The Mop Fair shuts nine town centre streets on 11 and 12 October, the Literary Festival opens on the 29th and the rugby club fireworks are on 1 November.

The biggest date in the next six weeks is the Mop Fair on Sunday 11 and Monday 12 October, and the town council has now published its road closure order: nine town centre streets shut from 1am on the Sunday. The Runaway Mop follows on 23 and 24 October, the Literary Festival runs from 29 October to 1 November at the Crowne Plaza, and Stratford Rugby Club lists its bonfire and fireworks for Sunday 1 November.

Around those, the RSC has As You Like It in its last six weeks and opens Middlemarch at the Swan on Thursday, the Bear Pit has something on most weeks, and the racecourse has its last three meetings of the year.

Everything below comes from the organisers’ own listings, all read on 28 September 2026, and every entry links back to its source so you can check before you set off. Where an organiser’s public listing gives no time or no price, we say nothing rather than guess. For places that are open whatever the month, see our guide to things to do in Stratford-upon-Avon.

This week

Monday 28 September to Sunday 4 October.

  • As You Like It, now to Saturday 7 November, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Waterside, CV37 6BB. Daniel Evans directs Jonathan Groff as Rosalind, with Fisayo Akinade as Celia and Gary Wilmot as both dukes. It runs about 2 hours 25 minutes plus a 20 minute interval (Royal Shakespeare Company).
  • Pumpkin Party, Tuesday 29 September to Sunday 1 November, 10.30am to 4.30pm, Charlecote Park. A pumpkin display made by community groups, shown indoors. No booking and nothing extra to pay, but normal admission applies (National Trust).
  • The Holey Matrimony, Wednesday 30 September to Saturday 3 October, 7.30pm, The Bear Pit Theatre, Rother Street, CV37 6LU. £14. A Phoenix Players production of a new play about grieving, by Andi Hardy-Rastall (The Bear Pit Theatre).
  • Middlemarch Part 1, from Thursday 1 October to 16 January, Swan Theatre, Waterside, CV37 6BB. Nina Raine adapts George Eliot’s novel in two parts, directed by Jeremy Herrin. The RSC’s own page still lists performance times as to be confirmed (Royal Shakespeare Company).
  • Fun Palace 2026, Saturday 3 October, 11am to 3pm, Shakespeare’s New Place, 22 Chapel Street, CV37 6EP. Free, no booking. The Proud Shakespeare Delivery Group hosts costume design, origami and a talk on Shakespeare in folklore, and the gardens are open (Shakespeare Birthplace Trust).
  • The Pikachu Art Adventure, Saturday 3 October to Sunday 8 November, 9.30am to 3pm, Charlecote Park. An art trail with Pikachu as the star. No booking and nothing extra to pay, but normal admission applies (National Trust).
  • Dark Side of the Ledge, Sunday 4 October, 7pm, The Bear Pit Theatre. £14. Warwickshire band Meet on the Ledge play The Dark Side of the Moon and other Pink Floyd songs (The Bear Pit Theatre).

One thing is off. Stratford Town’s home match against Alvechurch on Saturday 3 October is marked postponed on the club’s fixture list.

Next week

Monday 5 to Sunday 11 October.

  • Stratford Races, Monday 5 October, gates 11.41am, first race 1.41pm, Stratford Racecourse, Luddington Road, CV37 9SE. The Centre Course is closed for this meeting, so tickets are for the Main Enclosure only (Stratford Racecourse).
  • Mayor’s Soup Lunch, Monday 5 October, 1pm to 2.30pm, Town Hall, Sheep Street, CV37 6EF. Free, donations welcome. A community lunch with the Mayor. The Town Hall office takes questions on 01789 269332 (Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council).
  • Director Talk: As You Like It, Monday 5 October, 5.15pm to 6pm, Royal Shakespeare Theatre. £8. A pre-show talk on stage in the auditorium (Royal Shakespeare Company).
  • Across The Square, Tuesday 6 and Wednesday 7 October, 7.30pm, The Bear Pit Theatre. £15, under 25s £13. Lady Ottoline Morrell calls on Millicent Fawcett in December 1917. It runs 70 minutes with no interval (The Bear Pit Theatre).
  • Tales of Drake, Thursday 8 October, The Bear Pit Theatre. £15, concessions and under 16s £12. A Stratford Theatre Company production, one night only (The Bear Pit Theatre).
  • Chopped Liver and Unions, Friday 9 October, The Bear Pit Theatre. £15, under 25s £10. Blue Fire Theatre Company’s play about Sara Wesker, who led the singing strikers of 1928 (The Bear Pit Theatre).
  • Middlemarch Part 2, from Saturday 10 October to 16 January, Swan Theatre. The second half joins Part 1, and the RSC recommends seeing them in order, on one day or two (Royal Shakespeare Company).
  • Stratford Town v Leamington, Saturday 10 October, 3pm, Arden Garages Stadium, Knights Lane, Tiddington, CV37 7BZ. Adults £14, concessions £10, ages 12 to 17 £5, under 12s free with a paying adult. Match day parking is £3 (Stratford Town FC).
  • Stratford Mop Fair, Sunday 11 and Monday 12 October. Details below.

