Christmas lights switch-on 14 November, Christmas Market from 28 November, panto from 12 December: 41 listings to 21 December, each checked with its organiser.

The next big dates are the Christmas lights switch-on on Saturday 14 November, when six town centre streets close from 4am to 10pm, and the first Christmas Market weekend on 28 and 29 November, when signed orders shut six streets from 6pm on the Friday. The RSC opens The Three Musketeers the same Saturday, Magic Alley’s grotto season starts on 21 November and the family pantomime, Robin Hood, opens on 12 December.

Updated 9 November: past listings removed and the weeks re-cut to 21 December. New: an author talk at the Shakespeare Bookshop (23 November), the Mayor’s Muddy Dog Walk (13 December), a Christmas Storytelling Evening at the Town Hall (15 December), Coventry Cathedral Chorus at Compton Verney (18 December), and at the Bear Pit a Christmas jazz show (18 December), Golden Boy on screen (19 December) and Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty (20 December), plus Stagecoach’s Christmas lights bus tour on Friday and Saturday evenings from 20 November. Changed: Compton Verney’s stone carving weekend and its printing masterclasses are now marked sold out. Dropped: Charlecote’s Christmas lunches, because the National Trust’s event pages blocked every check this week; our Charlecote page has the house and opening details.

Everything below comes from the organisers’ own listings, first read on 28 and 29 September 2026 and checked again on 9 November, 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 9 to Sunday 15 November.

  • Middlemarch Parts 1 and 2, to 16 January, Swan Theatre, Waterside, CV37 6BB. Nina Raine adapts George Eliot’s novel in two parts, directed by Jeremy Herrin; the RSC recommends seeing them in order, on one day or two (Royal Shakespeare Company).
  • First Encounters: Julius Caesar, to Saturday 28 November, The Other Place, 22 Southern Lane, CV37 6BH. Phyllida Lloyd directs, with Dame Harriet Walter as Brutus, after a national tour (Royal Shakespeare Company).
  • Conservation Talks, daily at 11am to Sunday 3 January, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, Cottage Lane, Shottery, CV37 9HH. A 30-minute talk by a volunteer on the conservation work under way at the Cottage, subject to volunteer availability. No booking; ask at reception on arrival. CV37 residents go free (Shakespeare Birthplace Trust).
  • Stratford Town v Banbury United, Tuesday 10 November, 7.45pm, 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 £3 (Stratford Town FC).
  • Archaeological Secrets Tour, Friday 13 November, 11am, Compton Verney, CV35 9HZ. Free with a day ticket or membership, pre-booking recommended. The community archaeologist Hilary Calow on the estate from prehistory to the Anglo-Saxons (Compton Verney).
  • Caesar, Reimagined, Friday 13 November, 4pm, The Other Place. £10 to £25. Phyllida Lloyd and Dame Harriet Walter in conversation (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).

The Christmas lights switch-on is on Saturday 14 November, when Bridge Street, Union Street, Henley Street, Meer Street, Wood Street and High Street close from 4am to 10pm; the market trades from 10am to 7pm, the Wood Street stage runs from 12.30pm and the BID has now confirmed the lights go on at 5.30pm. Charlecote Park’s house is open this week for a look at the Christmas decorating, with the full display from Monday 16 November. Compton Verney’s stone carving weekend (14 and 15 November) and its screen print masterclass (12 November) are marked sold out.

Next week

Monday 16 to Sunday 22 November.

  • A Walk in the Park: Autumn Colours, Friday 20 November, 11am to 11.45am, Compton Verney. Free with a day ticket or membership, pre-booking recommended, all ages. A walk round the grounds with the landscape manager, Fiona Tansey (Compton Verney).
  • Stratford Christmas Lights Tour, every Friday and Saturday evening from 20 November to 19 December, from the Visitor Information Centre, Bridgefoot. First tour 5pm, last 9.30pm. Adults £2, under 19s £1, a group of five £5. A City Sightseeing bus round the town’s lights; on the two Christmas Market weekends it runs a diverted route (Stagecoach).
  • I’ve Lived a Bit, Friday 20 November, The Attic Theatre, Cox’s Yard, Bridgefoot, CV37 6YY. Adults £15, concessions £10. A one-man show by the actor, former footballer and Type 1 diabetes campaigner Jonsel Gourkan (The Attic Theatre).
  • In Conversation: Alan Powers, Friday 20 November, 2pm to 3.30pm, Compton Verney. £20, plus a day ticket or membership. A talk on pattern in the work of Enid Marx, alongside the gallery’s exhibition (Compton Verney).
  • Stratford Town v Halesowen Town, Saturday 21 November, 3pm, Arden Garages Stadium. League prices as above (Stratford Town FC).

