Thatcham Festival runs 9 to 18 October: a free street party on a traffic-free High Street, a blue plaque for the town's Mesolithic past, and nothing over £7.
Thatcham Festival returns on Friday 9 October for ten days of music, talks, walks, workshops and exhibitions. It ends on Sunday 18 October with a brass concert at St Mary’s Church.
Thatcham Town Council, which runs the festival, says many events are free and none costs more than £7. Its programme lists more than 30 events across the town. (Thatcham Town Council, Thatcham Festival)
Two dates stand out. On Saturday 10 October the High Street closes to traffic for a free street party. And on the final Sunday, a new blue plaque goes up at the Nature Discovery Centre, marking the site’s prehistoric past.
The Big Thatcham Fest-Off, Saturday 10 October
The opening night runs from 4.30pm to 9pm on a traffic-free Thatcham High Street. It is free. The town council says there will be:
- a main stage with live music all evening, with tables and chairs
- an acoustic stage at the bottom of the High Street, with local acts
- street food, and gift and craft stalls
- beer and cider
- a silent disco
(Thatcham Town Council, The Big Thatcham Fest-Off)
The council’s event page does not give the times the road closes and reopens. If you drive through the town centre that evening, expect the High Street to be shut.
A blue plaque for the Mesolithic
The plaque is unveiled at 11am on Sunday 18 October at the Nature Discovery Centre. Anyone can drop in.
The programme says it marks “this site’s remarkable prehistoric heritage”. In its words, “Mesolithic people moved through this landscape” long before the town existed.
The full programme
Events marked “book” need a ticket from the town council’s website or its box office at the council offices on Brownsfield Road. The rest are drop-in. Prices are as the programme gives them; where it shows no price, the event is listed without one.
| Day | Event | Where and when | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 9 Oct | Festival at the Market | Friday Market, the Broadway, 8am to 2pm | Drop in |
| Fri 9 Oct | Table tennis, give it a go | Parish Hall, Chapel Street, 7.30pm to 9.30pm | £7, drop in |
| Fri 9 Oct | Thatcham Comedy Club: seven comedians compete for the audience vote | Thatcham Bowling Club, Memorial Playing Fields, 7.30pm | £7, book |
| Sat 10 Oct | Thatcham Memorial Classic Car Show, a fundraiser for Thatcham Memorial Foundation | Memorial Playing Fields, 10am to 4pm | Donations |
| Sat 10 Oct | Scale Model Show | Memorial Hall, 10am to 4pm | Drop in |
| Sat 10 and Sun 11 Oct | Festival Arts Exhibition, local artists | Old Bluecoat School, 10am to 4pm | Drop in |
| Sat 10 Oct | Celebration of the Bayeux Tapestry, family crafts | Thatcham Library, 10am to 12pm | Drop in |
| Sat 10 Oct | Apple Day: bring a mystery apple to have it identified | Nature Discovery Centre, 10am to 3pm | Drop in |
| Sat 10 Oct | Nature walk, about a mile | Nature Discovery Centre, 11am | £5, book |
| Sat 10 Oct | The Big Thatcham Fest-Off | High Street, 4.30pm to 9pm | Free |
| Sun 11 Oct | Singin' in the Rain dance masterclass, ages 6 and up | Frank Hutchings Community Hall, 11am to 12.30pm | £5, book |
| Sun 11 Oct | Graffiti art workshop with Kev Waite | Frank Hutchings Community Hall, sessions from 2pm | £7, book |
| Sun 11 Oct | InCantata choir with No Strings Attached | St Mary's Church, 7pm | £6 |
| Mon 12 Oct | Art workshop: Thatcham House | Parish Hall, 7pm to 9pm | £6, book |
| Tue 13 Oct | Author talk: Tom Hindle, A Killer in Paradise | Thatcham Library, 6.30pm | £5, book |
| Tue 13 Oct | Irish music with Bouzouki Bellows | Old Bluecoat School, 7.30pm | £5, book |
| Wed 14 Oct | Meditative sound bath | Old Bluecoat School, 2.30pm and 7pm | £7, book |
| Wed 14 Oct | Thatcham Town Centre: A Brief History | Town council offices, 7pm to 8.30pm | Book |