Stratford Mop Fair, Sunday 11 and Monday 12 October

The town council lists the fair in the town centre from 11am to 9pm on Sunday 11 October, with the official opening on Monday 12 October. There is no entry charge, and rides are pay per ride (Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council).

The closure order was published on 23 September. Nine streets shut: Greenhill Street, Rother Street as far as Ely Street, Wood Street, Union Street, Bridge Street, part of Windsor Street, Meer Street, Henley Street and High Street. The order runs from 1am on Sunday 11 October to 6am on Tuesday 13 October. Buses move to temporary stops on Guild Street, behind Marks & Spencer (town council closure notice).

Monday is a working day and a school day, so plan the car around it. Our Mop Fair page explains why the dates never move to a weekend, and parking in Stratford-upon-Avon has the car parks outside the closure.

Later in October

  • Mist Over Avalon, Friday 16 and Saturday 17 October, 7.30pm, The Bear Pit Theatre. £14. Lanternfish Theatre Company’s new play about Morgan Le Fay, with live music (The Bear Pit Theatre).
  • Sweeney Todd and the String of Pearls, Friday 16 October to Saturday 7 November, The Attic Theatre, Cox’s Yard, Bridgefoot, CV37 6YY. Adults £18.50, concessions £16, age guidance 12 and over. Tread the Boards stages the Victorian original of the demon barber story (The Attic Theatre).
  • Stratford Races, Saturday 17 October, gates 11.40am, first race 1.39pm, Stratford Racecourse. National Hunt racing, and the only Saturday meeting left this year (Stratford Racecourse).
  • Stratford Town v Peterborough Sports, Tuesday 20 October, 7.45pm, Arden Garages Stadium. Prices as above (Stratford Town FC).
  • Ladies Down Under, Wednesday 21 to Saturday 24 October, The Bear Pit Theatre. £15, concessions £13, students £7.50. Second Thoughts stage Amanda Whittington’s comedy and run their own box office (The Bear Pit Theatre).
  • Runaway Mop Fair, Friday 23 and Saturday 24 October, listed from 11am to 9pm on the Friday, town centre. Pay per ride. Six streets close: Greenhill Street, part of Rother Street, Wood Street, part of Windsor Street, Henley Street and Meer Street (Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council).
  • Creative Team Talk: Middlemarch, Saturday 24 October, 5.15pm to 6pm, Swan Theatre. £8 (Royal Shakespeare Company).
  • Storytelling: Shakespeare’s Magical Mysteries, Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 October, 10.15am and 11.30am, the Welcome Space at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Free, booked in advance. Actor-led storytelling for four to eight year olds, and adults need a ticket too (Royal Shakespeare Company).
  • Family Stage Combat, Thursday 29 October, 11am and 2pm, Clore Learning Centre, Waterside. £5.50 for over 18s, £4.50 for under 18s. An introductory workshop with a trained practitioner (Royal Shakespeare Company).
  • Stratford Races, Thursday 29 October, Main Enclosure gates 11.50am, first race 1.50pm, Stratford Racecourse. The last meeting of 2026, with the Centre Course closed (Stratford Racecourse).
  • Halloween Costume Making, Friday 30 October, 10.15am, 11.30am, 1.30pm and 3pm, the Welcome Space at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Free, booked in advance (Royal Shakespeare Company).
  • Blood, Guts and Gore, Friday 30 October, 11am and 2pm, Clore Learning Centre. £5.50 for over 18s, £4.50 for under 18s, for ages eight and over. How the RSC makes its gruesome effects, wigs and make-up (Royal Shakespeare Company).
  • Stratford Town v Hitchin Town, Saturday 31 October, 3pm, Arden Garages Stadium (Stratford Town FC).

