People looking for things to do in Stroud and the surrounding district from Monday 9 to Sunday 15 November 2026 have a wide range of events to choose from, including wildlife and heritage activities, live music, family entertainment, creative workshops, film and exhibitions.
The week’s main anniversary programme is at WWT Slimbridge, while venues in Stroud, Nailsworth and Uley are also hosting events. There is an additional Diwali event in Cheltenham for those willing to travel further afield.
WWT Slimbridge marks 80 years
WWT Slimbridge will celebrate the 80th anniversary of its foundation from Tuesday 10 to Sunday 15 November. The wetland centre was founded on the banks of the Severn Estuary by ornithologist and painter Sir Peter Scott.
The anniversary programme includes special openings of Scott’s house, a guided walk through the history of WWT Slimbridge and a heritage afternoon tea. The event listing is accompanied by a photograph of Sir Peter Scott with the first nine nene goslings hatched at Slimbridge in 1952.
The anniversary provides a chance for visitors to explore the history of the site as well as its wildlife-focused work. The supplied listing does not provide booking details or confirm availability, so visitors should check arrangements before travelling.
Music and dancing in Stroud and Nailsworth
The Bowbridge Arms will hold its monthly Irish folk session on Wednesday 11 November at 7.30pm. The gathering takes place on the second Wednesday of each month, with Stroud’s Irish folk enthusiasts meeting to share favourite tunes over a drink and conversation.
Everyone is welcome at the session, particularly people who can bring an instrument and a tune. It is intended as an informal opportunity for musicians and listeners to take part in an evening of Irish folk music.
On Saturday 14 November, parents and teachers from Nailsworth Primary School will host a family barn dance in the school hall. The early-evening ceilidh begins at 5pm, with the Bees Knees Barn Dance Band leading the dancing. A two-course homemade meal is included in the ticket price.
Later on Saturday, the Sub Rooms’ annual Stroud Shindig fundraiser returns at 8pm. The programme features Antwerp Gipsy Ska Orkestra from Belgium, Cardiff band Year of the Dog and Stroud DJ Robbie Duncan. Street food will be available, alongside music from the Music Works DJs in the cafe.
Live music and film on Sunday
The Prince Albert will host two shows on Sunday 15 November, at noon and 7pm, featuring Ríoghnach Connolly and her Manchester-based band Honeyfeet. The listing describes Connolly as BBC Radio 2 Folk Singer of the Year.
The performance is set to combine swampy jazz, raucous brass, fractured funk and folkloric textures, with Connolly’s powerhouse vocals at the centre of the show.
At 1.30pm, the Trinity Rooms will screen Flying Paper. The film tells the uplifting story of a Palestinian youth in the Gaza Strip who is trying to shatter the Guinness World Record for the most kites ever flown.
Flying Paper was co-produced with young filmmakers in Gaza. The screening will be followed by a free kite-decoration craft workshop, giving families and other attendees an activity connected to the film.
Crafts and exhibitions
Local artist and crafter Jane Burchell will lead a Stroud Textile Trust workshop at Christ Church Rooms in Nailsworth on Thursday 12 November. Starting at 10am, the session invites participants to make a unique piece of jewellery from fabric scraps.
Equipment and materials are covered within the ticket price, according to the event listing. The workshop offers a practical textile activity during the week, with participants creating a finished brooch or other jewellery item from reused fabric.
Hannah Dyson’s Gloaming exhibition opens at Prema in Uley on Friday 13 November and runs until Friday 18 December. Dyson is a former artist-in-residence and created the village’s statue of the gorilla John Daniel.
The exhibition features Dyson’s illustrations and takes inspiration from the work of Victorian Fairy Painters Richard Dadd and Richard Doyle. Its title comes from the Old English word for twilight or dusk.
Diwali event in Cheltenham
Further afield, Cheltenham Town Hall will hold a candlelit Diwali event on Saturday 14 November at 6.30pm. The event offers an introduction to Indian classical music and dance and is being held in aid of the Mayor’s charities in partnership with the Cheltenham Trust.
The programme includes dancers from the Nethra Academy of Performing Arts and internationally acclaimed Bharatanatyam dancer and choreographer Anusha Subramanyam. Indian street food will also be available.
The listings cover events in Stroud and the wider district during the week of 9 to 15 November. The source invites organisers to suggest community events for inclusion in future weekly guides, but provides no booking links, ticket prices or confirmation that availability has not changed.
