Free Canal Festival on 3 and 4 October, the Michaelmas Fair from the 14th, £4 half term crafts, The Mill's shows and Remembrance Sunday on 8 November.

The biggest free weekend of Banbury’s year is this one. The Canal Festival runs on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October, 11am to 5pm both days, along the canal and through the town centre. Ten days later the Michaelmas Fair takes over the streets for four evenings, from Wednesday 14 to Saturday 17 October. Half term follows on 26 October, and Remembrance Sunday is on 8 November.

Everything below was read from the organisers’ own pages on 29 September 2026, and each entry links back to its source. Dates and prices can change, so check the link before you set off. For places that are open whatever the month, see things to do in Banbury.

This week

  • Banbury United v Stratford Town, Tuesday 29 September, 7.45pm, at Station Approach, OX16 5AB. Southern League Premier Central (Banbury United).
  • Banbury Jobs Fair, Wednesday 30 September, 10am to 1pm, Banbury Town Hall, Bridge Street, OX16 5QB. Free, and everyone is welcome. Employers, training providers and apprenticeship advice in one room (Cherwell District Council). Our jobs fair story has the background.
  • Archaeological Finds Surgery, Thursday 1 October, 10.30am to 1pm, Banbury Museum, Spiceball Park Road, OX16 2PQ. Free drop-in. Bring anything you have dug up or found, and Oxfordshire’s Finds Liaison Officer will identify and record it (Banbury Museum).
  • The Wonder of Stevie, Thursday 1 October, 7.30pm, The Mill Arts Centre, Spiceball Park Road, OX16 5QE. £28.50. Noel McCalla and Derek Nash play the Stevie Wonder songbook (The Mill).
  • Hal Cruttenden: Can Dish It Out But Can’t Take It, Friday 2 October, 7.30pm, The Mill. £23.50. Stand-up (The Mill).
  • Banbury Canal Festival, Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October, 11am to 5pm, canal side and town centre. Free. Boat tours, craft stalls, live music, funfair rides and food stalls, with Tooley’s Boatyard open (Banbury Town Council). The Mill runs a free dance stage on both days, and Saturday’s programme starts at 11.05am (The Mill). Our Canal Festival page has parking and what happens in bad weather.
  • Banbury Canal Chronicles book launch, Saturday 3 October, 11am to 3pm, Castle Quay. Free. Storytelling, boat-themed crafts, face painting and the Dancing Duck. The book is a suggested £2.50 donation, in aid of Tooley’s Boatyard (Castle Quay).
  • Kidlington Community Connections Fair, Saturday 3 October, 2pm to 5pm, Exeter Hall, Kidlington, OX5 1AB. More than 20 stalls from local groups and charities, with tea and cake (Kidlington Town Council).

Next week

  • In the Land of Eagles, Wednesday 7 October, 7.30pm, The Mill. £18.50. A play about a granddaughter, her grandfather and a journey to Albania (The Mill).
  • Rave On, Thursday 8 October, 7.30pm, The Mill. £29.50. Rock and roll from the 1950s and 1960s (The Mill).
  • The Sounds of Simon, Friday 9 October, 7.30pm, The Mill. £20. The Simon and Garfunkel tribute played its first gig here in 2006 (The Mill).
  • Banbury United v Stamford, Saturday 10 October, 3pm, Station Approach (Banbury United).

Later in October

  • Banbury Michaelmas Fair, Wednesday 14 to Saturday 17 October, town centre. Bob Wilson’s funfair, on four evenings. The golden key ceremony is at around 4pm on the Wednesday, when the Town Mayor tours the fair and each ride touched with the key gives a free go (Banbury Town Council). Nightly hours are not published yet. Five roads shut from the day before: see our Michaelmas Fair page.
  • Sister Queens, Wednesday 14 October, 7.30pm, The Mill. £19.50. Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots (The Mill).
  • One Foot in the Dark, Thursday 15 October, 7.30pm, The Mill. £18.50. Dance and spoken word (The Mill).
  • Sonic Time Machine, Friday 16 October, 7.30pm, The Mill. £28. A live band plays 1970s and 1980s pop and rock (The Mill).
  • Fairport Convention, Sunday 18 October, 7.30pm, The Mill. £34. Fifty tickets were left on 29 September (The Mill).
  • Banbury United v Leighton Town, Tuesday 20 October, 7.45pm, Station Approach (Banbury United).
  • Cally Beaton: Namaste Motherf*ckers, Friday 23 October, 7.30pm, The Mill. £23.50. Stand-up on midlife (The Mill).
  • Magic and Marvels, Saturday 24 October, 2.30pm, The Mill. £16. A one-man magic and circus show (The Mill).
  • Baga Chipz: Bagz to Riches Tour, Sunday 25 October, 7.30pm, The Mill. £25 (The Mill).
  • Half term crafts at Banbury Museum, Monday 26 to Friday 30 October, 10.30am and 1.30pm each day. £4 a child, ages 3 and up, booking essential. Halloween Lanterns on Monday, Autumn Owls on Tuesday, Rocking Witches on Wednesday, Autumn Suncatcher on Thursday and Halloween Monsters on Friday (Banbury Museum). More in our October half term guide.
  • Banbury United v Worcester City, Tuesday 27 October, 7.45pm, Station Approach (Banbury United).
  • An Evening with Ma Bessie, Thursday 29 October, 7.30pm, The Mill. £21. The music of Bessie Smith (The Mill).
  • Hocus Pocus: Live Experience, Friday 30 October, 2.30pm, The Mill. £16, ages 6 and up. The Mill warns of haze, flashing lights and some spooky elements (The Mill).
  • Alice in Wonderland, Saturday 31 October, 11am and 1pm, The Mill. £14. A 40-minute family ballet, with a photo with the dancers afterwards (The Mill).

