Cambridge Film Festival opens 22 October, fireworks are free on Midsummer Common on 5 November and the lights go on 15 November. 39 listings, all linked.

Cambridge has a full six weeks ahead. Cambridge United are at home four times in October, Alice Cooper is at the Corn Exchange on Monday 12 October, and the Botanic Garden’s Apple Day is on Sunday 18 October. The Cambridge Film Festival runs from Thursday 22 October to Sunday 1 November and booking is now open, the city council’s free Fireworks Night is on Midsummer Common on Thursday 5 November, and the Christmas lights go on in Market Square on Sunday 15 November.

Every listing below was read on the organiser’s own page on 5 October 2026, and each one links back to it. Prices are the organisers’ published prices; where a venue quotes a range we give the range. Tickets sell out and dates can change, so use the link before you set off.

This week

Monday 5 to Sunday 11 October.

  • Cambridge United v Northampton Town, Tuesday 6 October, kick-off 7pm, Cledara Abbey Stadium, Newmarket Road. EFL Trophy (Cambridge United).
  • Don Broco, Tuesday 6 October, 8pm, Cambridge Corn Exchange, Wheeler Street. £42.50 to £48 including booking fee. Under 14s must be with an adult (Corn Exchange).
  • Simon Amstell: I Love It Here, Thursday 8 October, 7.30pm, Cambridge Corn Exchange. £23 to £30 including booking fee. Ages 16 and over (Corn Exchange).
  • Fungi Field Day, Saturday 10 October, 10am to 4pm, Cambridge University Botanic Garden. Free with normal Garden admission. Fungi crafts and games, and the Wildlife Trust for Beds, Cambs and Northants on local conservation work (Botanic Garden).
  • Shiny New Model Festival 2026, Saturday 10 October, from 1pm, Cambridge Junction (J1 and J2), Clifton Way. Second release £38.50, under 25s £27.50. Squid, Art School Girlfriend, Disgusting Sisters and more (Cambridge Junction).
  • Cambridge United v Blackpool, Saturday 10 October, kick-off 3pm, Cledara Abbey Stadium. League One (Cambridge United).
  • Dance In The Dark, Sunday 11 October, 11.30am and 2pm, Cambridge Junction (J2). £15.50 adult, £11 child. Dance and music for ages 3 and over. The 2pm show is a relaxed performance, with a touch tour at 1.45pm (Cambridge Junction).
  • Studio Sunday, Sunday 11 October, 1pm to 4pm, Kettle’s Yard, Castle Street. Free, drop in. An artist-led family workshop, best suited to ages 3 to 11 (Kettle’s Yard).
  • Cambridge Rock ‘n’ Roll Club: Johnny Red, Sunday 11 October, 2.30pm, Abbey Lounge, Newmarket Road. £7 including booking fee. Live rock and roll and dancing. The listing describes the club as meeting on the third Sunday of each month, but the date on sale is 11 October, the second Sunday (Cambridge Live Tickets).

Next week

Monday 12 to Sunday 18 October.

  • Alice Cooper: Devil on My Shoulder Book Tour, Monday 12 October, 7.30pm, Cambridge Corn Exchange. £56.09 to £89.10 including booking fee. Ages 14 and over. In conversation with Claire Sturgess, then an audience Q&A (Corn Exchange).
  • Folklore, opens Friday 16 October and runs to 3 May 2027, Museum of Cambridge, 2-3 Castle Street. Adults £7.70, children 16 and under free. Tales of people, magic and medicine from Cambridge and Cambridgeshire, with community contributions of modern folklore (Museum of Cambridge).
  • Nish Kumar: Angry Humour From a Really Nice Guy, Saturday 17 October, 7.30pm, Cambridge Corn Exchange. £28 including booking fee. Ages 14 and over (Corn Exchange).
  • Apple Day 2026, Sunday 18 October, 10am to 4pm, Cambridge University Botanic Garden. More than 25 heritage varieties to taste and buy, and free Garden highlight tours. Tickets are booked through the Garden (Botanic Garden).

Later in October

  • Cambridge United v Wycombe Wanderers, Tuesday 20 October, kick-off 7.45pm, Cledara Abbey Stadium. League One (Cambridge United).
  • Michael Palin: In the Philippines, Wednesday 21 October, 7.30pm, Cambridge Corn Exchange. £48 including booking fee (Corn Exchange).
  • Cambridge Film Festival 2026, Thursday 22 October to Sunday 1 November, Arts Picturehouse. Booking is open through the festival’s film pages. Clio Barnard’s I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning opens it at 8.20pm on the first night and Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine closes it at 8.45pm on 1 November. Seven family screenings at 11am are free (Cambridge Film Festival). More on our Cambridge Film Festival page.
  • A Call to Art: William Morris and the Pre-Raphaelites, opens Friday 23 October and runs to 3 May 2027, 10am to 5pm, Fitzwilliam Museum, Trumpington Street. Tickets from £16, free for members (Fitzwilliam Museum).
  • The Magpies’ Magic Forest trail, Friday 23 October to Monday 2 November, 10am to 5pm, Cambridge University Botanic Garden. A free trail sheet from the ticket offices, for ages 8 and over; Garden admission applies (Botanic Garden).
  • The Bluetones, Friday 23 October, doors 7pm, Cambridge Junction (J1). £32 in advance. Standing; the band play Expecting To Fly in full for its 30th anniversary. Last entry 9.30pm (Cambridge Junction).
  • Cambridge United v Plymouth Argyle, Saturday 24 October, kick-off 3pm, Cledara Abbey Stadium. League One (Cambridge United).
  • Ministry of Science, Tuesday 27 October, 2pm, Cambridge Corn Exchange. £20.50 including booking fee. A half term family science show (Corn Exchange).
  • The Enormous Turnip, Tuesday 27 October at 2.30pm and Wednesday 28 October at 10am and 2.30pm, Cambridge Junction (J2). £20.50, £14 child. For ages 3 to 10 and their families (Cambridge Junction).
  • October Half Term Family Day, Wednesday 28 October, 10.30am to 3.30pm, Fitzwilliam Museum. Free. Artist-led activities through the galleries; the museum still lists the exact programme as to be confirmed (Fitzwilliam Museum).
  • Dexys Midnight Runners, Friday 30 October, 8pm, Cambridge Corn Exchange. £44 to £71.50 including booking fee. Ages 14 and over; under 16s must be with an adult (Corn Exchange).
  • Zombie Fest 9, Saturday 31 October, 3pm to 11pm, Cambridge Junction (J1, J2 and J3). Strictly 18 and over, with photo ID. The organiser’s site prices General Admission from £40 plus booking fee and says Phase 3 and the R.I.P early bird have sold out; last entry is 9pm (Zombie Fest).

