Chelmsford Cocktail Weekend runs 2 to 4 October and the marathon is on Sunday 11 October. Forty listings to 8 November, with times, prices and links.

The Chelmsford Cocktail Weekend opens on Friday 2 October and the Chelmsford Marathon follows on Sunday 11 October. Between and after them, Chelmsford Theatre has a show on most nights and the cathedral has a concert on most weekends. Half term, from 26 to 30 October, lands on top of the Chelmsford Science Festival.

Everything below comes from the organisers’ own listings, read on 28 September 2026. Every entry links to its source, so check before you set off. Where an organiser publishes no price, we say so and do not guess.

This week

Monday 28 September to Sunday 4 October.

  • Blood Brothers, Tuesday 29 September to Saturday 3 October, 7.30pm, with 2.30pm matinees on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, at Chelmsford Theatre, Fairfield Road. Tickets were £29 to £54 and the theatre now marks every performance sold out, so ring the box office on 01245 606505 for returns. (Chelmsford Theatre)
  • Chelmsford Cocktail Weekend, Friday 2 to Sunday 4 October, at more than 20 venues across the city centre. A £5 wristband buys £6 signature cocktails and £5 mocktails at each venue, plus food and activity offers. Wristbands are collected from Thirst Drinks Syndicate, Spirits Bar & Games or Kingpins Bowl. (Chelmsford For You)
  • Halloween Festival at Marsh Farm, weekends from Saturday 3 October to Sunday 1 November, and every day of half term, at Marsh Farm, South Woodham Ferrers. Tickets are £15.50 booked ahead and £18.50 on the door, plus a 50p booking fee. The ticket covers the pumpkin village, funfair rides and dinosaur park; pumpkins cost extra. The farm is card only. (Marsh Farm)
  • Russell Watson, Sunday 4 October, 7.30pm, Chelmsford Theatre. £37 to £88. The tenor talks through his career and his two serious illnesses, in a show the theatre lists under talks and runs at 110 minutes. (Chelmsford Theatre)

Next week

Monday 5 to Sunday 11 October.

  • Jon Ronson: Enter The Castle, Monday 5 October, 7.30pm, Chelmsford Theatre. £33 to £50. The journalist’s new live show, with footage and online clips. 110 minutes. (Chelmsford Theatre)
  • Dr Richard Shepherd: Time of Death, Thursday 8 October, 7.30pm, Chelmsford Theatre. £32.50. The forensic pathologist on how time of death is worked out. (Chelmsford Theatre)
  • Folk & Bespoke Artisan Craft Fair, Saturday 10 October, 10am to 3pm, Chelmsford Cathedral, New Street. More than 40 artists and craftspeople selling in the main space. The listing gives no entry price. (Chelmsford Cathedral)
  • Chelmsford Marathon and Half Marathon, Sunday 11 October, 9am, Central Park, CM2 0FQ. Both races start and finish in the park. On-the-day entry is £45 for the half and £60 for the marathon, if places remain. Our Chelmsford Marathon page has the advance prices and course. (Nice Work)

Hylands Open Estate Day is also on Sunday 11 October and the museum’s SEN Friendly Day on Saturday 10 October. Both are under regular events.

