, deception, and the consequences of immoral actions.

The University of Winchester's Faculty of Law, Crime and Justice join us again – this time with a new 'who dunnit'. Can you solve a 300-year-old murder mystery? Visit the crime scene at the Cathedral, interview the suspects, examine the evidence. Can you figure out who killed Elwyn Wollaston? We hope there is something for everyone and look forward to seeing you at the Law Week Festival 2025.