| Wed 14 Oct | Presentation and public speaking workshop | Frank Hutchings Community Hall, 7pm to 9pm | Free, book |
| Thu 15 Oct | Thatcham in 1966: Not Just the World Cup | Town council offices, 7pm to 8.30pm | Book |
| Fri 16 Oct | World Food Day Market | Friday Market, the Broadway, 8am to 2pm | Drop in |
| Fri 16 Oct | Thatcham u3a open afternoon | Catholic Hall, Bath Road, 2pm to 3.30pm | Drop in |
| Fri 16 Oct | Restart a Heart: hands-on CPR and defibrillator | Town council offices, sessions from 5pm | Book |
| Fri 16 Oct | Stargazing with Newbury Astronomical Society | Nature Discovery Centre, 7pm to 9pm | £6, book with BBOWT |
| Sat 17 Oct | Leisure and Craft Fair, and clubs on Broadway Green | St Mary's Church and the Broadway, 10am to 3pm | Drop in |
| Sat 17 Oct | Retro computer and console exhibition | The Pavilion, The Moors Playing Field, 10am to 4pm | Drop in |
| Sat 17 and Sun 18 Oct | Photography exhibition | Old Bluecoat School, 10am to 4pm | Drop in |
| Sat 17 Oct | Music Discovery Day, West Berks Music Centre | Kennet School, 1pm to 4pm | Book with the music trust |
| Sat 17 Oct | Herbal Histories, Jubilee Sensory Garden | Town council offices, 1pm to 2.30pm | £5, book |
| Sat 17 Oct | KATS comedy radio plays, age 12 and up | Parish Hall, 7pm to 9pm | £5, book |
| Sat 17 Oct | Salsa night | Glendale Church, Green Lane, 7pm to 8.30pm | £6, book |
| Sun 18 Oct | Blue plaque unveiling | Nature Discovery Centre, 11am | Drop in |
| Sun 18 Oct | Thatcham Thrives Dance Gala | Kennet School, 4pm and 6.30pm | £6, book |
| Sun 18 Oct | Finale concert, Cold Ash Brass | St Mary's Church, 7pm | £3.50, book |
(Thatcham Town Council, Thatcham Festival 2026 programme)
Picks for families
- Apple Day on Saturday 10 October has an apple trail and quiz, apple pressing and children’s crafts. Bring an apple from your garden and someone will try to name the variety.
- The Bayeux Tapestry morning at Thatcham Library the same day has free crafts.
- The retro games exhibition on Saturday 17 October has a droid track and “Bristle Bot” racing.
- The dance masterclass on Sunday 11 October is for ages 6 to “100+”. Bring an umbrella: it is a Singin’ in the Rain routine.
Where the money goes
The Mayor of Thatcham, Councillor Mark Lillycrop, has collection boxes at festival events for his two chosen charities:
- PALS
- West Berks Food Bank
His fundraising barn dance follows on Friday 6 November at 7pm at Frank Hutchings Hall. Tickets are £10 and include a welcome drink; you bring your own snacks and drinks.
The festival’s sponsors are Picture It Framed and Snows BYD.
What it means for you
- To book, use the ticket page the town council links to, or the festival box office at Thatcham Town Council’s offices on Brownsfield Road. The council’s number is 01635 863592.
- The dance gala also sells tickets on the day, subject to availability.
- The sound bath is not suitable for people in the first trimester of pregnancy, or for anyone with tinnitus, a heart condition or a pacemaker, the programme says.
- Driving on 10 October: the High Street is traffic-free for the Fest-Off from 4.30pm. Our roadworks and travel page has the other closures around Thatcham, including Henwick Lane from 12 October.
- Next up in Thatcham: the Christmas lights switch-on is on Saturday 28 November, 12pm to 7pm, in the town centre.
Everything else on in the district this month is in our What’s On guide.
Sources
- Thatcham Town Council, Thatcham Festival: the dates and the price ceiling.
- Thatcham Town Council, The Big Thatcham Fest-Off: the time, the traffic-free High Street, the stages, stalls and silent disco.
- Thatcham Festival 2026 programme (PDF): every event, venue, time and price, the blue plaque wording, the mayor’s charities, the sponsors, the barn dance and the Christmas lights date.
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