Curated · updated weekly
What's on
The markets, craft events, exhibitions and small, lovely things worth your time — hand-picked, never the tourist-trap stuff. If it's here, we'd go ourselves.
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All of the UKLondon · 5South East · 1South West · 1East of England · 1West Midlands · 6East Midlands · 3Yorkshire · 5North West · 1North East · 1Scotland · 5
All upcoming · Culture
CultureUntil 22 Nov · Canterbury
The Making of Marlowe: Poet, Playwright, Provocateur
An interactive Beaney exhibition on Christopher Marlowe's short, scandal- shadowed life, built around artefacts you won't see displayed elsewhere.
The Beaney House of Art & Knowledge, 18 High Street, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2RAFree entry (donations welcome)
Culture👋 Meet peopleUntil 20 Sept · Birmingham
Birmingham Heritage Week
Ten days of rare access to Birmingham's hidden history — tunnels, catacombs and buildings usually closed to the public.
Venues across Birmingham city centre and suburbs, West MidlandsMostly free; some tours ticketed
Culture👋 Meet peopleUntil 20 Sept · Coventry
Coventry Heritage Open Days
Ten days of free tours and rare access across Coventry, from timber-framed cottages to the War Memorial's Chamber of Silence.
Venues across Coventry city centre, West MidlandsFree entry (Heritage Open Days)
Culture👋 Meet peopleUntil 20 Sept · Ironbridge
Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Festival
Ten days of guided walks, a coracle regatta and free heritage open days across the UNESCO Ironbridge Gorge.
Ironbridge Gorge, Ironbridge, Telford, Shropshire TF8Free entry to most events; some activities separately ticketed
Culture👋 Meet peopleSat 12 – Tue 15 Sept · Northampton
The Old Savoy: Behind-the-Scenes Heritage Tour
Free guided tours inside Northampton's glorious 1936 art deco super-cinema, as part of Heritage Open Days.
The Old Savoy, home of The Deco Theatre, Abington Square, Northampton NN1 4AEFree, booking required via the box office
Culture👋 Meet peopleUntil 20 Sept · London
Open House Festival — Volunteer Stewarding
Steward a building for a shift during London's landmark architecture festival, opening 800+ extraordinary buildings free to the public.
London-wide — 800+ buildings across all 33 boroughsFree to volunteer
Culture👋 Meet peopleUntil 26 Sept · St Ives
St Ives September Festival
Two weeks of music, art, theatre, talks and walks across St Ives' galleries and seafront venues, from folk and jazz to comedy and poetry.
Venues across St Ives, Cornwall (St Ives Theatre, St Ives Library and Guildhall box office)Free street entertainment; ticketed events from around £10
CultureMon 14 – Fri 18 Sept · Worcester
Croome Heritage Open Days
Five days of free entry, tours and talks at the National Trust's Capability Brown landscape near Worcester, including the rarely-open Panorama Tower.
Croome, near High Green, Worcester, Worcestershire, WR8 9DWFree entry (Heritage Open Days)
CultureTue 15 Sept · Stoke On Trent
Middleport Pottery Free Heritage Trail
A free self-guided Heritage Open Days trail around Middleport Pottery's bottle oven, steam engine and Victorian mould store.
Middleport Pottery, Port Street, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent ST6 3PEFree
Culture👋 Meet peopleThu 17 – Sun 20 Sept · Glasgow
Glasgow Cathedral Festival 2026: Rooted in Discovery
A 10th-anniversary weekend of live music, talks and silent cinema inside Glasgow's oldest surviving medieval building.
Glasgow Cathedral, Castle Street, Glasgow G4 0QZFree talks and tours; ticketed concerts from around £12
Culture👋 Meet peopleThu 17 – Sun 20 Sept · Glasgow
Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival
Hundreds of normally closed or hard-to-reach Glasgow buildings open for free guided tours, talks and family activities.
Multiple venues city-wide, GlasgowFree
Culture👋 Meet peopleSun 20 Sept · London
Sober Is Fun: The London Alcohol-Free Comedy Club
A proper stand-up club night with an alcohol-free bar — table tennis and pool before four professional acts.
Backyard Comedy Club, 231 Cambridge Heath Road, Bethnal Green, London E2 0ELFrom £20 (early bird) to £27.50
Culture👋 Meet peopleSun 20 Sept · London
Sober Comedy London
An alcohol-free stand-up comedy afternoon at Bethnal Green's Backyard Comedy Club, raising money for The Forward Trust's addiction work.
Backyard Comedy Club, 231-233 Cambridge Heath Road, Bethnal Green, London E2 0EL£20–£25
CultureWed 23 Sept · Nottingham
Till the Stars Come Down — Relaxed & Captioned Performance
A captioned, relaxed performance of Beth Steel's Olivier-nominated family drama — house lights up, freedom to move, a chill-out space on hand.
Nottingham Playhouse, Wellington Circus, Nottingham NG1 5AFFrom £13.50; free companion ticket available
Culture👋 Meet peopleFri 25 – Sun 27 Sept · Chester
Storyhouse Childless
A weekend festival of talks, workshops, comedy and discussion groups at Storyhouse for people living without children, including a new men-only discussion group for 2026.
Storyhouse, Hunter Street, Chester, CH1 2AR£35 weekend pass, or £5–£12 pay-what-you-can per session
Culture👋 Meet peopleUntil 4 Oct · Dumfries Galloway
Wigtown Book Festival
Scotland's National Book Town spends ten days hosting authors, talks and readings across its historic County Buildings.