Later in October

  • Royal British Legion Remembrance Concert, Monday 12 October, 7.30pm, Chelmsford Theatre. £22 to £25. (Chelmsford Theatre)
  • The Sensational 60s Experience, Friday 16 October, 7.30pm, Chelmsford Theatre. £38. (Chelmsford Theatre)
  • Nancy May: A Concert by Candlelight, Friday 16 October, 7.30pm to 9.45pm, doors 6.45pm, Chelmsford Cathedral. £15 to £30. The singer toured for three years as Russell Watson’s special guest. (Chelmsford Cathedral)
  • Hylands Fear Fest, Friday 16 October to Sunday 1 November, Hylands Estate. Two outdoor trails: the Spooky Trail, which the organiser recommends for ages five and over, and Fear Fest Extreme, for ages 15 and over, with live scare actors. Times and prices are on the organiser’s booking pages. Hylands Estate lists the event but does not run it. (Hylands Fear Fest)
  • History Hit: Alexander the Great’s funeral heist, Saturday 17 October, 2pm, Museum of Chelmsford, Oaklands Park. £12. Tristan Hughes, host of The Ancients podcast, on what happened to Alexander’s body and empire. (Museum of Chelmsford)
  • Chelmsford City v Farnham Town, Saturday 17 October, 3pm, The Dunmow Group Community Stadium, Salerno Way, CM1 2EH. The club lists it as a home fixture with tickets on sale. City are away in the FA Cup on 3 October, so check the fixture list before travelling. (Chelmsford City FC)
  • Dance Through The Decades: Hip Hop and RnB, Saturday 17 October, gates 6.45pm, last entry 8.30pm, music ends 11.30pm, in the Summer Marquee at Chelmsford City Racecourse, CM3 1QP. Over 18s only and there is no racing. (Chelmsford City Racecourse)
  • Andy Fairweather Low, Sunday 18 October, 7.30pm, Chelmsford Theatre. £33. (Chelmsford Theatre)
  • By Royal Appointment, Tuesday 20 to Saturday 24 October, 7.30pm, with 2.30pm matinees on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, Chelmsford Theatre. £28 to £48. Jane Asher plays Queen Elizabeth II. The Wednesday matinee is captioned. (Chelmsford Theatre)
  • The Selfish Giant, Wednesday 21 October, 6.30pm, doors 6pm, Chelmsford Cathedral. Adults £12, children £6, family ticket £30. Riding Lights Theatre Company’s 50-minute family play, for ages four and over. (Chelmsford Cathedral)
  • The Music of Fleetwood Mac by Candlelight, Friday 23 October, two sittings at 6.45pm and 9pm, Chelmsford Cathedral. £10 to £40, plus a £4.50 booking fee. The £10 seats have no view of the stage and the £20 seats a restricted one. (Chelmsford Cathedral)
  • Chelmsford Science Festival Family Science Days, Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October, 10.30am to 4pm, Anglia Ruskin University’s Chelmsford campus. Free, but booked. SEN hours run from 9.30am to 10.30am on both days. The festival itself runs from 20 to 28 October and our Chelmsford Science Festival page has the full programme. (Anglia Ruskin University)
  • October half term at RHS Hyde Hall, Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November, 10am to 4pm, closing at 3pm on 1 November, RHS Garden Hyde Hall, Rettendon, CM3 8ET. A garden trail is included in entry. Zoolab sessions on 26 and 27 October cost £7 a child and craft workshops on 28 to 30 October cost £2.50. (RHS Hyde Hall)
  • Chelmsford City v Tonbridge Angels, Saturday 24 October, 3pm, The Dunmow Group Community Stadium, Salerno Way. (Chelmsford City FC)
  • A Night at the Opera, Saturday 24 October, 7.30pm to 9.30pm, doors 6.45pm, Chelmsford Cathedral. London Concertante with four soloists in arias from Rossini, Puccini, Verdi, Bizet and Mozart. Prices are on the booking page. (Chelmsford Cathedral)
  • Eric & Ern, Monday 26 October, 7.30pm, Chelmsford Theatre. £33. The Morecambe and Wise tribute runs 90 minutes and the theatre shows limited availability. (Chelmsford Theatre)
  • David Olusoga at Chelmsford Cathedral, Tuesday 27 October, Chelmsford Cathedral. The two organisers disagree. The cathedral says doors 7.15pm, start 7.45pm, adults £15 and students £7.50 with a drink included. Anglia Ruskin’s listing says 7.15pm to 9pm, £10 and £5. We have used the cathedral’s times; check the ticket page before you pay. Ages 18 and over. (Chelmsford Cathedral)
  • Museum Magical Makes, Tuesday 27 to Thursday 29 October, sessions at 10.30am and 1.30pm, Museum of Chelmsford. £6, members £5. Halloween crafts for ages 5 to 11, with one adult free. (Museum of Chelmsford)
  • Brainiac Live, Wednesday 28 October, 11.30am and 2pm, Chelmsford Theatre. £20 to £22. A 60-minute science show, part of the Science Festival. (Chelmsford Theatre)
  • Dinosaur World Live, Thursday 29 October at 2pm, then 11am and 2pm on Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October, Chelmsford Theatre. £18. It runs 65 minutes. (Chelmsford Theatre)
  • Ballet Classics: Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, Saturday 31 October, performances at 2.30pm and 7pm, Chelmsford Cathedral. Highlights of both ballets danced by New Creations Collective, for ages six and over. Prices are on the booking page. (Chelmsford Cathedral)

Half term has its own page, with the school dates and more family events: Chelmsford October half term.