County schools break up for the week of 26 to 30 October. The free museum days and festival films are on our October half term page, and the pumpkin patch and the rest of the 31st are on our Cambridge Halloween page.

November

  • Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, Sunday 1 November, 7.30pm, Cambridge Corn Exchange. £40.50 to £58 including booking fee. Marked limited availability (Corn Exchange).
  • Big Fish Little Fish Halloween Special, Sunday 1 November, 2pm to 4pm, Cambridge Junction (J1). £13 adult, £10.50 child. The family rave, space-themed, fancy dress optional; last entry 3pm (Cambridge Junction).
  • Uncovering Ancient Egypt with Bettany Hughes, Monday 2 November, 7.30pm, Cambridge Corn Exchange. £30 to £43 including booking fee (Corn Exchange).
  • The Proclaimers, Tuesday 3 November, 7.30pm, Cambridge Corn Exchange. £40.50 to £50.50 including booking fee. Marked limited availability (Corn Exchange).
  • Cambridge United v Brighton and Hove Albion Under 21, Tuesday 3 November, kick-off 7pm, Cledara Abbey Stadium. EFL Trophy (Cambridge United).
  • Mary Beard: The Secret Histories of Ancient Rome, Wednesday 4 November, 7.30pm, Cambridge Corn Exchange. £38 to £53 including booking fee (Corn Exchange).
  • Cambridge Fireworks Night, Thursday 5 November, from 6pm, Midsummer Common. Free and un-ticketed. Food, a DJ and walkabout acts from 6pm, and the Pains Fireworks display at 7pm. There is no bonfire (Cambridge City Council City Events). Travel and the full programme are on our Fireworks Night page.
  • Cambridge station Christmas lights switch-on, Thursday 12 November, from about 4.30pm, Cambridge station. Presenter Josh Lovatt brings his decks to switch on the CB1 lights (Cambridge BID).
  • Christmas in Cambridge, Friday 13 November to Sunday 3 January, Parker’s Piece. Free to enter; skating on the open-air ice rink is booked separately (Christmas in Cambridge). Hours and prices are on our Christmas market and ice rink page.
  • Tony Hadley: The Christmas Big Band Tour 2026, Friday 13 November, 7.45pm, Cambridge Corn Exchange. £44 to £170.50 including booking fee, the top prices being VIP packages. Ages 14 and over; under 18s must be with an adult (Corn Exchange).
  • The Big Switch On, Sunday 15 November, from midday, Market Square. Josh Lovatt presents, with local musicians, dance groups and choirs before the city centre lights go on. Cambridge BID says the performer schedule will be posted on Love Cambridge’s Facebook and Instagram (Cambridge BID). More on our Christmas lights switch-on page.

Further ahead, Cambridge Botanic Lights opens on 27 November, the Footlights panto runs at the ADC from 25 November, and the Mill Road Winter Fair is on 5 December.

Regular events

  • Cambridge Market, every day except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, 10am to 4pm, Market Square, Market Hill (Cambridge City Council).
  • All Saints Garden Art and Craft Market, every Saturday, 10am to 4pm, All Saints Garden, Trinity Street (Cambridge City Council).
  • Coldham’s Common parkrun, every Saturday, 9am, Coldham’s Common, Whitehill Road. Free. A 5k to walk, jog or run (parkrun).

What we left out

Cambridge Arts Theatre’s website still blocks our reader, so nothing from its programme is listed here; check artstheatre.co.uk directly. Tonight’s Corn Exchange Tour and AR Experience is now sold out, as are Alison Moyet (9 October), Fin Taylor (15 October), Sam Campbell (29 October), Romesh Ranganathan (7 November) and Jack Savoretti (8 November). The Corn Exchange lists Mike Bubbins (24 October), The Forbidden Realm of Conspiracies (26 October) and Chris Hadfield (14 November) as cancelled. The council has not yet published its Remembrance Sunday arrangements for 8 November; our Remembrance Sunday page will carry them.

Getting there

The Corn Exchange, Market Square and the Fitzwilliam are all in the city centre, and the Junction is under ten minutes’ walk from the station. Our parking in Cambridge page has the car parks and Park and Ride, and roadworks and travel lists closures. For places that are open whatever the month, see things to do in Cambridge.

Send us your event

Running an event in Cambridge? Email hello@camnews.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 section.

Sources

All read on 5 October 2026.