Tim Peake at the Alban Arena on 7 October, fireworks at Harpenden on 1 November and at Verulamium and Redbourn on the 7th, plus 43 more dates with sources.

The next six weeks in St Albans and Harpenden are mostly indoors. The Alban Arena has a stand-up or a big-name talk most nights, from the Bootleg Beatles tonight to Tim Peake on Wednesday 7 October, Jeremy Bowen on the 13th and Harry Enfield on 17 November. The cathedral has Coldplay by candlelight on the 7th. Company of Ten puts on The 39 Steps at the Abbey Theatre from 16 October, half term brings a bubble show to Harpenden and family workshops to Verulamium Museum, and then come the fireworks: Harpenden Rugby Club on Sunday 1 November, and both the St Albans Fireworks Spectacular in Verulamium Park and Redbourn’s free display on Saturday 7 November, with Remembrance parades the next morning. The first Christmas market, 70 stalls in the cathedral nave, is also on 7 November.

Everything below comes from the organisers’ own listings: the theatres’ box offices, St Albans Museums, the cathedral, the district council, Harpenden Town Council and parkrun. All of it was re-read between 3 and 6 October 2026, and every entry links back to its source so you can check before you set off. For places that are open whatever the month, see our guide to things to do in St Albans. Half-term dates are on our October half term page, and every pumpkin patch and Halloween event is on our St Albans Halloween page.

This week

Pumpkin and Squash Festival, The Pop Up Farm. Open now, on set days through the month, 9.30am to 4.30pm. The Pop Up Farm, M1 Junction 9, Flamstead AL3 8HT. £8.15 to £11.20, pre-booked only. Pick-your-own pumpkins and squash; the farm also has a Moonlit Pumpkins evening on Thursday 29 October. (The Pop Up Farm)

The Bootleg Beatles in Concert. Tuesday 6 October, 7.30pm. The Alban Arena, Civic Centre, St Albans AL1 3LD. From £37.50, plus a £3.50 booking fee. The tribute band’s new show built on the Beatles’ five best-selling albums, from Rubber Soul to the White Album. (The Alban Arena)

Tim Peake’s Astronauts: The Quest To Explore Space Tour. Wednesday 7 October, 7.30pm. The Alban Arena, Civic Centre, St Albans AL1 3LD. £39.50, plus a £3.50 booking fee. The British astronaut’s stage show on the history of human space exploration. (The Alban Arena)

Come From Away, Harpenden Musical Theatre Company. Wednesday 7 to Saturday 10 October, 7.30pm, plus a 2.30pm matinee on Saturday. Eric Morecambe Centre, Rothamsted Park, Harpenden AL5 2FR. Harpenden Musical Theatre Company’s production of the four-time Olivier Award winner, based on a true story. The town council lists it too. (Eric Morecambe Centre)

Coldplay By Candlelight. Wednesday 7 October, 7.30pm to 10pm (doors 6.45pm). St Albans Cathedral, Sumpter Yard AL1 1BY. Coldplay’s hits from Yellow to Viva La Vida sung by a cast of vocalists with a live band, by candlelight. The cathedral has a licensed bar. (St Albans Cathedral)

Jonathan Pie. Thursday 8 October, 7.30pm. The Alban Arena, Civic Centre, St Albans AL1 3LD. From £23, plus a £3.50 booking fee. The “UK’s angriest news reporter” with a new live show. Ages 14+. (The Alban Arena)

Roman and Iron Age Silchester, evening talk. Thursday 8 October, 7pm. Verulamium Museum, St Michael’s, St Albans AL3 4SW. An hour’s talk on the recent excavations at Silchester in Hampshire, then questions. The museum opens from 6.30pm; the car park outside now needs a pay and display ticket in the evening. (Verulamium Museum)

Museum Minis. Friday 9 October, 10.15am. St Albans Museum + Gallery, Town Hall, St Peter’s Street AL1 3DH. £6.50 per child. A story and craft session for the youngest museum visitors and their grown-ups. The next one is Friday 13 November. (St Albans Museums)

St Albans Flips into Wonder. Saturday 10 October, 10.30am to 4pm. St Albans Museum + Gallery, Town Hall, St Peter’s Street AL1 3DH. Free, booking needed. A day of stories and crafts celebrating multicultural children’s authors, for children aged 2 to 12 with an adult. (St Albans Museums)

