Upcoming events
Scroll our events calendar below to see what we have coming up. The best way to keep up to date on our latest events and more is to join our mailing list.
Hot New Events!
Fantasy Map Drawing Workshop
We’re hosting a Fantasy Map Drawing Workshop to help raise much needed funds and goods for our local food bank who provide food and basics for people in need across the New Forest.
Have you ever wanted to draw your own fantasy map? Well, this one off workshop is for you! Our esteemed illustrator, Amy, will walk you through the process of creating your own fantasy map. Worried you can’t draw well enough? Don’t panic, we’ll teach you everything you need to know.
We will provide pencils, paper, and a fun whimsical atmosphere.
Price: £5 to cover costs. Anything left over will be donated to the Basics Bank. We would also be very grateful if you could bring some items to donate to the basics bank. A list of urgent items needed can be found here
When: Sunday 15th Feb, 6pm, Solento Lounge, SO419AD
the Imaginarium Christmas colouring-in competition
Join in with the Imaginarium’s Christmas Colouring-In Competition!
Let’s see your designs for this illustration of the Imaginarium at Christmas, featuring Willow and Lola by the shop’s own Amy Leonard.
Open to children only, (sorry mum and dad!) simply print off at home or collect a copy from the shop and get creative! Drop your completed art into the shop by close of business on the 31st of December and we will announce a winner on or before Monday the 5th of January 2026. The winner will receive a £25 voucher to spend in the Imaginarium!
Make sure you write your name, age and a way to contact mum and dad on the back of your entry!
Good luck, have fun, and we cannot wait to see all your lovely designs!
You can download the sheet here
Festive Gift Fair - Chewton Glen
The Imaginarium have been invited back to Chewton Glen for their spectacular Festive Gift Fair.
Join us, and lots of other businesses, to kick start your Christmas shopping. From well known brands to local businesses, the event will be a great way to beat the crowds and get the bulk of your shopping done in one go.
We will be there with specially curated selection of books and bookish items that will be perfect to give as gifts this year.
Enjoy a complimentary glass of festive fizz and a mince pie on arrival as you browse in a joyful, seasonal atmosphere.
Tickets must be purchased through Chewton Glen - Purchase here Adults £6, children free.
Late Night Opening
As Lymington celebrates the joy of Christmas with the Christmas Light Switch on, we’ll be opening late.
Join us for a class of wine, a mince pie and 10% off everything in store!
This will be our fourth time opening late, and we love spreading some Christmas cheer, and helping you get your Christmas shopping underway.
With our expert booksellers, we’ll help you find the perfect gift for your friends and family.
Sci-fi and Fantasy Quiz
Gather your fellowship, locate your sword, and prepare your minds for an epic night of otherworldly trivia.
This is your chance to prove you know your middle-earth from your disc-world, your Narnia from your restaurant at the end of the universe.
Whether you’re a mage with a head for history, or a droid awaiting an update, come test your knowledge across realms, timelines, and galaxies.
Hosted by Artful Scribe and The Imaginarium, and held at the Vibrant Forest Brewery Taproom in Hardley, you can also enjoy exceptional beer and delicious food. It’s the night before Halloween, so whether magical, fantastical or just spooky, costumes are welcome – but not required.
Purchase tickets through Eventbrite here
Play On Words
Play on Words returns to the New Forest this autumn from the 22 October - 3 November 2025, to celebrate everything to do with the spoken and written word. Join us for poetry & jazz, ghost stories, spoken word, creative walks, a sci-fi fantasy quiz night, comic creating, writer development and much, much more in New Milton, Lymington and across the Forest. Events and activities are starting to go live; check back here soon for more updates!
Play on Words is the passion project of two friends that started in 2018 and has since grown to include Artful Scribe, local businesses and has recived funding from the Arts Council.
The Imaginarium is the offical bookshop of the event, and works in conjunction with Arful Scribe to bring a wide range of events to residents of the New Forest and wider.
For more information on the events being hosted this year, please see the offical Play On Words website
For more information on Arful Scribe, please see here
Bookshop Day
Bookshop Day celebrates bookshops on our high streets. It aims to remind customers of the value of their local bookshop, and that they are the perfect places to kick start their Christmas gift-buying.
We’re very proud of our little bookshop here in Lymington and would love to see you here on Bookshop day to help us celebrate.
The Imaginarium Turns 3!
The shop has been open for three years! Can you believe it? Neither can we!
On Saturday 13th September, we’ll be celebrating with 10% off in store all day (10-5pm), we’ll also be hosting giveaways and will have cake!
It’s a great way for us to thank you for all your support over the last three years, and to celebrate together as a community.
World Book Day 2025
Grab your WORLD BOOK DAY book in store!
World Book Day is a charity that champion’s the fun of reading, because it seriously improves lives. Reading for fun is the single biggest indicator that a child will grow up to enjoy a happier and more successful life – more than their family circumstances, their parents’ educational backgrounds or their income.
But here’s the challenge, it’s at an all-time low, with only 1 in 3 children now saying they enjoy reading. We believe children are more likely to read if they enjoy it, so we’re on a mission to encourage them to see reading as an entertaining, social and fun thing to do. We want more children to grow up with a life-long, life-changing habit of reading for fun, and all the benefits this brings.
World Book Day are a charity that operates in the UK and Ireland and will next be celebrating World Book Day on 6 March 2025.
Your littles ones will receive a voucher from their school if they’re in educational settings, or if they are home educated, you can register for vouchers here
We will be accepting vouchers until Sunday 23rd March. Alternatively, you can purchase the World Book Day books for £1 each.
Onyx Storm Release Party
Join us to celebrate the release of Onyx Storm, the third installment of the fantasy sensation by Rebecca Yarros.
Lymington Christmas Light Switch-on
Join us for late night shopping, wine and mince pies!
Christmas Fair at Limewood House
Find us at Limewood House Christmas Fayre, with a curated selection of books and bookish gifts!