Meet Your Heroes
There will be characters from Star Wars, Ghostbusters, Doctor Who, Predators, Jurassic Park, Movie Princesses and more, as well as your favourite Comic Book and Movie Superheroes, plus Show Cars from TV and film!
You can see amazing live performances from some supremely talented local musicians.
There will also be a number of fun competitions you can take part in with a great selection of prizes to be won!
From Fenwick to Ace Comics, Lion Walk and Culver Square, all of this is organised to encourage our fabulous supporters to give some money to our charities...
St Helena Hospice, Colchester & Ipswich Hospitals Charity, and Mind (Mid & North East Essex)
...who provide essential services to the community.
Come and join in the fun!
What's On...
ACE Comics
Culver Street East
Look out for... TV, film & fantasy favourites — plus the famous tombola.
Colchester Castle
Castle Park
Look out for... "Thunderbirds & Co: The Joy of Puppetry" - Thunderbirds 60th Anniversary exhibition including live puppetry demonstrations.
Colchester Market
High Street
Look out for... A street full of familiar faces from TV & film.
Culver Square Shopping Centre
Culver Square
Look out for... Ghostbusters HQ — big displays & Ectomobiles — plus Dinosaurs, Movie Princesses, Props Dept display, Knight Rider, Lightning McQueen, Show Cars, stalls, the St Helena Hospice team, and the Fancy Dress Competition.
Fenwick
High Street
Look out for... Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, the Mind (Mid & North East Essex) team — and the Mark Davies charity art auction inside Fenwick: custom-framed “Among The Clouds” (Star Wars), diamond-dusted & hand-embellished, Limited Edition #1AP. Bid here.
Firstsite
High Street
Look out for... A quiet zone, lunar lullabies, lots of crafts, and a special movie screening.
Lion Walk Shopping Centre
Lion Walk
Look out for... Our Special Guests, Comic Characters & Super Heroes (including Deadpool), Doctor Who props, Predators, Steampunk, the Batmobile, DJ Fettdog, live music, Fragers Arcade Alley, and the Colchester & Ipswich Hospitals Charity team!
Outside Baptist Church
Lion Walk
Look out for... the first Invasion Colchester Dog Fancy Dress Competition hosted by Poochios Pet Supplies.
Registration from 1:30pm. Entry £2 (donation to Invasion charities).
Heats: Small dogs 2:00pm, Medium 2:30pm, Large 3:00pm.
Rosettes for 1st, 2nd & 3rd in each category.
MP Galleries
Sir Isaac's Walk
Look out for... Rob Bishop exhibition & artist appearance — plus more characters.
Other Monkey Brewing
St Nicholas Street
Look out for... “Hook & Ladder” — a one-off event beer pouring at The Taproom, with limited cans to take home. A portion of proceeds supports Invasion Colchester.
St Nicholas Square
Off High Street
Look out for... Star Cars — marvellous machines from TV & film.
War Memorial
High Street
Look out for... Coasters Scooter Club — featuring a scooter ridden by Phil Daniels in Quadrophenia — plenty of gear on display, plus music.
Scroll down for more details...
Fancy Dress Competition
Love dressing up? Under 14? Then this one’s for you. Step into Culver Square Shopping Centre on Saturday 6 September for the Invasion Colchester Children’s Fancy Dress Competition!
Age Categories
There will be three different age catergories... 4 and under, 5-8 and 9+ ...and 1st, 2nd and 3rd placed prizes in each category.
How to Enter
Rock your best costume—store-bought or homemade—head to Colchester city centre for Invasion Colchester, and be by the judging area in Culver Square at the allotted time.
On the Day
The competition zone will be roped off. Only entrants inside, please. (Parents of very little ones can accompany them; otherwise, we ask grown-ups to stay behind the rope to avoid crowding.)
Winners announced, prizes awarded… then a group photo to cap it off.
Good luck!
| Competition Timetable | ||
|---|---|---|
| Age Range | Judging Time | Location |
| 4 and unders | 11.00am | Culver Square |
| 5-8 year olds | 12.30pm | Culver Square |
| 9+ | 2.00pm | Culver Square |
Prize Draw
Step right up for the Invasion Colchester 2025 Prize Draw — your chance to bag some truly fantastic rewards! With every ticket you buy, you’re not just in the running for a brilliant prize from our star-studded list below… you’re also helping raise vital funds for a great local cause. Go on, take a look — you know you want to!
