Chichester's Sloe Fair fills Northgate car park on 20 October and the Cathedral's Light Experience runs 23 to 31 October. 40 listings, each linked.

The six weeks from now to mid November have four fixed points. Chichester Restaurant Week runs from Monday 12 to Friday 16 October, the Sloe Fair takes over Northgate car park on Tuesday 20 October, the Cathedral’s Light Experience fills the building with projections from Friday 23 to Saturday 31 October, and the fireworks run from Fontwell on 31 October to West Dean on 6 November and Petworth on 7 November. Around them sit the last fortnight of the Festival Theatre’s summer season, Heathers in November, and three Chichester City home games.

Updated 3 October: past listings removed, every remaining entry re-checked against its organiser, and ten added, including the Sloe Fair, the city council’s lantern parade, West Dean’s bonfire and Fontwell’s fireworks. Chichester City’s home game against Gloucester City, listed for today, is no longer on the club’s fixture list, so it has been taken off. The Cathedral’s postcode is corrected to PO19 1RP, the one the Cathedral itself publishes.

Everything below was read from the organisers’ own listings on 3 October 2026, and every entry links to the page it came from. Prices are shown only where the organiser publishes them. For places that are open whatever the month, see our guide to things to do in Chichester.

This week

Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October.

  • Chichester parkrun, Saturday 3 October, 9am, Oaklands Park, PO19 6AP. Free. The weekly free 5k in Oaklands Park. Register once with parkrun before your first run and bring your barcode. (parkrun)
  • Chichester in Action: One City, Greener Choices, Saturday 3 October, 10am to 3pm, The Council House, PO19 1LQ. Talks on sustainable eating, biodiversity and home retrofit, two screenings of the National Emergency Briefing, and a marketplace in the Assembly Room where Southern Water will set out its plans for the Lavant treatment works. The marketplace is open to everyone; the talks and screenings are booked through Eventbrite. (Chichester City Council)
  • Clothing Swap Shop, Saturday 3 October, 10am to 11.30am, Vicars’ Hall, Chichester Cathedral, PO19 1RP. Free. Bring about three clean items in good condition and swap them item for item. No money changes hands, and a Fairtrade café serves tea, coffee and cake. (Chichester Cathedral)
  • Living History: Michaelmas, Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October, 10am to 5pm, Weald and Downland Living Museum, PO18 0EU. The Tudor Group sets up a 16th century market around the museum’s market square for the feast of St Michael. (Weald and Downland Living Museum)
  • Cross Market & More, Sunday 4 October, 10am to 4pm, Chichester city centre. The district council’s artisan street market returns, with textiles, jewellery, prints and crafts from independent makers, and for the first time artists from the Chichester Creative Art Network selling their work. (Chichester District Council)
  • A Midsummer Night’s Dream, to Saturday 17 October, Chichester Festival Theatre, PO19 6AP. From £15. Shakespeare moved to a 1994 South Downs rave, in the Festival Theatre. Two hours 20 minutes with an interval. Evening and matinee prices start at £15. Our piece on the production. (Chichester Festival Theatre)
  • Antigone Exits, to Saturday 17 October, Minerva Theatre, Chichester Festival Theatre, PO19 6AP. From £15. Nina Segal’s modern version of Sophocles in the Minerva Theatre, one hour ten minutes with no interval. Evening and matinee prices start at £15. (Chichester Festival Theatre)

Next week

Monday 5 to Sunday 11 October.