County Buildings, Wigtown, Dumfries and Galloway, DG8 9JHFrom £8 per event
Culture👋 Meet peopleSat 26 Sept · Ipswich
New Street Market Festival of Nature Party
An evening street-food party in Ipswich, the social centrepiece of Suffolk Wildlife Trust's first-ever Festival of Nature.
New Street Market, Ipswich, SuffolkFree
Culture👋 Meet peopleSat 26 Sept · Stoke On Trent
Stoke Comic Con
Cosplay, comics, gaming and pop-culture traders take over Fenton Manor for Stoke's own comic convention.
Fenton Manor Sports Complex, City Road, Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 2RRFrom £9 (adult), £5 (child), £25 family ticket
Culture👋 Meet peopleMon 28 Sept – Sun 4 Oct · Highlands
Inverness Fringe Festival
The Highlands' first-ever fringe festival — a week of theatre, comedy, music and spoken word from local and independent artists across the city.
Various venues across Inverness City Centre, InvernessFree and ticketed events — see website for programme
Culture👋 Meet peopleThu 1 Oct · Nottingham
Thursday Night Board Games Social
A relaxed drop-in evening of board games and good company at Games Haven, Nottingham's dedicated tabletop gaming venue in the Creative Quarter.
Games Haven, 92 Lower Parliament Street, Nottingham NG1 1EH£6 gaming pass for the evening (£25/month membership option)
Culture👋 Meet peopleSat 3 Oct · Wakefield
Alice Channer, Alison Wilding & Louisa Buck in Conversation
Two major British sculptors talk with art critic Louisa Buck at The Hepworth Wakefield, marking the gallery's 15th birthday year.
The Hepworth Wakefield, Gallery Walk, Wakefield WF1 5AW£20 / £18 concession / £10 Members
CultureMon 5 – Sun 11 Oct · Berwick Upon Tweed
Berwick Literary Festival
A week-long, flat-£9-a-ticket festival of authors, poets and broadcasters filling the walled border town of Berwick-upon-Tweed.
The Maltings and venues around Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland£9 per event
Culture👋 Meet peopleUntil 18 Oct · Cheltenham
Cheltenham Literature Festival
Ten days of author talks, debates and free festival-village fun in Montpellier Gardens — one of Britain's biggest literary gatherings.
Montpellier Gardens, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL50 1ULFestival Village free to enter; individual event tickets from around £12
Culture👋 Meet peopleFri 9 – Sun 11 Oct · Durham
Durham Book Festival
New Writing North's flagship festival brings Neil Tennant, Christopher Eccleston and major authors to Durham for one packed weekend.
Gala Durham and venues across Durham City, Millennium Place, Durham DH1 1WAFree – ticketed events
Culture👋 Meet peopleFri 9 Oct · Chelmsford
The Essex Alcohol-Free Comedy Club
A professional stand-up night with zero alcohol on sale anywhere in the room, in the County Hotel's Crystal Ballroom.
County Hotel, 29 Rainsford Road, Chelmsford CM1 2PZ£20
Culture👋 Meet peopleUntil 25 Oct · Manchester
Manchester Literature Festival
Two and a half weeks of major authors and new voices across Manchester's venues, opening with Maggie O'Farrell.
Various venues, opening event at Royal Northern College of Music, 124 Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9RDFrom around £22 per event (varies by event)
Culture👋 Meet peopleSat 10 Oct · York
Life Drawing: Model as Muse
A grown-up, no-experience-needed life drawing session inside York Art Gallery.
York Art Gallery, Exhibition Square, York YO1 7EW£15pp (includes gallery entry)
CultureUntil 25 Oct · London
Wimbledon BookFest 2026
London's leading literary festival returns with big-name authors, a manga draw-along and £10 tickets for under-30s.
New Wimbledon Theatre and venues across Wimbledon, London SW19Varies by event; £10 tickets for 16–29-year-olds, family events typically £6–£12
Culture👋 Meet peopleSun 18 Oct · Leeds
Leeds Comic-Con
A day of cosplay, comics and pop-culture stalls at New Dock Hall, built for teens and comic-mad kids.
New Dock Hall, Armouries Drive, Leeds LS10 1LTAdult £10–£12, Under 16s £5–£6
Culture👋 Meet peopleUntil 31 Oct · Edinburgh
Scottish International Storytelling Festival 2026: Bird and Beast
An eleven-day festival of live oral storytelling exploring humans' relationship with birds and animals, hosted at Edinburgh's Storytelling Centre.
Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1SR (plus partner venues across Edinburgh)Varies by event — see festival programme
Culture👋 Meet peopleFri 23 Oct · London
National Gallery Friday Lates
Free after-hours talks, workshops and conversations at the National Gallery, with the galleries open late and a noticeably more relaxed crowd.
The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DNFree — booking recommended
Culture👋 Meet peopleFri 23 – Sun 25 Oct · York
York Board Games Convention
Three days of tabletop gaming at St Peter's School — a huge free-to-use game library, tournaments and family sessions, now in its third year.
St Peter's School, Clifton, York YO30 6ABFrom £30 single day (early bird discounts apply); under-16s free
CultureSun 25 Oct · Glasgow
Scottish Opera: Turandot (Audio-Described Performance & Touch Tour)
An audio-described matinee of Puccini's Turandot with a pre-show touch tour, staged at Theatre Royal Glasgow.
Theatre Royal Glasgow, 282 Hope Street, Glasgow G2 3QA£24–£152.50
Culture👋 Meet peopleFri 30 Oct – Sun 1 Nov · Whitby
Whitby Goth Weekend
Three days of gothic music, fashion and the sprawling Bizarre Bazaar market take over Whitby's cobbled streets and clifftop pavilion.
Whitby town centre and Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby YO21 3HDFree to browse the town and Bizarre Bazaar; evening gigs from around £42
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