Stroud and the wider district have a varied programme of arts, live music and family activities from Monday 19 to Sunday 25 October. The week comes just before local schools begin their half-term holiday next week, but there is already a broad choice of events for people looking for something to do.
The second weekend of the Stroud Autumn Arts Trail is among the main attractions, with more than 40 local artists exhibiting across venues and studios in the five valleys. There is also a textile repair event at the Museum in the Park, concerts at Brimscombe Mill and the Sub Rooms, an early fireworks and Bonfire Night event at Aston Down, and seasonal activities at Jolly Nice.
Music and creative events
Irish singer-songwriter Seamus Fogarty will perform at the Sanctuary at Brimscombe Mill on Thursday 22 October at 7.30pm. Fogarty was raised in Swinford, County Mayo, and has lived in London since 2010. His music brings together Irish folk and electronica.
The Brimscombe Mill performance is part of a tour for Fogarty’s new record, Ship. The album was released in March 2026 on Johnny Lynch’s Lost Map Records.
On Friday 23 October at 10am, volunteers from Transition Stroud Textiles Group will hold a special pop-up textile repair and upcycling event at the Museum in the Park. It has been arranged to coincide with the museum’s ongoing UNmaking exhibition.
The group will offer tips and advice on repairing clothes and other textiles. Visitors can also get ideas for upcycling and for helping clothes that might otherwise be discarded to last longer.
The Autumn Arts Trail continues on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October, from 11am to 5pm. More than 40 artists from across the five valleys are taking part, and many will open their studios so visitors can see their work in the places where it is made. The not-for-profit arts organisation behind the trail is also presenting a wider programme of exhibitions by local artists.
On Saturday evening, the Peatbog Faeries will perform at the Sub Rooms at 8pm. The Scottish folk experimental group was formed in Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye and has entertained audiences for more than 30 years. Its music combines traditional Celtic jigs and reels with contemporary sounds.
Fireworks and family activities
The Cotswold Gliding Club at Aston Down Airfield is holding an early fireworks and Bonfire Night event on Saturday 24 October, starting from 2.30pm. The event is timed to coincide with the beginning of half term.
The afternoon programme includes a pyrotechnic air display, followed by a fireworks display and bonfire. There will also be stalls and activities, including food and drinks, funfair rides, a gliding simulator and science, technology, engineering and mathematics workshops.
Jolly Nice’s annual pumpkin celebration continues until Saturday 31 October, with the pumpkin patch open from 10am to 4pm. The event is approaching its final week and includes a village fete area featuring giant vegetables and pumpkin bowling.
Other activities at the pumpkin celebration include hobby-horse stables, mini wheelbarrows and a coconut shy. An entry fee has been introduced this year, although the supplied event information does not state the amount. The source says the additional experiences have not deterred visitors.
Exhibitions continuing beyond the week
At Ruskin Mill, a special exhibition by local landscape painter Lucy Inder continues until Sunday 8 November. Inder’s work is full of colour and pattern and is presented in a style reminiscent of the Fauvists, with paintings inspired by local geography.
The exhibition has been timed to coincide with the Autumn Arts Trail and brings together Inder’s paintings in what the event guide describes as a sympathetic venue.
Further afield, the Arnolfini in Bristol is showing Catching Flies with Honey, a Joy Gregory retrospective, until Sunday 7 February. The exhibition forms part of the Bristol Photo Festival and spans the Arnolfini’s galleries.
It brings together more than 150 photographs, films, installations and textile works made over four decades. The exhibition invites audiences to consider themes including identity, history, beauty and belonging.
Community organisers can use the original publisher’s event-submission information to suggest events for inclusion in its regular weekly guide to things to see and do in the Stroud area.