  • Chichester City v Peacehaven & Telscombe, Tuesday 6 October, 7.45pm, Oaklands Park, Chichester City FC, PO19 6AR. Sussex Senior Cup, at home. (Chichester City FC)
  • The Repair Shop: Sneak Peek Days, selected days from Wednesday 7 October to Sunday 1 November, 10am to 4pm, Court Barn, Weald and Downland Living Museum, PO18 0EU. A look inside the barn where the BBC’s The Repair Shop is filmed. The October dates are the 7th, 8th, 10th, 14th, 15th, 17th, 18th, 21st, 22nd, 24th, 25th, 28th, 29th and 31st, then Sunday 1 November. It is included with museum admission. (Weald and Downland Living Museum)
  • The Music of Phil Collins and Genesis: The Candlelight Concert, Thursday 8 October, 7.30pm, Chichester Cathedral, PO19 1RP. £25 to £55. The second of the autumn’s candlelit tribute concerts in the Cathedral. (Chichester Cathedral)
  • Musa Mboob and Xam Xam, Friday 9 October, 8pm, The Nest, Chichester Festival Theatre. £18. The Gambian percussionist and singer with his band. One hour 50 minutes with an interval, ages 8 and over. (Chichester Festival Theatre)
  • Bell Tower Open Day, Saturday 10 October, 2pm, Bell Tower, Chichester Cathedral, PO19 1RP. Adult £15, child £10. A look inside what the Cathedral describes as the only surviving medieval detached bell tower of any English cathedral. (Chichester Cathedral)
  • Chichester City v Plymouth Parkway, Saturday 10 October, 3pm, Oaklands Park, Chichester City FC, PO19 6AR. Southern League Premier South, at home. (Chichester City FC)
  • London Concertante: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and The Lark Ascending by candlelight, Saturday 10 October, 7.30pm, Chichester Cathedral Nave, PO19 1RP. £25 to £60 plus booking fees. Tickets run from £25 for a very restricted view to £60, all plus booking fees. (Chichester Cathedral)
  • Monstering the Rocketman, Saturday 10 October, 8pm, The Nest, Chichester Festival Theatre. £15. A play about Elton John’s libel fight with The Sun in the 1980s. One hour 15 minutes, ages 14 and over, with strong language and sexual themes. (Chichester Festival Theatre)