Bharatanatyam: A Story in Motion. Saturday 10 October, 7pm. Abbey Theatre, Westminster Lodge, Holywell Hill, St Albans AL1 2DL. £18, concessions £13 for ages 12 to 16. The Dhwani Collective’s live performance of the Indian classical dance form, with music by local performers. No children under 12. (Abbey Theatre)

Willows Pumpkin Festival. Saturday 10 and Sunday 11, Saturday 17 and Sunday 18, then daily 23 to 31 October. Willows Activity Farm, Coursers Road, London Colney AL4 0PF. Adults and children over 90cm £20.95 to £22.95, plus a 75p booking fee; under-90cm free plus 75p. Pumpkin picking with a free pumpkin per paying child, a Halloween maze, a Halloween disco and character shows. (Willows Activity Farm)

Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour 2026: Blue Film Programme. Saturday 10 October, 7.30pm. The Alban Arena, Civic Centre, St Albans AL1 3LD. From £17, plus a £3.50 booking fee. A night of short adventure and mountain films on the big screen. Age guidance 12+. (The Alban Arena)

Simon Brodkin: Unleashed. Sunday 11 October, 3.30pm and 7.30pm. The Alban Arena, Civic Centre, St Albans AL1 3LD. A £3.50 booking fee applies. Stand-up from the comedian who created Lee Nelson’s Well Good Show. Ages 14+. (The Alban Arena)

Next week

Jeremy Bowen: Truth Under Fire. Tuesday 13 October, 7.30pm. The Alban Arena, Civic Centre, St Albans AL1 3LD. From £35.50, plus a £3.50 booking fee. The BBC’s International Editor on 40 years of reporting from more than 20 wars. Guidance 14+. (The Alban Arena)

The History of Mermaids and Women of the Waters, evening talk. Thursday 15 October, 7pm. St Albans Museum + Gallery, Town Hall, St Peter’s Street AL1 3DH. £10 in person, £6 on Zoom. An evening talk on why mermaids fascinate us, in person or on Zoom. (St Albans Museums)

The 39 Steps, Company of Ten. Friday 16 to Saturday 24 October, 8pm, with 2.30pm matinees on Sunday 18 and Saturday 24 October and an extra 7pm performance, added because of demand, on Sunday 18 October. Abbey Theatre, Westminster Lodge, Holywell Hill, St Albans AL1 2DL. £15, concessions £13. Company of Ten’s production of Patrick Barlow’s comic stage version of the Hitchcock thriller, in the Studio. No performance on Monday 19 October. (Abbey Theatre)

UN Development Goals: How are they actually going?. Saturday 17 October, 10.30am to 12.30pm (doors 10.15am). Salvation Army, Leyton Green, Harpenden AL5 2TG. A public lecture by Mike Pearson of UNA Harpenden. Registration is through the listing. (Harpenden Town Council’s calendar)

World Voices Festival: The Concert. Sunday 18 October, 7.30pm to 9.30pm. St Albans Cathedral, Sumpter Yard AL1 1BY. A night of contemporary choral music with choirs from across the UK and beyond, gospel to musicals, ending in a 200-voice finale. (St Albans Cathedral)

Later in October

Halloween In Concert. Friday 23 October, 7.30pm. The Alban Arena, Civic Centre, St Albans AL1 3LD. From £31, plus a £3.50 booking fee. A Halloween concert with a live band, and a prize for the best costume. (The Alban Arena)

Opening of the Field of Remembrance, Harpenden. Saturday 24 October, 11am to 12pm. War Memorial, Church Green, Harpenden. The Royal British Legion’s ceremony to open the Field of Remembrance and launch this year’s Poppy Appeal. (Harpenden Town Council)

Harpenden Farmers’ Market. Sunday 25 October, 10am to 2pm. Harpenden High Street. About 70 stalls of local produce, bakery, meat, fish, cheese, flowers and street food on the High Street. It runs on the fourth Sunday of every month. (Harpenden Town Council)