November

  • Dear Evan Hansen, Wednesday 4 to Friday 6 November at 7.30pm, then 2.30pm and 7pm on Saturday 7 November, Chelmsford Theatre. £23.50 to £25.50. The Saturday matinee is BSL interpreted. (Chelmsford Theatre)
  • Marsh Farm Family Fireworks, Saturday 7 November, entry from 2pm, fireworks at about 6.30pm, park closes 8pm, Marsh Farm, South Woodham Ferrers. £9 until midnight on 30 September, then £10, and £12 on the door, plus a 50p booking fee. The car parks close from about 6.15pm until the display ends. Our Chelmsford fireworks page tracks the other displays. (Marsh Farm)
  • Archaeology South-East Talk: the Iron Age burials of Little Waltham, Saturday 7 November, 2pm, Museum of Chelmsford. Angus Forshaw on the richly furnished graves found north of the city. The listing gives no price. (Museum of Chelmsford)
  • The Waltham Singers: Britten’s St Nicholas, Saturday 7 November, 7.30pm, Chelmsford Cathedral. The choir and the Covent Garden Chamber Orchestra perform Britten’s Festival Te Deum, Simple Symphony and St Nicolas cantata. Prices are on the booking page. (Chelmsford Cathedral)
  • Sh!tfaced Shakespeare: Romeo & Juliet, Sunday 8 November, 7.30pm, Chelmsford Theatre. £28. The theatre shows limited availability. (Chelmsford Theatre)

Remembrance Sunday is 8 November. Chelmsford City Council had not published this year’s service times when we checked, so it is not listed above. Our Remembrance Sunday page tracks it. The Christmas season starts on 19 November with Christmas at The Stables at Hylands, on our Christmas markets page, and the pantomime opens on 27 November.

Regular events

  • Chelmsford High Street Market, every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, at the top of the High Street, CM1 1BE. The indoor market at Bellmead, CM1 1LE, opens Tuesday to Friday from 8.30am to 4pm and Saturday from 8.30am to 5pm. (Chelmsford City Council)
  • Lunchtime Concert at Chelmsford Cathedral, every Friday in term time at 12 noon, with tea and coffee from 11.30am. Free. The next is Friday 2 October and they run weekly to 27 November. (Chelmsford Cathedral)
  • Chelmsford Central parkrun, every Saturday at 9am in Central Park. Free, but register once before your first run. (parkrun)
  • SEN Friendly Day at the Museum of Chelmsford, the second Saturday of each month, 10am to 5pm. Free with museum entry, no booking. The next two are 10 October and 14 November. (Museum of Chelmsford)
  • Hylands Open Estate Day, the second Sunday of each month, 10am to 3pm, with the house open, a street food market and live music in the Stables courtyard. The next two are 11 October and 8 November. (Hylands Estate)
  • Memory Café at the Museum of Chelmsford, the second Monday of each month, 10.30am to 12pm, in the Wells Suite. Free. For people living with dementia and their families. The next two are 12 October and 9 November. (Museum of Chelmsford)

Not on, despite the listing

Chelmsford City Racecourse’s own events page still lists Thursday night racing on 8 and 15 October. The British Horseracing Authority moved both fixtures to Southwell on 10 September. Our report on the October fixtures has the detail.

Getting there

Chelmsford Theatre, the cathedral, the High Street and Central Park are all within a short walk of the railway station. City centre tariffs are on our parking in Chelmsford page. Check the roadworks and travel page before driving to Hylands, Marsh Farm, Hyde Hall or the racecourse. For places that are open whatever the month, see things to do in Chelmsford.

This page is rewritten as organisers confirm new dates. More in our What’s On section.

Send us your event

Running an event in Chelmsford or the villages? Email hello@chelmsfordtimes.co.uk with the date, time, venue, price and a photo. Listings are free of charge, and yours goes on this page and in the diary on our What’s On hub.

Sources