November

  • Brickworks at Banbury Museum, daily until Sunday 1 November. £4 for everyone aged 1 and over, with under-12-months and carers free. Three timed LEGO building sessions a day, 1 hour 30 minutes each (Banbury Museum).
  • Simon Evans: Staring at the Sun, Sunday 1 November, 7.30pm, The Mill. £23.50. Four tickets were left on 29 September (The Mill).
  • Kidlington Fireworks Night, Thursday 5 November, Stratfield Brake, 19 Frieze Way, Kidlington, OX5 1UP. Gates 6pm, display 7pm. Low-noise fireworks with a laser show. Ticketed, no sparklers, and no parking on site except for Blue Badge holders (Kidlington Town Council). Banbury has no display of its own: see Banbury fireworks.
  • Elvis: From Memphis to Vegas, Thursday 5 November, 7.30pm, The Mill. £30.50 (The Mill).
  • Lucy Porter: Let Yourself Go, Friday 6 November, 7.30pm, The Mill. £26.50. Stand-up (The Mill).
  • Banbury United v Leamington, Saturday 7 November, 3pm, Station Approach (Banbury United).
  • Room on the Broom, Saturday 7 November at 1.30pm and 4.30pm, Sunday 8 November at 2.30pm and 4.30pm, The Mill. £17.50, ages 3 and up. Book soon: three of the four shows had fewer than 20 seats left on 29 September (The Mill).
  • Banbury Remembrance Sunday, Sunday 8 November, 10am to 2pm. Free. The parade leaves the Town Hall, OX16 5QB, at about 10.15am. The service at St Mary’s Church starts at about 10.45am, and wreaths are laid at People’s Park at 12 noon (Banbury Town Council). Our Remembrance Sunday page covers seats in church and parking.
  • Bicester Remembrance Sunday, Sunday 8 November, 11am to 1pm, Market Square, Bicester, OX26 6AJ. A parade, then a church service (Bicester Town Council).

Further ahead, the Christmas market is on 28 and 29 November and the Christmas lights switch-on is on Sunday 29 November. The Mill’s festive run is in our guide to pantomime and Christmas shows.

Regular events

  • Banbury Charter Market, every Thursday and Saturday, 9am to 4pm, Market Place. The next is Thursday 1 October. Fruit and vegetables, bread, cheese, plants and hot food, with extra antiques stalls on the second and fourth Thursday of each month (Cherwell District Council). The council has not said whether the market runs during the Michaelmas Fair.
  • Bicester Friday Market, every Friday, 9am to 4.30pm, Sheep Street, Bicester. The next is Friday 2 October. About 20 stalls, run by Bicester Market Association (Cherwell District Council).
  • Banbury parkrun, every Saturday, 9am, Spiceball Park, OX16 2AY. The next is Saturday 3 October. Free. Register once before your first run and bring your barcode (parkrun).

Getting there

The Mill, the museum, Castle Quay and the canal are within a few minutes’ walk of each other. Banbury United’s ground is beside the railway station. Council car parks charge on Sundays, so check parking in Banbury before the Canal Festival. Closures for the fair are on our roadworks and travel page.

Send us your event

Running an event in Banbury, Bicester, Kidlington or the villages? Email hello@banburyonline.co.uk with the date, time, venue, price and a photo. Listings are free. Yours will go on this page and in the diary on our What’s On section.

Sources