Warwickshire’s half term is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October. Our Halloween and half term page has the rest of that week.

Stratford Literary Festival, Thursday 29 October to Sunday 1 November

The autumn festival is at the Crowne Plaza, Bridge Foot, CV37 6YR, and tickets are sold per event, with a booking fee on top. The box office is 0333 666 3366 (Stratford-upon-Avon Literary Festival). The highlights the festival itself picks out:

  • Thursday 29 October: Victoria Hislop at 2pm, £15. Celia Imrie at 8pm is sold out.
  • Friday 30 October: Sir Jeremy Hunt at 6pm, £20. Marina Litvinenko at 8pm, £15.
  • Saturday 31 October: Matt Baker at 11am, £17. Dame Margaret Hodge at 2.30pm, £17. Greg James at 8pm, £22.
  • Sunday 1 November: Neill Cameron at 11am, £12. Bonnie Garmus at 5.30pm, £15.

Students pay £2 less at most events. Parking at the hotel is free but first come, first served, and you must register the car at reception.

November

  • Stratford Rugby Club Bonfire and Fireworks Night, Sunday 1 November, 5pm to 9pm, Stratford-upon-Avon Rugby Club, Loxley Road, CV37 7DP. The club’s diary carries the date and times; ticket prices for 2026 are not published yet (Stratford-upon-Avon RFC). Our fireworks page has the detail.
  • First Encounters: Julius Caesar, Thursday 5 to Saturday 28 November, The Other Place, 22 Southern Lane, CV37 6BH. Phyllida Lloyd directs, with Dame Harriet Walter as Brutus, after a five week national tour (Royal Shakespeare Company).
  • The Silence of Snow: The Life of Patrick Hamilton, Friday 6 November, 7.30pm, The Bear Pit Theatre. £15, under 25s £10. Mark Farrelly’s solo play, 70 minutes with no interval (The Bear Pit Theatre).
  • Jarman, Saturday 7 November, 7.30pm, The Bear Pit Theatre. £15, under 25s £10. Mark Farrelly again, this time as Derek Jarman (The Bear Pit Theatre).
  • Stratford Town v Banbury United, Tuesday 10 November, 7.45pm, Arden Garages Stadium (Stratford Town FC).
  • Caesar, Reimagined, Friday 13 November, 4pm, The Other Place. £10 to £25. Phyllida Lloyd and Dame Harriet Walter in conversation, hosted by Tamara Harvey (Royal Shakespeare Company).
  • Contemporary Arts Fair: Discover, Gather, Give, Saturday 14 November, 10.30am to 5pm, and Sunday 15 November, 10.30am to 4pm, Town Hall, Sheep Street. Free. Paintings, ceramics, jewellery, knitwear and handmade journals, with the Golden Cup Cafe serving (Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council).

Three November dates have their own pages: the Christmas lights switch-on on Saturday 14 November, Remembrance Sunday on the 8th, for which the town council had not published its 2026 notice when we checked, and the Christmas Market from the 28th.

Regular events

  • Rother Street Market, every Friday, 9am to 4pm, and every Saturday, 9am to 5pm, Rother Street, CV37 6LP. The charter market, with street food, fruit and vegetables, bread, cheese, clothing and crafts. The next one is Friday 2 October (LSD Promotions). Rother Street is inside the Runaway Mop closure on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 October, so check with the operator before relying on the market that weekend.
  • Stratford-upon-Avon parkrun, every Saturday, 9am, Recreation Ground, Swans Nest Lane, CV37 7LS. Free. A timed 5km; register once with parkrun before your first run. The next one is Saturday 3 October (parkrun).
  • Waterside Upmarket, every Sunday from March to December, 10am to 5pm, Waterside, CV37 6BA. Makers, artists and street food beside the river. The next one is Sunday 4 October (LSD Promotions).

Getting there

The theatres, the Town Hall, the Bear Pit and both markets are within a ten minute walk of each other. The racecourse and the football ground are not, so allow for the drive. Our page on parking in Stratford-upon-Avon has the car parks and tariffs, and the roadworks and travel page has the closures. Coming by rail, see train times.

Send us your event

Running something in Stratford-upon-Avon or the villages around it? Email hello@stratfordavonnews.co.uk with the date, time, venue, price and a photo. Listings are free of charge, always. Yours goes on this page and in the diary on our What’s On section.

This page is rewritten as organisers confirm new dates. Every listing was read from the organiser’s own page on 28 September 2026. Dates can still change, so use the links before you travel.

Sources