Later in October

  • Chichester Restaurant Week, Monday 12 to Friday 16 October, Chichester city centre. Restaurants, cafés and pubs in the city centre put on offers at £10, £20 and £30. It is the third year, and the BID had still not published the list of venues when we read its announcement again on 3 October. (Chichester BID)
  • Selsey Coastal Scheme public exhibition, Thursday 15 October 3pm to 7.30pm, Friday 16 October 1pm to 7.30pm, Saturday 17 October 10am to 3.30pm, Selsey Town Hall. The leading options for the sea defence scheme go on show, with the project team there to answer questions. Our guide to the exhibition. (Chichester District Council)
  • Thursday Late at Pallant House Gallery, Thursday 15 October, 5pm to 8.30pm, Pallant House Gallery, PO19 1TJ. The gallery stays open late at half price admission, with drop-in life drawing from 6pm and a curator’s tour at 7.30pm. The concert with the South Downs Poetry Festival and the drink and draw workshop are ticketed separately. (Pallant House Gallery)
  • Chichester Farmers’ Market, Friday 16 October, 9am to 2pm, Chichester city centre. Producers from within 50 miles of the city, selling what they grow, rear, bake or preserve themselves. (Chichester District Council)
  • Tim Burton’s Universe by Mystery Ensemble, Friday 16 October, 7.30pm, Chichester Cathedral Nave, PO19 1RP. £25, £30 or £35. Music from Tim Burton’s films, played in the Nave. (Chichester Cathedral)
  • ChichestHER Family Day: Women and Protest, Saturday 17 October, 10.30am to 12.30pm, The Novium Museum. Free. Objects to handle and a protest badge to make, with no need to book. It is also the opening day of ChichestHER, the museum’s free exhibition on 19 local women, which runs to 17 April 2027. (The Novium Museum)
  • Sloe Fair, Tuesday 20 October, Northgate car park, Chichester. The city’s charter fair, which the district council traces to King Henry I, run by the Showmen’s Guild. Northgate car park closes at 6am on Monday 19 October and reopens at noon on Wednesday 21 October; X roving season ticket holders can use Basin Road and the Cattle Market car park instead. The council has not published fair times. (Chichester District Council)
  • The Life and Afterlife of Fanny Cornforth, Thursday 22 October, 6.30pm, The Novium Museum. Free. A talk by Kirsty Stonell Walker, biographer of Rossetti’s model, who spent her last years as a patient at Graylingwell. The museum opens at 6pm. Free, but booking is essential. (The Novium Museum)
  • Chichester Light Experience: Illuminating Art, Friday 23 to Saturday 31 October, timed evening entry, Chichester Cathedral, PO19 1RP. Adult £13, child £8, students £11, family of four £36. Projections and sound by Luxmuralis through the whole building, back after more than 14,500 people came to the first one. Book ahead online for a timed slot and expect to queue outdoors. (Chichester Cathedral)
  • October Half Term: Plagues and Potions, Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November, 10am to 4pm, Weald and Downland Living Museum, PO18 0EU. A trail round the historic buildings every day, with crafts and potion making on 27 to 29 October, ghost stories on the 27th and 29th and a Victorian school on the 28th. Saturday 31 October is the museum’s Halloween day. (Weald and Downland Living Museum)
  • Roman Army Week, Monday 26 to Friday 30 October, 10am to 4pm, Fishbourne Roman Palace, PO19 3QR. Sword and shield drill, spear throwing and a pumpkin trail in the palace gardens. It is included with general admission, and activities cost an extra £1 for each child taking part, paid on arrival. (Sussex Past)
  • The Tale of the Nightingale with Red Sauce Theatre, Wednesday 28 October, 10.15am and 11.30am, The Novium Museum. £6 a child, £2 an adult. A 45 minute puppet show about Florence Nightingale for children aged 5 to 9, who must come with an adult. (The Novium Museum)
  • Liza Pulman and Joe Stilgoe: Hooray for Hollywood, Thursday 29 October, 2.30pm, Chichester Festival Theatre, PO19 6AP. From £10. A century of film musicals in one show, in the Festival Theatre. (Chichester Festival Theatre)
  • Stitches Comedy Club: Sara Pascoe, Zoe Lyons and Stephen K Amos, Friday 30 October, 8pm, Chichester Festival Theatre, PO19 6AP. From £10. Three headline comedians in the Festival Theatre, introduced by James Alderson. (Chichester Festival Theatre)
  • Children’s Halloween Party, Saturday 31 October, 3.30pm to 5.30pm, The Fishbourne Centre, PO18 8BE. £7.50 for ages 2 to 11, £2.50 for under twos. A disco with party games and a prize for the best costume. Entry is by ticket only. (The Fishbourne Centre)
  • Lantern Parade and Spooky Disco, Saturday 31 October, 4pm, from the Council House, North Street, PO19 1LQ. Free. Chichester City Council’s 800th anniversary parade leaves the Council House at 4pm for the Market Cross, where the Mayor reads a proclamation, and ends at the Guildhall in Priory Park at about 4.30pm. Gather from 3.50pm; lanterns are provided on the day. The Spooky Disco in the Guildhall, 4.30pm to 6.30pm, is free but must be booked. (Chichester City Council)
  • Fontwell Park Fireworks Night, Saturday 31 October, gates 4.15pm, display 7.30pm, ends 8.15pm, Fontwell Park Racecourse, BN18 0SY. Adult £12, child (4 to 12) £10, family of four £38, all second release. A fire display artist before the fireworks; the funfair is charged separately. Just over the border in Arun district. Our fireworks page has every display. (Fontwell Park)
  • The Archers: Live at 75, Saturday 31 October, 7.30pm, Chichester Festival Theatre, PO19 6AP. From £15. The Radio 4 serial’s anniversary tour reaches the Festival Theatre. (Chichester Festival Theatre)

West Sussex schools break up for the week of 26 to 30 October. Our October half term page has the full list of what is booked for that week.

