Pumpkins at Moggerhanger every weekend, Russell's Halloween circus from 23 October, the Blues fireworks on 6 November, a Christmas market on 15 November.

The Secret Farm’s pumpkin patch at Moggerhanger is open every weekend and through half term, £5 a head, with a pumpkin smash day to close it on Sunday 1 November. Russell’s Big Halloween Circus is on Longholme Way from Friday 23 October to Sunday 1 November, Wrest Park and Woburn Safari Park both run Halloween weeks from 24 October, and the Bedford Blues Fireworks Display and Funfair is on Friday 6 November at Goldington Road, £9 online with under-6s free.

Everything below comes from the organisers’ own listings, read on 28 September 2026 and rechecked on 6 October, and each entry links to its source. Corn Exchange prices include the venue’s booking fee; it adds a £3.85 transaction fee per online booking, or £2.55 by phone or in person on bookings over £8. For places open whatever the month, see our guide to things to do in Bedford.

This week

  • Secret Pumpkin PYO, The Secret Farm, Blunham Road, Moggerhanger, MK44 3RA. Open Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October, 10am to 6pm, then every weekend and every day of half term until Saturday 31 October. £5 a person aged 3 and over, booked as an arrival slot; pumpkins cost £1 to £10 or more on top (The Secret Farm). Opening times are on our Bedford Halloween page.
  • Handling Sessions: Romans, Wednesday 7 October, 1pm to 3pm, The Higgins. Free drop-in with the museum’s handling collection (The Higgins).
  • Bedford Blues v Cornish Pirates, Ladies Day, Saturday 10 October, 5pm kick-off, Goldington Road. Adult ground entry £22 online or £26 on the day, under-18s £5 (Bedford Blues).
  • Bedford Flea, Affordable Art and Local Produce Market, Sunday 11 October, 10am to 3pm, Harpur Square, MK40 1TJ. It runs on the second Sunday of each month from April to November; the last of the season, on Sunday 8 November, moves to St Paul’s Square (Bedford Flea).

Next week

  • Ageing Well Exhibition 2026, Wednesday 14 October, 10am to 2.30pm, Bedford Corn Exchange. Free. 42 organisations for over-50s, their families and carers, with taster sessions and council advice teams (Bedford Borough Council).
  • Geology Drop-in, Wednesday 14 October, 2pm to 4pm, The Higgins. Free, but book by email. Bring rocks, fossils and minerals for Bev Fowlston of Bedfordshire Geology Group to identify (The Higgins).
  • The Art of Nature workshop, Thursday 15 October, 11.30am to 1.30pm, The Higgins. Free adult workshop with the artist Fiona Wilson for the Bedfordshire Natural History Society’s 80th year, booking essential (The Higgins).
  • The Egypt You Don’t Know, Saturday 17 October, 2pm to 3pm, The Higgins. Free talk by Dr Tasneem Ramadan, booking essential (The Higgins).
  • Bedford Sinfonia, Saturday 17 October, 7.30pm, Bedford Corn Exchange. Beethoven’s First and Second Symphonies with Haydn’s Symphony No 104, opening a 60th anniversary season that will take in all of Beethoven’s symphonies. £22.50, students £11.25, unreserved seating (Bedford Corn Exchange).
  • Bedford Town v Chorley, Saturday 17 October, 3pm, the Eyrie. National League North (Bedford Town FC).

