Chester's next six weeks: the marathon on 11 October, Blood Brothers at Storyhouse, Halloween fireworks on 31 October and Jane Eyre from 10 November.

The next six weeks in Chester build to one Saturday. On 31 October the racecourse runs its Halloween fireworks, Chester play at home in the afternoon, Storyhouse has a family Broadway rave and there is a Motown night at Ellesmere Port Civic Hall. Before that, the MBNA Chester Marathon closes roads across the city and the villages to the south on Sunday 11 October. Blood Brothers is at Storyhouse from 13 to 17 October, and the cathedral has a candlelit or tribute concert almost every week. In November, Storyhouse opens Jane Eyre on the 10th and Chester Zoo’s Lanterns and Light starts on the 13th.

Every listing below comes from the organiser’s own page, read on 3 October 2026, and each links back to it. Prices are the lowest standard ticket the organiser publishes; where no price is given, the organiser has not put one on its page. Half term has its own guide, October half term in Chester, Halloween has its own page, and for places open whatever the month see things to do in Chester.

This week

  • Bugsy Malone, Thursday 1 to Saturday 3 October, 7pm each night plus 2pm on Saturday, Storyhouse Main Theatre. Castaway Theatre’s production; £19.50 to £29.50, or £17.70 to £26.70 for members (Storyhouse).
  • Chester Makers Market, Saturday 3 October, from 10am, Exchange Square, Chester Northgate. Local makers, artisan products and food, on the first Saturday of every month (Chester Northgate).
  • An Evening of Kate Bush, Saturday 3 October, 7.30pm, Chester Cathedral. Let Me In’s 10-piece band and the Mike Nowland String Quartet play Kate Bush’s music in order, from The Kick Inside onwards (Chester Cathedral).
  • The Take That Experience, Saturday 3 October, 7.30pm (doors 7pm), Ellesmere Port Civic Hall, Civic Way, CH65 0AZ (Brio Entertainment).
  • Matt Willis: Mending, in conversation, Monday 5 October, 7pm, Storyhouse. The musician and presenter on addiction, recovery and his book. £21.50 ticket only; the ticket-and-book options had sold out on 3 October (Storyhouse).
  • How Soon is Now?, Tuesday 6 and Wednesday 7 October, 7.30pm, Storyhouse. An indie musical set on New Year’s Eve 1999 with a live soundtrack of 90s songs, age 14+. £23.50, concessions £16.50 (Storyhouse).
  • The Music of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons by Candlelight, Thursday 8 October, 7.30pm, Chester Cathedral (Chester Cathedral).
  • Motown by Candlelight, Friday 9 October, 7.30pm, Chester Cathedral. Singers and a live band play Motown hits by candlelight (Chester Cathedral).

Next week

  • Chester Gather and Graze Market, Saturday 10 October, 10am to 4pm, Exchange Square. Artisan food, local art and crafts, on the second Saturday of every month (Chester Northgate).
  • Chester v Bedford Town, Saturday 10 October, 3pm, Deva Community Stadium, Bumpers Lane, CH1 4LT. National League North (Chester FC).
  • Seth Lakeman: Freedom Fields, Saturday 10 October, 7.30pm, Storyhouse. The folk singer and fiddler plays his 2006 album. £28.50 to £33 (Storyhouse).
  • The Floyd Effect: Pulse of the Darkside, Saturday 10 October, 7.30pm (doors 7pm), Northwich Memorial Court. A Pink Floyd tribute built around The Dark Side of the Moon (Brio Entertainment).
  • MBNA Chester Marathon, Sunday 11 October, 9am start, the Roodee, CH1 2LY (Active Leisure Events). The course runs out through Eccleston and Pulford into Wales and back, and the roads close on a rolling basis. Our marathon road closures page has the route and the cut-off times.

