More than 2,000 people went to an unlicensed rave north of the A303 near Barton Stacey on Sunday 1 November. Police closed roads and are now investigating.
Police are investigating an unlicensed rave attended by more than 2,000 people on farmland near Barton Stacey last weekend. The event was on land north of the A303, between Barton Stacey and Longparish, about seven miles east of Andover.
Hampshire Constabulary says it first received “multiple reports” from about 12.30am on Sunday 1 November. Officers found a large number of vehicles, “a considerable amount of sound equipment” and staging areas. (Hampshire Constabulary, 4 November 2026)
What the police did
The force says that, because of the numbers and “the potential risk to public safety”, officers:
- closed some nearby roads to contain the site and stop more people arriving
- worked with the landowner, National Highways and South Central Ambulance Service
- recorded footage, all of which the force says it will now review
People left through Sunday. The last had gone before 6pm. The force has not said which roads were closed or for how long.
What happens next
“An investigation is now underway,” the force says. It will “look at all options and lines of enquiry available to us for any potential action against those responsible”. No arrests have been announced.
Chief Inspector Clare Denyer, the Test Valley district commander, thanked residents for their patience. She said: “We know that a number of people reporting this could hear the music from miles away.”
She added that organisers of unlicensed events “often pay little regard to the safety and welfare of those attending”. The force says it will also work with the landowner on how to stop it happening again.
What it means for you
- If you have information, call 101 and quote crime reference 44260534775, or use the Hampshire Constabulary online form.
- If you hear or see another unlicensed event setting up, report it to police on 101 at the time. Call 999 if anyone is in danger.
- Check road closures around the A303 and A34 this week on our Andover roadworks and travel page.
Sources
- Hampshire Constabulary, “Enquiries underway following large ‘rave’ near Barton Stacey”, 4 November 2026, for the time of the first reports, the location, the numbers, the equipment, the road closures, the agencies involved, the time the last people left, the investigation, the quotes from Chief Inspector Clare Denyer and the crime reference.
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