Susan Calman: Tall Tales. Sunday 25 October, 7.30pm. The Alban Arena, Civic Centre, St Albans AL1 3LD. £31.50, plus a £3.50 booking fee. Her first tour in ten years: cruising, driving tanks, cats and getting older. Guidance 14+. (The Alban Arena)

Mosaic Making Workshop. Monday 26 October, sessions at 10.15am, 11.15am and 12.15pm. Verulamium Museum, St Michael’s, St Albans AL3 4SW. £15 per participant, museum admission not included. A half-term family workshop with local artist Audrey from Montet Designs. Age 5+; younger children need an adult’s help. (St Albans Museums)

The Amazing Bubbleman. Monday 26 October, 2pm. Eric Morecambe Centre, Rothamsted Park, Harpenden AL5 2FR. £18, plus a £3.50 booking fee. Louis Pearl’s half-term bubble show of comedy, tricks and audience participation. (Eric Morecambe Centre)

Archaeology for Families. Tuesday 27 to Friday 30 October, 10.30am to 12.30pm. Verulamium Museum, St Michael’s, St Albans AL3 4SW. Included with museum admission, no booking. Learn how archaeologists record what they find in the ground by analysing genuine finds. Age 7+. (St Albans Museums)

Ruby Wax: Absolutely Famous. Tuesday 27 October, 7.30pm. Eric Morecambe Centre, Rothamsted Park, Harpenden AL5 2FR. Ruby Wax’s new touring show with her long-time collaborator Clive Tulloh. Ages 14+. (Eric Morecambe Centre)

Stage Two 2026, Company of Ten Writers Group. Thursday 29 and Friday 30 October, 8pm. Abbey Theatre, Westminster Lodge, Holywell Hill, St Albans AL1 2DL. £10, concessions £8. Four new one-act plays by the group’s writers, two each night, in the Studio. Thursday’s Come In No. 8 carries a content warning. (Abbey Theatre)

November

HRFC Fireworks Night. Sunday 1 November, 3pm to 9pm. Harpenden Rugby Club, Redbourn Lane, Harpenden AL5 2BA. The club’s annual fireworks night, with fairground rides, a street food village, two bars and a shuttle bus from town. Ticket prices and the display time are still to come. (Harpenden Rugby Club)

Dom Joly: Trigger Happy TV, the 25th Anniversary Tour. Wednesday 4 November, 7.30pm. Eric Morecambe Centre, Rothamsted Park, Harpenden AL5 2FR. From £31, plus a £3.50 booking fee. The hidden-camera characters and sketches on stage for the show’s 25th anniversary. Recommended 14+. (Eric Morecambe Centre)

Back in the Day Café. Thursday 5 November, 10.30am to 11.30am. St Albans Museum + Gallery, Town Hall, St Peter’s Street AL1 3DH. Free, drop in. A friendly morning of memories with real objects and photographs from the museum collections; November’s theme is bonfire night and fireworks. (St Albans Museums)

Phil Wang: Uh Oh. Thursday 5 November, 7.30pm. The Alban Arena, Civic Centre, St Albans AL1 3LD. From £28, plus a £3.50 booking fee. A new stand-up show from the comedian. Guidance 14+. (The Alban Arena)

Redbourn Fireworks Display. Saturday 7 November. Redbourn Common. Free. The parish council has set the date but says the display “simply cannot go ahead this year without more help” and is asking for volunteers; 2026 times are not yet published (in 2025 the fair opened at 5pm and the display was at 7pm). (Redbourn Parish Council)

St Albans Cathedral Christmas Artisan Market. Saturday 7 November, 11am to 3pm. St Albans Cathedral, Sumpter Yard AL1 1BY. Free, but one ticket per person is needed. More than 70 local artisan stalls in the Nave, with school choirs and a face painter. Every other Christmas market is on our Christmas markets page. (Pop Up Creative Events)

St Albans Fireworks Spectacular. Saturday 7 November, gates 6pm, fireworks 7.30pm. Verulamium Park, St Albans. Early bird adult £10, child £6, family £28.50. The cathedral’s fundraising display for Isabel Hospice and the Herts Domestic Abuse Helpline. Early bird prices end at midnight on Friday 16 October; full detail is on our fireworks page. (St Albans Cathedral)