Later in October

  • Blood Brothers, Tuesday 13 to Saturday 17 October, Storyhouse Main Theatre. Evenings at 7.30pm, matinees at 2.30pm on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. Age 12+, £27.50 to £54.50 plus a £1.50 booking fee, and Storyhouse expects heavy school bookings on weekdays (Storyhouse).
  • Legend: the Music of Bob Marley, Saturday 17 October, 7.30pm, Chester Cathedral (Chester Cathedral).
  • Ainsley Hamill with Toby Shaer, Saturday 17 October, 8pm (doors 7.15pm), Lion Salt Works, Ollershaw Lane, Marston, CW9 6ES. Scottish folk song, £17, booking required (West Cheshire Museums).
  • Halloween at Chester Zoo, Saturday 17 October to Sunday 1 November, 10am to 4.30pm, Upton-by-Chester, CH2 1EU. A Top Trumps trail called Zoo vs You and pumpkin sculptures, included with zoo entry and free for members (Chester Zoo).
  • A Brief Case of Crazy, Monday 19 and Tuesday 20 October, 7.30pm, Storyhouse Garret Theatre. A silent love story told without words, about an hour, age 5+. £17.50 (Storyhouse).
  • Storyhouse Comedy Club, Wednesday 21 October, 7.30pm, Garret Theatre. Danny McLoughlin compères, with Peter Bush and Kiri Pritchard-McLean. Age 16+, £16.50 (Storyhouse).
  • Boney M, Friday 23 October, 7pm, Chester Cathedral. A seated concert in the nave (Chester Cathedral).
  • Step Into the Shadows Halloween Trail, Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November, Chester city centre. Free: spot at least 10 candy clues hidden in local businesses and enter for a £50 Chester Gift Card (Chester BID).
  • Horrible Histories: Terrible Tudors, Thursday 22 to Sunday 25 October, Storyhouse Main Theatre: 10.30am on the 22nd, 6.30pm on the 23rd, 2.30pm on the 24th and 3pm on the 25th. £28 adult, £24 child, £96 for a family of four (Storyhouse).
  • Artist talk: Art with ADHD, Tuesday 27 October, 2.30pm to 3.30pm, Grosvenor Museum. Kate McKennan talks about her work. Free and drop-in (West Cheshire Museums).
  • Chester v Marine, Tuesday 27 October, 7.45pm, Deva Community Stadium. National League North (Chester FC).
  • Chester Photo Festival, Friday 16 to Thursday 29 October. The opening is at 2pm on the 16th at Senate House, University of Chester Exton Park Campus, CH1 4BJ, with artist talks there on the 17th and 18th. The exhibition then runs there Tuesday to Sunday, 11am to 4pm, and at Chester Picturehouse, St John’s Church and St Werburgh’s Church (Chester Photo Festival).
  • Half Term Children’s Ghost Walk, Thursday 29 October, 5.30pm to 7pm, from the Grosvenor Museum. Meet at the flagpole in front of the Town Hall on Northgate Street at 5.20pm. £12 an adult with two children free, cash only to the guide on the day; book on 01244 972197. There are steps on the route (West Cheshire Museums).
  • Film night: The Red Shoes, Thursday 29 October, 7pm, Grosvenor Museum. Powell and Pressburger’s 1948 ballet film, 133 minutes, £6, booking required (West Cheshire Museums).
  • Carrie Hope Fletcher: The Ghost Light Tour, Thursday 29 October, 7.30pm, Chester Cathedral. The musical theatre singer tells the ghost stories of famous theatres between songs (Chester Cathedral).
  • The Music of ABBA by Candlelight, Friday 30 October, 7.30pm, Chester Cathedral. Abba Reunion play more than 20 ABBA songs (Chester Cathedral).
  • Moonlight Flicks: Coco (Halloween Special), Friday 30 October, from 4pm, Rooftop Social Club. Storyhouse’s rooftop screening of the Pixar film, £13.50 (Chester BID).
  • Family Friendly Broadway Rave, Saturday 31 October, 1pm to 4pm, Storyhouse Garret Theatre. Advised for 6+, all ages welcome. £16.50 adult, £11.50 under 16 (Storyhouse).
  • Chester v Hednesford Town, Saturday 31 October, 3pm, Deva Community Stadium. National League North (Chester FC).
  • The Lord Mayor’s Spooktacular Fireworks, Saturday 31 October, Chester Racecourse, CH1 2LY. Gates 4.30pm, junior display 6.45pm, main display 7.30pm, fairground closes 9pm. General admission £10 (early bird), under 5s free with a paying adult (Chester Racecourse). The rest is on our fireworks page.
  • A Night to Remember: Motown Show, Saturday 31 October, 7.30pm (doors 7pm), Ellesmere Port Civic Hall. Led by The Voice UK finalist Bizzi Dixon (Brio Entertainment).
  • Little Monsters Breakfast Banquet, Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November, seatings from 11am, The Ivy Chester. Breakfast with a Halloween gift for children, £27.50 children and £32.50 adults, with a £10 non-refundable deposit per person (Chester BID).

November

  • Emilio Santoro as Elvis, Friday 6 November, 7.30pm, Northwich Memorial Court. The 2024 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist world champion, with his band The Creoles (Brio Entertainment).
  • Remembrance Sunday, Sunday 8 November. The council’s 2026 list so far starts with Northwich (parade at Crum Hill 9.30am, St Helen’s Church 10am, cenotaph 10.45am) and Upton-by-Chester (9.30am from Holy Ascension Church); Chester’s cathedral parade had not been added on 3 October (Cheshire West and Chester Council). Our Remembrance page has the rest.
  • Lanterns and Light, from Friday 13 November to Sunday 3 January, 4.30pm to 8pm, Chester Zoo. The evening lantern trail, from £12 (Chester Zoo). Our Lanterns and Light page covers the rules the zoo buries.
  • Jane Eyre, Tuesday 10 to Saturday 21 November, Storyhouse Main Theatre. A Storyhouse co-production of the Sally Cookson adaptation, 2 hours 30 minutes. £21.50 to £35.50, members from £19.50; captioned on 11 November at 7pm, audio described on 18 November at 2pm, BSL on 19 November at 7pm (Storyhouse).

After that the season turns to Christmas, and each of the big dates has its own page: Remembrance Sunday, Lanterns and Light at Chester Zoo, the Christmas market, the 12 Days of Christmas Parade, the Santa grotto and the pantomimes.

Regular events

  • Chester parkrun, every Saturday at 9am, Countess of Chester Country Park, Valley Drive, CH2 1UL. A free timed 5k; register once before your first run (parkrun). The nearest station is Bache.
  • Chester Market, Exchange Square, CH1 2AR: Tuesday to Saturday 8am to 10pm, Sunday 10am to 9pm, closed on Mondays. Live music on the market stage at 7.30pm every Friday in October and on some Saturdays (Chester Market).
  • Chester Makers Market, the first Saturday of every month, from 10am, Exchange Square. Next: 3 October, then 7 November (Chester Northgate).
  • Chester Gather and Graze, the second Saturday of every month, 10am to 4pm, Exchange Square. Next: 10 October (Chester Northgate).
  • Café Crafts, every Thursday, 2.30pm to 4.30pm, the history hub at the Grosvenor Museum. Bring your own project or join one of theirs, £3 (West Cheshire Museums).

Send us your event

Running something in Chester, Ellesmere Port, Northwich or the villages? Email hello@chesteronline.co.uk with the date, time, venue, price and a photo. Listings are free, always. We add it to this page and to the diary on our What’s On hub.

Sources