Later in October

  • Philharmonia Orchestra with Seong-Jin Cho, Monday 19 October, 7.30pm, Bedford Corn Exchange. The venue’s listing is titled Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No 1, but its programme note describes Borodin and Prokofiev’s Second, so check the page before booking (Bedford Corn Exchange).
  • George, a Windrush Boy: meet the author, Tuesday 20 October, 11.30am to 1pm, The Higgins. Free. Gilroy Gregory reads from his novel and talks through the display (The Higgins).
  • Jimeoin: Ballyhoo!, Wednesday 21 October, 7.30pm, Bedford Corn Exchange. £23.06, strictly 16+ (Bedford Corn Exchange).
  • The Anglia Comedy Allstars, Thursday 22 October, 8pm, Bedford Corn Exchange. Sara Pascoe, Jen Brister, Ivo Graham and Hal Cruttenden. £29.81, strictly 18+ (Bedford Corn Exchange).
  • Kevin Bloody Wilson, Friday 23 October, 7.30pm, Bedford Corn Exchange. £41.63, strictly 16+ (Bedford Corn Exchange).
  • Russell’s International Circus: Big Halloween Circus, Friday 23 October to Sunday 1 November, Longholme Way, MK42 0BX. Shows every day at 3pm and 7pm, except Friday 23 October (7pm only), Sunday 25 October (noon and 3pm) and Sunday 1 November (noon only). Grandstand £22 adults and £16 children or concessions, up to £26 and £20 ringside, plus £2 a ticket online; no booking fee at the on-site box office (Russell’s International Circus).
  • Halloween half-term at Wrest Park, Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November, 10am to 4pm, Silsoe, MK45 4HR. A Great Pumpkin Party with storytelling, spooky games, a themed trail and a fancy dress competition every day. Included with admission, English Heritage members free, 15% off for booking ahead (English Heritage).
  • Madagas-scare Half Term at Woburn Safari Park, Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November. Spooky keeper talks with a stamp card and prize draw, a ghostly ride on the Great Woburn Railway, and a lemur charity weekend on 31 October and 1 November. Included in a day ticket (Woburn Safari Park).
  • Kevin Quantum: Anti-Gravity, Saturday 24 October, 2.30pm, The Quarry Theatre. Illusions and levitation from a physicist and Magic Circle member (The Quarry Theatre).
  • Henning Wehn: Acid Wehn, Saturday 24 October, 7.30pm, Bedford Corn Exchange. £31.50 (Bedford Corn Exchange).
  • Bedford Town v Hednesford Town, Tuesday 27 October, 7.45pm, the Eyrie (Bedford Town FC).
  • Secret Fireworks at The Secret Farm, Friday 30 October, Blunham Road, Moggerhanger, MK44 3RA. Opens at 5pm, bonfire at 7.30pm, fireworks by Selstar at 8pm and music until 10.30pm. Pre-booking required: £14.50 ages 12 and over, £7.50 ages 3 to 11, under-3s free; free parking (The Secret Farm).
  • Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat, Saturday 31 October, 2pm and 6.30pm, Bedford Corn Exchange. An amateur youth production. £24.75, or £16.88 restricted view (Bedford Corn Exchange).
  • Bedford Blues v Hartpury University, Saturday 31 October, 3pm, Goldington Road. Adults £22 online or £26 on the day, under-18s £5 (Bedford Blues).
  • Bedford Town v Macclesfield, Saturday 31 October, 3pm, the Eyrie. The same kick-off as the Blues, so expect traffic on both sides of town (Bedford Town FC).

Half term runs from 26 to 30 October; our October half term guide has the holiday clubs and family days out, and our Bedford Halloween page has the pumpkin patch times and every Halloween event in full.