Harpenden Remembrance Parade and Service. Sunday 8 November, parade moves off 10.35am, service 10.50am. War Memorial, Church Green, Harpenden. The parade leaves Rothamsted Park for the service at the War Memorial on Church Green. St Albans has not yet published its 2026 arrangements; see our Remembrance page. (Harpenden Town Council)

There’s A Monster In Your Show. Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 November, 10.30am and 1.30pm. Eric Morecambe Centre, Rothamsted Park, Harpenden AL5 2FR. A £3.50 booking fee applies. Tom Fletcher’s interactive picture books as a musical stage show for young children. (Eric Morecambe Centre)

We Will Rock You, St Albans Musical Theatre Company. Wednesday 11 to Saturday 14 November, 7.30pm, plus a 2.30pm matinee on Saturday. The Alban Arena, Civic Centre, St Albans AL1 3LD. A non-refundable £3.50 transaction fee applies per booking. The local company’s production of the Queen musical, with Bohemian Rhapsody, We Are the Champions and Don’t Stop Me Now. (The Alban Arena)

Dad’s Army, Company of Ten. Friday 13 to Saturday 21 November, 8pm, with a 2.30pm matinee on Sunday 15 November. Abbey Theatre, Westminster Lodge, Holywell Hill, St Albans AL1 2DL. £15, concessions £13. The stage version of the television comedy on the Main Stage. No performances on Monday 16 or Tuesday 17 November. (Abbey Theatre)

Chuckl. with Reginald D Hunter. Friday 13 November, 7.30pm. Eric Morecambe Centre, Rothamsted Park, Harpenden AL5 2FR. A £3.50 booking fee applies. A stand-up night headlined by Reginald D Hunter, with Dan Tiernan. Ages 15+. (Eric Morecambe Centre)

Harpenden Sustainability Market, Christmas edition. Sunday 15 November, 10am to 3pm. Harpenden Common. Eco and food stalls run by Sustainable St Albans with the town council; November’s market has a festive theme, for a greener Christmas. (Harpenden Town Council)

Step Into Christmas. Sunday 15 November, 7.30pm. The Alban Arena, Civic Centre, St Albans AL1 3LD. £35, plus a £3.50 booking fee. A Christmas pop concert billed as the way to start the festive season. (The Alban Arena)

Harry Enfield and No Chums. Tuesday 17 November, 7.30pm. The Alban Arena, Civic Centre, St Albans AL1 3LD. From £35, plus a £3.50 booking fee. Harry Enfield on 40 years of characters, from Loadsamoney to Kevin the Teenager. Ages 18+. (The Alban Arena)

Regular events

St Albans Charter Market. Every Wednesday and Saturday, 9am to 4.30pm. St Peter’s Street, St Albans AL1 3ED. The general market and international street food along St Peter’s Street. Next: Wednesday 7 October. (St Albans City and District Council)

St Albans parkrun. Every Saturday, 9am. Verulamium Park, St Albans. Free. A free, timed 5k in Verulamium Park. Walk, jog, run or volunteer; register once before your first visit. Next: Saturday 10 October. (parkrun)

Family weekends at Verulamium Museum. Every Saturday and Sunday to 12 December, 10am to 3.30pm. Verulamium Museum, St Michael’s, St Albans AL3 4SW. Free craft sessions on Roman life, a different make each week. Included with museum admission. Next: Saturday 10 October. (St Albans Museums)

Sunday Crafternoon. Every Sunday to 20 December, 1.30pm to 3.45pm (last admission 3.15pm). St Albans Museum + Gallery, Town Hall, St Peter’s Street AL1 3DH. £6.50 per child. Family craft afternoon for children aged 5 to 11, with a different activity each week. Next: Sunday 11 October. (St Albans Museums)

Messy Monday Mornings. Every Monday to 14 December, 10.15am to 11.45am. St Albans Museum + Gallery, Town Hall, St Peter’s Street AL1 3DH. £6.50 per child. Messy play for young children and their grown-ups. Limited places, so book ahead. Next: Monday 12 October. (St Albans Museums)

Send us your event

Running something in St Albans, Harpenden or the villages? Email hello@stalbansdaily.co.uk with the date, start time, venue, price and a photo, and a link to your own page if you have one. Listings are free of charge. We add them to this page and to the diary on our What’s On page.