November

  • The Last Laugh, Tuesday 3 to Saturday 7 November, Chichester Festival Theatre, PO19 6AP. From £10. Tommy Cooper, Eric Morecambe and Bob Monkhouse share a dressing room, in a play that comes from the Noël Coward Theatre. (Chichester Festival Theatre)
  • Juliet & Romeo, Thursday 5 to Saturday 7 November, Minerva Theatre, Chichester Festival Theatre, PO19 6AP. From £10. Lost Dog’s dance theatre piece in which the couple survived, reached 40 or so and decided to stage a show about themselves. One hour 20 minutes with no interval, ages 13 and over. (Chichester Festival Theatre)
  • West Dean Bonfire Night, Friday 6 November, gates 6pm, fireworks 7.15pm, ends 9pm, West Dean Gardens, PO18 0RX. £6 an adult, under-16s free. Hot food and drink on sale; enter by the Gardens Gatehouse and bring a torch. Tickets are non-refundable. (West Dean)
  • The Music of Bruce Springsteen: The Candlelight Concert, Friday 6 November, 7.45pm, Chichester Cathedral, PO19 1RP. £25 to £55. The Cathedral lists a second night on Saturday 7 November on its own page. (Chichester Cathedral)
  • Chichester City v Bath City, Saturday 7 November, 3pm, Oaklands Park, Chichester City FC, PO19 6AR. Southern League Premier South, at home. (Chichester City FC)
  • Hampers Green Bonfire and Fireworks, Saturday 7 November, 5pm to 8pm, Hampers Green. Free. The torchlight procession leaves at 6pm, the bonfire is lit at 6.15pm and the fireworks are at 7pm, all weather permitting. It is free to attend. Park at the Petworth House car park only. Our fireworks page has the rest of the district. (Petworth Community Association)
  • Heathers The Musical, Tuesday 10 to Saturday 14 November, Chichester Festival Theatre, PO19 6AP. From £10. The touring high school musical, set at Westerberg High, comes to the Festival Theatre for a week. Two hours 30 minutes with an interval, ages 14 and over. (Chichester Festival Theatre)

Remembrance Sunday is 8 November. Chichester City Council had not published this year’s arrangements when we checked its Remembrance page on 3 October, so it is not listed here; our Remembrance Sunday page will carry them. The Christmas lights go on at 5pm on Saturday 21 November, just beyond this page’s window; our switch-on page has the details, and the Christmas markets page has the four markets with dates.

Regular events

  • Chichester Farmers’ Market: the first and third Friday of each month, 9am to 2pm, in the city centre. The remaining 2026 dates are 16 October, 6 and 20 November, and 4 and 18 December (Chichester District Council).
  • Cathedral lunchtime concerts: Tuesdays at 1.10pm in the Nave, free with a retiring collection and a suggested £7 donation. John Peskett (horn) and Tony Halstead (piano) on 6 October, Piano à Deux on 13 October, the Halcyon Quartet on 20 October, Chichester Symphony Orchestra with Tim Rumsey on 27 October, Connor Heraghty (piano) on 3 November and Timothy Stewart (organ) on 10 November (Chichester Cathedral).
  • Chichester parkrun: every Saturday at 9am in Oaklands Park, PO19 6AP, free (parkrun).

Getting there

The Cathedral, the Council House, Pallant House Gallery and the farmers’ market are all inside the city walls and a few minutes’ walk from each other. The Festival Theatre, The Nest, the parkrun and Chichester City’s ground are all at Oaklands Park, just north of the walls, and the theatre puts the railway station a 20 minute walk away. If you are driving, our page on parking in Chichester has the car parks and tariffs. For rail, see train times to London, and check the roadworks and travel page before a weekend trip.

This page is rewritten as organisers confirm new dates. Dates and times can still change, so use the links before you travel. More in our What’s On section.

Send us your event

Running something in Chichester or the district? Email hello@chichesterlive.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 front page.

Sources