Christmas fairs, Armistice Day and a Ben Forster night out

Hello Harpenden, hello St Albans! 👋

Bonfire Night is behind us, the sparkler stubs are in the bin, and the Christmas fairs are warming up. This week is a gentle one: a moment of quiet on Wednesday, the first church-hall and common-side Christmas stalls on the weekend, and three very different Saturday and Sunday nights out. Here's what's on from Monday 9 to Sunday 15 November, with times, prices and where to go.

☀️ Weather at a glance

Mild and mostly cloudy, turning properly cold by the weekend. This is the St Albans forecast, and Harpenden is only a few miles up the road, so it covers you too.

• Monday 9 Nov: overcast, 10° / 4°, 13% chance of rain.
• Tuesday 10 Nov: drizzly, 12° / 8°, 24% chance of rain.
• Wednesday 11 Nov: light drizzle, 14° / 9°, 39% chance of rain. Pack a brolly for the two-minute silence.
• Thursday 12 Nov: drizzly, 10° / 6°, 43% chance of rain. The wettest day of the week.
• Friday 13 Nov: drizzle again, 6° / 1°, 31% chance of rain. A chilly one for the non-uniform day.
• Saturday 14 Nov: clear and cold, 5° / -1°, 24% chance of rain. Coat, scarf and gloves for the Christmas fair, and wrap up for the walk to your night out.
• Sunday 15 Nov: overcast, 7° / -1°, 23% chance of rain. A frosty start for the Common.

🕯️ This week

Two moments to mark before the weekend gets busy.

Armistice Day

Harpenden St Albans
📅 Wednesday 11 November, 11am
💷 Free

The nation pauses for a two-minute silence at 11am. If you're in town, it's a good moment to stop and join in. Check with your local British Legion branch or Town Council for any local service.

BBC Children in Need

📅 Friday 13 November
📺 Appeal show from 7pm on BBC One and iPlayer

Expect non-uniform days, cake sales and fundraisers at schools and workplaces. If you're doing something for Pudsey locally, tell us and we'll share it.

🎄 Christmas fairs and markets

The first of the season, and both are on the weekend. Cash is handy at the smaller ones.

The Salvation Army Harpenden Christmas Fair

Harpenden
📅 Saturday 14 November, 10am to 2pm
📍 The Salvation Army, Leyton Green
💷 Free entry

Stalls with crafts, cakes and jam, and lunches to buy in the cafe area. A friendly, old-fashioned church-hall Christmas fair, and a good place to start your gift list.

Harpenden Christmas Sustainability Market

Harpenden
📅 Sunday 15 November, 10am to 3pm
📍 Harpenden Common, in front of Park Hall
💷 Free

Local eco providers and small businesses selling greener gifts, pantry staples, sustainable self-care products and textiles. There are hot vegan takeaway food stalls and an artisan coffee truck too, which will be welcome on a frosty morning. It's a partnership between Harpenden Town Council and Sustainable St Albans. By bus, take the 321 from St Albans to The George. By train, it's a short walk from Harpenden station. More info

Plan it: Saturday morning at the Salvation Army fair, Sunday morning on the Common, and your gift list is half done before the big switch-ons.

🎶 Nights out

Three Saturday-and-Sunday nights, from musical theatre to Madchester.

Superstar: A Musical Evening with Ben Forster

Harpenden
📅 Saturday 14 November, 7:30pm
📍 The Eric Morecambe Centre, Leyton Road
💷 Check with the venue for ticket prices

An evening of musical theatre songs. Book through the Eric Morecambe Centre or Everyone Theatres.

The Total Stone Roses

St Albans
📅 Saturday 14 November, 9pm to 11:30pm
📍 The Horn, Victoria Street
💷 From £18.70, including booking fee

A sound-a-like band playing the Roses' best-known songs, including "Fools Gold", "Waterfall" and "I Wanna Be Adored". Dust off the bucket hat. More info

Step Into Christmas

St Albans
📅 Sunday 15 November, 7:30pm
📍 The Alban Arena, Civic Centre
💷 Check with the box office

A feel-good Christmas concert of festive favourites, running to about two hours with an interval. The tour listing shows this date at the Alban Arena, but tickets weren't showing as on sale when we checked, so please confirm with the box office before you plan your night around it. More info

🗓️ Also this week

A few more to put in the diary, and plenty for little ones.