Magic Alley’s Santa’s grotto season opens on Saturday 21 November, one of only two Classic Grotto dates still showing good availability on 9 November.

Later in November

Monday 23 to Monday 30 November.

  • Author Talk: Dr Lauren Working, Monday 23 November, 6pm to 8pm, The Shakespeare Bookshop, 37 Henley Street, CV37 6QW. £5, held as a deposit against a signed copy of her book A Golden World, redeemable on the night; booking required, under 18s welcome with an adult (Shakespeare Birthplace Trust).
  • Si King: Proper Home Cooking, Thursday 26 November, 7pm to 8pm, Rother Street Arts House. £18, students £16. A Literary Festival extra: the Hairy Bikers’ Si King on his first solo cookbook (Stratford-upon-Avon Literary Festival).
  • Tudor Christmas Traditions for Home Educator Families, Friday 27 November, 10am to 2.30pm, Mary Arden’s Farm, Station Road, Wilmcote, CV37 9UN. £18.50 a child, one adult free, extra adults £5, booking required. A hands-on festive workshop in the farm decorated for a Tudor Christmas (Shakespeare Birthplace Trust).
  • Art in the Attic, Friday 27 November, 11am to noon, Compton Verney. £5, plus a day ticket or membership. A monthly art workshop for adults of any experience, on the last Friday of the month (Compton Verney).
  • Curator Tour and Tea: The Pattern of Life, Friday 27 November, 2pm to 3.30pm, Compton Verney. £20, plus a day ticket or membership, pre-booking advised (Compton Verney).
  • Kineton Victorian Evening, Friday 27 November, Kineton. The district council’s road closure list shuts the Banbury Street slip road from 8am to 10pm for it; no programme is published (Stratford-on-Avon District Council, list of road closures).
  • Charity Quiz Night, Friday 27 November, 7pm to 10pm, The British Legion Club, 29 Bull Street, CV37 6DT. £5 a person, teams of up to six, hosted with the Mayor and the chair of the district council; register by email through the town council’s listing (Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council).
  • The Three Musketeers, from Saturday 28 November to 9 January, Royal Shakespeare Theatre. The RSC’s Christmas show, Told by an Idiot’s comic version of Dumas by Paul Hunter (Royal Shakespeare Company).
  • Pattern Power workshop, Saturday 28 November, 10.30am to 1pm or 1.30pm to 4pm, Compton Verney. £55, plus a day ticket or membership. An adults’ design workshop inspired by Enid Marx, no experience needed (Compton Verney).
  • Beaudesert and Henley Christmas Lights Switch On, Saturday 28 November, Henley-in-Arden. The road closure list shuts High Street, from the Warwick Road junction to the Station Road junction, from 4pm to 6pm (Stratford-on-Avon District Council, list of road closures).
  • Rotary Victorian Christmas Fair, Sunday 29 November, Shipston-on-Stour. The road closure list shuts High Street, Market Place and The Bury from 9am to 7pm for it (Stratford-on-Avon District Council, list of road closures).
  • Bidford Christmas Lights Switch On, Sunday 29 November, Bidford-on-Avon. The road closure list shuts High Street from 3pm to 6.30pm (Stratford-on-Avon District Council, list of road closures).

The Christmas Market is on 28 and 29 November and 5 and 6 December. The council gives Saturdays as 10am to 8pm and the operator’s own site says noon to 8pm; Sundays are 10am to 5pm. The signed closure orders shut Bridge Street, High Street, Henley Street, Meer Street, Sheep Street and Waterside from 6pm on each Friday. Julius Caesar ends its run at The Other Place on 28 November.

December

Tuesday 1 to Monday 21 December.

