Henley Literary Festival runs 2 to 11 October, the Half Marathon shuts the town on the 18th, then Kenton shows, markets and Wallingford fireworks on 7 November.

The Henley Literary Festival opens on Friday 2 October and runs for ten days, with its marquee at Phyllis Court and a second stage in the Town Hall. A week after it closes the Henley Half Marathon takes over the town on Sunday 18 October, shutting the bridge and the town centre to traffic for about forty minutes. Between and around them, the Kenton has a show most nights, the farmers’ market is in the Market Place twice, and the six weeks close with Wallingford’s bonfire on 7 November and Remembrance Sunday on the 8th.

Every listing below comes from the organiser’s own page, read on 29 September 2026, and links back to it. Prices are only given where the organiser publishes one; the Kenton’s include its booking fee and levies. For places that are open whatever the month, see things to do in Henley.

This week

  • Live Next To The Apollo presents Stephen Baily and Friends, Wednesday 30 September, 7.30pm, the Kenton Theatre, New Street. £22.75. A stand-up comedy club night, age guidance 16+ (Kenton Theatre).
  • Anyone for Tennis, Thursday 1 October, 7.30pm, the Kenton Theatre. £18.75. A comedy show of tennis stories and anecdotes, 1 hour 40 minutes (Kenton Theatre).
  • The Wonder of Stevie, Friday 2 October, 7.30pm, the Kenton Theatre. £27.75. Noel McCalla and saxophonist Derek Nash lead a band through Stevie Wonder’s catalogue (Kenton Theatre).
  • Henley Literary Festival, Friday 2 to Sunday 11 October, at the Fane Stage in the marquee at Phyllis Court, RG9 2HT, and the Town Hall, RG9 2AQ. Nigella Lawson on the opening Friday and Sebastian Faulks on Saturday 3 October are already sold out; Michael and Clare Morpurgo are on the 3rd, and Mary Berry, Prue Leith and Matt Haig on Saturday 10 October. Tickets are priced event by event. The box office is on 01491 575 948 and moves to the Town Hall from 3 to 11 October, open 9am to 7pm (Henley Literary Festival).
  • Wallingford Literary Festival, Saturday 3 October, 10am to 4pm, St Mary’s Church and the Methodist Church, Wallingford. Stalls from independent authors, children’s workshops at St Mary’s and talks for adults at the Methodist Church (Wallingford Town Council).
  • Wallingford Back to the Forties, Saturday 3 October, 10am to 5pm, and Sunday 4 October, 10am to 4pm, Wallingford Station, Hithercroft Road, OX10 9GQ. Adults £15, children aged 5 to 15 £10, families £45, over-65s £12, under-5s free. Re-enactors, Home Front displays, 1940s singers and vintage vehicles on the Cholsey and Wallingford Railway. There is no parking at Wallingford station that weekend, so board at Cholsey (Cholsey and Wallingford Railway; prices and times from Wallingford Town Council).

Next week

  • The Americana Revue, Thursday 8 October, 7.30pm, the Kenton Theatre. £31.25. Two hours of country rock, from the Eagles and Tom Petty to Johnny Cash and Creedence Clearwater Revival (Kenton Theatre).
  • Henley Hawks sporting supper, Friday 9 October, Henley Rugby Club, Dry Leas, Marlow Road, RG9 2JA. £45, including a two-course supper. An evening with former Wales and Lions forward Andy Powell and World Cup winner Andy Gomarsall, booked by email to marketing@henleyhawks.co.uk (Henley Rugby Football Club).
  • Thame Charter Fair, Friday 9 and Saturday 10 October, Upper High Street car park, Thame. The funfair sets up on the Wednesday evening, and cars must be out of that car park from 5pm on Wednesday 7 October until Sunday 11 October (Thame Town Council).
  • Henley Farmers’ Market, Saturday 10 October, 8am to 2.30pm, Market Place. The second-Saturday market; its second date this month is Thursday 22 October (Henley Town Council).
  • Thame Art Crawl, Saturday 10 to Saturday 17 October, Thame town centre. In its tenth year, a pop-up exhibition that turns High Street shops into galleries for local artists’ work (Thame Town Council).
  • One Night in Dublin, Sunday 11 October, 7.30pm, the Kenton Theatre. £32. A new Irish music and comedy show set around Murphy’s Tavern (Kenton Theatre).