Happening all week

• St Albans Charter Market, every Wednesday and Saturday in the city centre.
• St Albans Messy Monday Mornings, Mondays until 14 December, St Albans Museums. Messy play for little ones. More info
• St Albans Tots Tales at Verulamium Museum, until Friday 27 November. Stories for under-fives. More info
• St Albans Family weekends at Verulamium Museum, until 12 December. Weekend crafts for all ages. Every paid ticket now includes an Annual Pass, giving unlimited entry for 12 months. More info
• St Albans Sunday Crafternoon at St Albans Museum + Gallery, Sundays until 20 December. More info

Tuesday 10 and Thursday 12 November

• Harpenden Bring Your Baby Pub Quiz, Tuesday 10 November, The George. Check the listing for the time.
• Harpenden Library Warhammer Club, Thursday 12 November, Harpenden Library.

On show, and free

• St Albans Still Lives, Weston Gallery, St Albans Museum + Gallery, until 11 April 2027. Free. More than 50 artworks spanning 400 years of art history, on tour from The Hepworth Wakefield. More info
• St Albans Accessories: Wearing Your Story, Keeper's Galleries, St Albans Museum + Gallery, until 31 January 2027. Free. Jewellery, badges, watches and the stories behind them. More info

Two free exhibitions under one roof make for a good wet-Thursday plan, given the forecast.

👀 Coming up

Pencil these in now and thank yourself later.

Comedy and music

• Tue 17 Nov: Harry Enfield and No Chums!, The Alban Arena, 7:30pm. St Albans
• Wed 18 Nov: Nish Kumar, The Alban Arena, doors 6:30pm, from £25. St Albans
• Thu 19 Nov: The Amy Winehouse Band, The Alban Arena, doors 7:30pm. St Albans
• Fri 20 Nov: Jack J Hutchinson (acoustic), The Eric Morecambe Centre, 7:30pm, £18.50 including booking fee. Harpenden
• Sat 21 Nov: The Music of Luther Vandross, a candlelight concert at St Albans Cathedral. Doors 6:30pm, show 7:30pm. St Albans
• Mon 23 Nov: Sir Geoff Hurst, The Eric Morecambe Centre, 7:30pm, £38. Harpenden

Sunday 22 November: Christmas kicks off in both towns

Same day, same hours, two very good reasons to leave the house. You may have to pick a side, or do one before lunch and one after.

St Albans
📅 St Albans Christmas Cracker, noon to 6pm
📍 St Albans city centre, closed to traffic
💷 Free

More than 100 food, drink and gift stalls, street entertainers, a funfair, a climbing wall, a toddler play space and a free Santa's grotto from the city centre BID. British Sign Language interpreters will be in attendance, with ramps and priority seating for accessibility. More info

Harpenden
📅 Harpenden Christmas Carnival, noon to 6pm
📍 Harpenden town centre
💷 Free

Live music, dozens of stalls, a lively procession and the lights switch-on at 5pm. There's a Santa's grotto and the Twinkle Trail, a walk around the town centre with light installations. Christmas Emergency Services Day runs alongside at Harpenden Fire Station, and the Harpenden Farmers' Market is on Lower High Street the same day. London Colney also switches on its lights that day, 2:30pm to 5:30pm at Chester Gibbons Green. More info

More lights and markets

• Thu 26 Nov: Batford Lights Switch On, 4:30pm to 6:30pm, with carols, refreshments and craft activities.
• Thu 26 Nov: Wheathampstead Lights Up, 6pm to 8:30pm, with the lights switching on at 6:30pm.
• Fri 27 Nov: Southdown Lights and Lanterns Extravaganza, 5:30pm to 7:30pm, with a lantern parade.
• Sun 29 Nov: Redbourn Christmas Market, 11am to 5pm, with more than 100 stalls.

Panto season

• Beauty and the Beast, starring Joe Swash, at the Alban Arena from Friday 4 December to Sunday 3 January.
• Rapunzel: A Tangled Tale, starring Lorraine Stanley as Fairy Rose, at the Eric Morecambe Centre from Saturday 5 to Wednesday 30 December.

Book through Everyone Theatres or at the venues.

See you at the Christmas fairs! 🎄
The Social Martini team