November

  • ATW Bedford 10k and Half Marathon, Sunday 1 November, 9am, Russell Park, MK40 3RH, with a free family fun run at 8.30am (Active Training World). Our race guide has entry prices and parking.
  • Secret Pumpkin Smash and Pumpkin Giveaway, Sunday 1 November, 10am to 3pm, The Secret Farm, Moggerhanger. The day after the pick-your-own season closes: smash the leftover pumpkins in the smash zone, and take pumpkins from the picking patch home free. £5 a person, booked as an arrival slot (The Secret Farm).
  • Man in the Mirror: a tribute to Michael Jackson, Friday 6 November, 7.30pm, Bedford Corn Exchange. £34.88, over-8s only (Bedford Corn Exchange).
  • Bedford Blues Fireworks Display and Funfair, Friday 6 November, Goldington Road. Funfair, bars and food from 6pm, children’s display at 7pm, main display at 8pm, and strictly no admittance after 8pm. General admission £9 online, under-6s free; the Burrow (£37) and the Dovecote Park Suite (£55) add food and a viewing gallery (Bedford Blues). There is no parking at the ground.
  • Ampthill Fireworks, Friday 6 November, Ampthill Great Park. The same night as the Blues: gates at 6pm, music at 6.30pm, the beacon lit at 7.30pm and fireworks at 7.45pm, with a fairground and food. Tickets are on sale now and none will be sold on the gate; parking is £5, cash only, on the night (Ampthill Fireworks).
  • Shuttleworth Fireworks Night, Saturday 7 November, 5pm to 9pm, Old Warden. New this year: funfair, live music and lit hangars, fireworks at 7pm and a Spitfire engine run at 7.30pm. £12 adults and £6 children online, £15 and £10 on the gate (Shuttleworth).
  • The World Famous Elvis Show: Chris Connor, Saturday 7 November, 7.30pm, Bedford Corn Exchange. £33.75 (Bedford Corn Exchange).
  • Remembrance Weekend at Shuttleworth House, Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November, 10am to 4pm. Free entry to exhibitions on the house’s wartime years, poppy making for children, and a two minutes’ silence at 11am on the Sunday. Guided tours £15 (Shuttleworth).
  • Being Human Festival at The Higgins, Thursday 5 to Saturday 14 November, with the University of Bedfordshire and the Panacea Museum. It opens with a free talk, Discovering the Past through Literary Bedfordshire, by Dr Nicola Darwood, on Thursday 5 November, 1pm to 2pm, and on Thursday 12 November, 1.30pm to 2.30pm, Gilroy Gregory talks about his novel George, a Windrush Boy. Both free, booking essential (The Higgins).
  • Troy Hawke: Never Stop Never Change!, Friday 13 November, 7.30pm, Bedford Corn Exchange. Character comedy, £25.31 (Bedford Corn Exchange).
  • Bedford Blues v Doncaster Knights, Friday 13 November, 7.45pm, Goldington Road. The first Friday night home game of the season. Adults £22 online or £26 on the day, under-18s £5 (Bedford Blues).
  • B.S.O., Saturday 14 November, 7.30pm, Bedford Corn Exchange. Katya Apekisheva plays Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, with Beethoven’s Third Symphony and Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances. £22.50, students £11.25 (Bedford Corn Exchange).
  • Bedford’s Christmas Craft & Flea Market, Sunday 15 November, 11am to 4pm, Bedford Corn Exchange. Handmade, hand-designed and vintage stalls picked by the organisers. £3 entry, under-12s free with no ticket needed; no refunds (Craft and Flea on Eventbrite). The town’s other Christmas markets are on our Bedford Christmas markets page.

Bedford’s own Remembrance Sunday service is at the Embankment war memorial on 8 November; the council has not yet published this year’s programme, and our Remembrance Sunday page will carry it when it does. For the other displays in the area, see our fireworks guide.

Regular events

  • Bedford parkrun, every Saturday at 9am, Bedford Park, Park Avenue, MK41 7SS. Free; register once before your first run and bring your barcode (Bedford parkrun).
  • Bedford town centre market, every Wednesday and Saturday (the charter market) and every Friday (a general market), 8.30am to 4pm (Bedford Borough Council).
  • Kempston Market, every Thursday, 8.30am to 4pm, at the Saxon Centre (Bedford Borough Council).
  • Puggle Club for under-5s, The Higgins, next on Friday 6 November, 10.30am to 12pm and 1pm to 2.30pm. Free drop-in (The Higgins).
  • Storytelling in the Gallery, The Higgins, Sunday 11 October and Sunday 8 November, 2.30pm. Free, 30 minutes, for children up to 7 (The Higgins).
  • Sunday Crafternoon, The Higgins, Sunday 18 October and Sunday 22 November, 2pm to 4pm, last admission 3.30pm. Free family craft drop-in for under-12s (The Higgins).

Getting there

The Corn Exchange, The Higgins and the Quarry Theatre are all within a ten-minute walk of each other in the town centre, and Goldington Road is a walk east along the river from there. The Blues say there is no parking at the ground and ask people to walk or use public transport. Our page on parking in Bedford has the car parks and their weekend free hours, and the roadworks and travel page lists closures before a night out. Coming by train, see Bedford train times.

This page is rewritten as organisers confirm new dates. Every listing was checked on 28 September 2026 against the organiser’s own page, and the Corn Exchange, Blues, Bedford Town, Higgins and Halloween listings again on 3 and 6 October. Dates can still change, so use the links before you travel. More in our What’s On section.

Send us your event

Running something in Bedford, Kempston or the villages? Email the date, time, venue, price and a photo to hello@bedfordtimes.co.uk. Listings are free of charge, and we add them to this page and to the diary on our What’s On section.

Sources