- £200 Voucher Donated by Culver Square Shopping Centre
- £100 Cash Donated by Lion Walk Shopping
- Hamper Donated by Fenwick
- £100 Voucher Donated by The Wooden Fender
- Theatre Voucher Donated by Mercury Theatre
- 4x 'Shrek' Tickets Donated by Charter Hall
- 2x Show Tickets Donated by Colchester Operatic Society
- Cinema Tickets Donated by Curzon
- Restaurant Voucher Donated by Other Monkey Brewery
- Restaurant Voucher Donated by Our Colchester
- Family Castle Museum Pass Donated by Colchester Castle
And that’s not all… more prizes may be announced as we get closer to the big day — so keep your eyes peeled!
Tickets are available now from ACE Comics in Colchester, or you can grab them from our team of friendly volunteers during the event.
Every single penny raised goes straight to St Helena Hospice — so your flutter really does make a difference.
The draw will be held on Thursday, 25 September 2025 at ACE Comics. Winning ticket numbers will be posted right here on our website after the draw — so be sure to check back and see if you’re a winner!
Live Music & Entertainment
Coming soon...
Charity Auction – Exclusive Star Wars Artwork by Mark Davies
We’re thrilled to announce a special charity auction in support of Invasion Colchester, hosted at Fenwick, Colchester.
The auction features:
Among The Clouds (Star Wars) by acclaimed artist Mark Davies
Diamond-dusted and hand-embellished canvas
Custom framed
Limited Edition #1AP (Artist Proof)
Auction ends: Saturday 13 September 2025, 7:00pm
Starting bid: £200
Place your bid here: markdaviesbritishartist.co.uk/products/invasionauction
This is your chance to own a truly unique piece of Star Wars-inspired art — while helping raise funds for the charities supported by Invasion Colchester.
Show Cars
Batmobiles. Transformers. Ecto-1. Mr Bean’s Mini. The Back to the Future DeLorean. Screen-famous wheels roll into Colchester every year—and this year’s lineup is just as epic.
Find them in St Nicholas Square, Culver Square and along the High Street on Saturday 6 September. Get close, grab a selfie, meet the icons!
Plus at the War Memorial: Coasters Scooter Club — featuring the scooter ridden by Phil Daniels in Quadrophenia, plenty of gear on display, and music.
Hook & Ladder Ale
Bustin’ makes me feel… thirsty!
Meet Hook & Ladder Ale — a one-off, Ghostbusters-themed collab with Other Monkey Brewing brewed just for Invasion Colchester.
Pouring exclusively at The Taproom the week of Invasion Colchester, with limited-edition cans to take home. A portion of every pour supports Invasion Colchester. Once it’s gone, it’s gone!
Dress up. Ride free.
Heading to Invasion Colchester in costume? Your Colchester Park & Ride fare is on us.*
Regular fares below...
| Colchester Park and Ride | |
|---|---|
| Adult | £3.00 |
| Child (between 5–18 ) | £1.00 |
| Under 5's | Free |
| Concessionary | £1.50 |
| Park and Ride will be operating 05:30am – 21:30pm | |
Gallery
View the Gallery
Batman
at Colchester Castle
Check out this amazing gallery from Batman's visit to Colchester Castle!
View the GalleryGrand Total for 2024
Last year we raised...
£0
Huge thanks to our sponsors and charity partners—Culver Square, Lion Walk, Fenwick, Ace Comics, InColchester, Colchester City Council & Market, St Helena Hospice, Colchester & Ipswich Hospitals Charity, and Mind (Mid & North East Essex)—for helping make this total possible.
Big shout-out to the companies and performers, our special guests, and every volunteer and costumer who gave their day to bring smiles and fill the buckets. We’ll post a full roll call here shortly.
And to everyone who joined us in 2024—dressed up, donated, and cheered us on—thank you. Your generosity makes a real difference.
Get in Touch
Want to join the cast, volunteer on the day, pitch a fundraising idea, or just ask a question? Use the form below and we’ll get back to you.