  • Stratford Town v Birmingham City, Tuesday 1 December, 7.45pm, Arden Garages Stadium. A Birmingham Senior Cup tie; the club lists no separate cup prices (Stratford Town FC).
  • Hogfather, Friday 4 to Sunday 13 December, The Bear Pit Theatre, Rother Street, CV37 6LU. £15, under 25s £10. The Bear Pit Theatre Company’s Christmas show, Stephen Briggs’s stage version of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld story, directed by Emily Myerscough (The Bear Pit Theatre).
  • The Gift Fair, Friday 4 to Sunday 6 December, from 10am, Compton Verney. Fair only £8, fair with the galleries £20.45. Cards, decorations, toys, homeware and jewellery (Compton Verney). Our Compton Verney Christmas page has its candlelit concerts.
  • Christmas wreath making, Saturday 5 December, 1pm to 4pm, the Garden Café, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, Cottage Lane, Shottery, CV37 9HH. £65, booking required; the Friday 4 December session is sold out (Shakespeare Birthplace Trust).
  • Stratford Town v Stourbridge, Saturday 5 December, 3pm, Arden Garages Stadium. Adults £14, concessions £10, ages 12 to 17 £5, under 12s free with a paying adult (Stratford Town FC).
  • Director Talk: The Three Musketeers, Monday 7 December, 5.15pm to 6pm, Royal Shakespeare Theatre. £8. Members of the creative team on how the show was made (Royal Shakespeare Company).
  • The Bear and the Piano, from Friday 11 December to 10 January, The Other Place, 22 Southern Lane, CV37 6BH. A wordless adaptation of David Litchfield’s picture book with puppetry and music, for ages 3 and over (Royal Shakespeare Company).
  • Concerts by Candlelight: Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Saturday 12 December, 1pm or 3pm, Compton Verney. An hour with no interval. Early bird to Friday 13 November: adults £35 plus a day ticket or membership, children £12.50; from 14 November £40 and £15 (Compton Verney).
  • Robin Hood The Pantomime, from Saturday 12 December to 31 December, Rother Street Arts House, 14 Rother Street, CV37 6LU. Adults £17.50, concessions £15; a relaxed performance on 24 December at 11am. Tread the Boards’ family panto; the full performance list is on our pantomime page (The Attic Theatre).
  • Stratford Town v Kettering Town, Saturday 12 December, 3pm, Arden Garages Stadium. Adults £14, concessions £10, ages 12 to 17 £5, under 12s free with a paying adult (Stratford Town FC).
  • Mayor’s Muddy Dog Walk, Sunday 13 December, 11am to 1pm, from the Riverside Terrace at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, CV37 6YR. £10 a person, dogs free. A walk through the nature reserve to Fisherman’s car park and back for turkey baps; tickets through the town council’s TicketSource page (Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council).
  • Christmas Storytelling Evening, Tuesday 15 December, sessions at 5pm and 6.30pm, Town Hall, Sheep Street, CV37 6EF. £5 for everyone attending, children aged 2 to 10. Pyjamas and blankets encouraged, with Christmas stories, hot chocolate and a short Sugar Plum Fairy dance (Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council).
  • The Almost Christmas Jazz Show, Friday 18 December, The Bear Pit Theatre. £14, concessions £12. Jazz and conversation with the former BBC presenter Sarah Bishop and the guitarist Bernard Porter (The Bear Pit Theatre).
  • Concerts by Candlelight: Coventry Cathedral Chorus, Friday 18 December, 1pm or 3pm, Compton Verney. Sacred Tudor and Baroque music. Early bird to Thursday 19 November: adults £25 plus a day ticket or membership, children £12.50; from 20 November £30 and £15 (Compton Verney).
  • Golden Boy, National Theatre Live, Saturday 19 December, The Bear Pit Theatre. £14. A screening of the Almeida Theatre’s revival of Clifford Odets’ play, with Josh O’Connor (The Bear Pit Theatre).
  • Jack and the Beanstalk, from Saturday 19 December to 2 January, The Attic Theatre, Cox’s Yard. £18.50, ages 18 and over. Tread the Boards’ adult pantomime (The Attic Theatre).
  • Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty, Sunday 20 December, The Bear Pit Theatre. £6, rated 12A, 1 hour 44 minutes. A community cinema screening of the dance production (The Bear Pit Theatre).

The Birthplace Trust’s under-5s grotto at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage is on 12 December; it and Magic Alley’s sessions are on our Santa’s grotto page. Compton Verney’s block print masterclass on 10 December is marked sold out.

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 (LSD Promotions).
  • 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 (parkrun).
  • Waterside Upmarket, Sundays, 10am to 5pm, Waterside, CV37 6BA. Makers, artists and street food beside the river. The district’s closure list has it on 15 and 22 November and 13 and 20 December; the Christmas Market takes Waterside on 29 November and 6 December (LSD Promotions).

Getting there

The theatres, the Town Hall, the Bear Pit and both markets are within a ten minute walk of each other. Compton Verney 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 or 29 September 2026 or later, and checked again on 9 November. Dates can still change, so use the links before you travel.

Sources