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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This week · 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
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