Later in October

  • Simon Yates: My Mountain Life, Thursday 15 October, 7.30pm, the Kenton Theatre. Adults £25, under-16s £23.75. The mountaineer from Touching the Void on his climbing life (Kenton Theatre).
  • The Noise Next Door, Friday 16 October, 7.30pm, the Kenton Theatre. £20.75. Improvised comedy (Kenton Theatre).
  • The Counterfeit Seventies Show, Saturday 17 October, 7.30pm, the Kenton Theatre. £27.75. Slade, Sweet, T.Rex and the Bay City Rollers, with period costume and a light show (Kenton Theatre).
  • The Wallingford Fryer, Saturday 17 October, Wallingford Station, OX10 9GQ. A fish and chips train: arrive by 6.30pm for a 7pm departure, back at 9pm, booked in advance (Cholsey and Wallingford Railway).
  • Henley Half Marathon, Sunday 18 October, 9.30am, from Henley Rugby Club, Dry Leas, RG9 2JA. Entry £40 for the half, £30 for the 10K, £20 for the 5K and £10 for the fun run. The town centre and the bridge close to traffic from about 9.20am to 10am; our Henley Half Marathon page has the roads (Henley Half Marathon).
  • Gaslight, Wednesday 21 to Saturday 24 October, the Kenton Theatre. The Henley Players stage Patrick Hamilton’s thriller at 7.30pm each night, with a 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Wednesday and Thursday £20 (£19 seniors and under-18s), Friday and Saturday evening £22, and the matinee is pay what you want from £7.50 (Kenton Theatre).
  • Henley Farmers’ Market, Thursday 22 October, 8am to 2.30pm, Market Place (Henley Town Council).
  • Home Energy and Renewables Show, Saturday 24 October, 10am to 4pm, Henley Town Hall, RG9 2AQ. Free. Practical advice on making a home warmer and cheaper to run (Henley Town Council).
  • Henley Craft Market, Sunday 25 October, 9am to 3pm, Market Place. The fourth-Sunday craft market (Henley Town Council).
  • The Snow Queen, Sunday 25 October, 5.30pm, the Kenton Theatre. Adults £28.75, under-18s £25.75. Ballet Theatre UK’s version of the Hans Christian Andersen story (Kenton Theatre).
  • The Spooktastic Halloween Show, Wednesday 28 October, the Kenton Theatre, with a 2pm performance listed. £12 to £14. An hour of songs, dance and panto-style silliness for children, in half term (Kenton Theatre).
  • Red Robin’s Winter Song, Thursday 29 October, 1.30pm, the Kenton Theatre. £12.75, or £41 for two adults and two children. A 50-minute play for young children by Manjeet Mann (Kenton Theatre).
  • The Carpenters Experience, Friday 30 October, 7.30pm, the Kenton Theatre. £27.75 (Kenton Theatre).
  • Terror on the Thames, Saturday 31 October, 11am to 3pm, Henley town centre. Free. Experience Henley’s daytime Halloween trail around the shops (Experience Henley).

Half term runs from 26 to 30 October; our October half term page has the family days out.

November

  • StageWorks: Sp00ky Season, Sunday 1 November, 5pm, the Kenton Theatre. Adults £25.75, under-16s £20.75. The Henley performing arts school’s Halloween show (Kenton Theatre).
  • Psychic Sally, Monday 2 November, 7.30pm, the Kenton Theatre. £31 (Kenton Theatre).
  • Rare Productions: Addams Family, Thursday 5 to Saturday 7 November, the Kenton Theatre, at 7.30pm on Thursday and Friday and 2pm and 6.30pm on Saturday. From £17.75 at the back to £26.75 in the front two rows (Kenton Theatre).
  • Wallingford Bonfire and Fireworks, Saturday 7 November, from 6pm, the Kinecroft, Wallingford. Henley has no display of its own this year. The Cholsey and Wallingford Railway runs a £3 return Fireworks Flyer from 2.20pm (Wallingford Town Council; the Fireworks Flyer). More on our fireworks page.
  • Remembrance Sunday, Henley, Sunday 8 November, from 10.45am, the Town Hall steps, Market Place. The Mayor, councillors and Town Clerk are led out by the Town Sergeant shortly before 11am (Henley Town Council). Our Remembrance Sunday page has Wallingford and Thame too.
  • Remembrance Sunday, Wallingford, Sunday 8 November, from 10.30am, Market Place, Wallingford (Wallingford Town Council).
  • Rainer Hersch: All Classical Music Explained, Live!, Sunday 8 November, 7pm, the Kenton Theatre. £25 (Kenton Theatre).

The Christmas diary is already filling up: the Christmas Festival and lights switch-on is on Friday 27 November, and the Kenton’s pantomime opens on 5 December.

Regular events

  • Henley-on-Thames parkrun, every Saturday at 9am, 40 Acre Path, Tilebarn Close, RG9 1US. Free, 5k, walk, jog or run (parkrun).
  • Henley Charter Market, every Thursday, Market Place (Henley Town Council).
  • Henley Farmers’ Market, the second Saturday and fourth Thursday of the month, 8am to 2.30pm, Market Place.
  • Henley Craft Market, the fourth Sunday of the month, 9am to 3pm, Market Place, moving to the third Sunday when the month ends in a bank holiday Monday.
  • Thame Charter Market, every Tuesday, 8am to 3.30pm, Upper High Street car park (Thame Town Council).

Send us your event

Running something in Henley, Wallingford or Thame? Email hello@henleypost.co.uk with the date, time, venue, price and a photo. Listings are free, and every one goes on this page and into the diary on our What’s On section.

Sources

Checked against every organiser’s own page on 29 September 2026. Dates can change, so use the links before you travel.