What’s on in Stroud this week: Mon 21 – Sun 27 September 2026
It’s the last full week in September, and already the trees are beginning to change colour up and down the five valleys, as the first leaves pirouette to the ground in the autumnal breeze.
As always, there’s plenty to see and do in the Stroud area, including art exhibitions at the Chapels and Rest and Three Storeys, and theatre at Cotswold Playhouse.
Elsewhere, Lansdown Hall and Gallery hosts an immersive multi-sensory folk-inspired event, and Saul’s Wild Hedgehog Rescue holds an open day on Saturday, and Stroud Valleys Project marks World Rivers Day on Sunday with an exploration of eels.
Find out more in our regular look at things coming up in Stroud and the wider district.
Regular and one off events
- Visit a mock polling station– Tue 22 Sep, 4 – 6pm.
As Stroud District Council prepares for 2027’s local elections, anyone interested in working in a polling station is invited to visit Ebley Mill this Tuesday, where the Democratic Services team will be inviting them to step inside a mock polling station. The council establishes 105 polling stations during elections, serving more than 97,000 voters, and requiring more than 400 temporary polling station staff, who perform a vital role in our democracy.
- Learn about the other other Brontë– Tue 22 – Sat 26 Sep
Sarah Gordon’s irreverent retelling of the life and legend of the Brontë sisters first premiered in 2024. Since then, the play has been performed at theatres from London to California, and this week arrives at the Cotswold Playhouse for five nights, featuring Lizzy Leach as Charlotte, Florence Simpson as Emily, and Sophia Hines as Anne.
- See the Oh darkness! Oh light! exhibition– Fri 25 – Sun 27 Sep, 11am – 4pm
Stroud artist Ruth Batham and the members of the Stroud Motherhood Collective unite for this special exhibition at the Chapels of Rest. The shared exhibition marks three years of the collective’s peer support circles which aim to provide a place where mothers are free to be themselves, and to be honest about motherhood. The show includes the first public showing of Batham’s triptypch, alongside motherhood-inspired work from 12 other contributing artists.
- Gather beneath the Mabon Tree– Sat 26 Sep, 11am – 5pm
This one-day immersive fundraising event at Lansdown Hall and Gallery seeks to create a multi-sensory, multi-arts world where visitors can find interactive theatre, live music, adventures and quests, mysteries and riddles, food, drink, art and more. The event is followed in the evening by a Full Moon Costume Ball with live DJs and dhal feast.
- Attend the Spikes and Sparks open day– Sat 26 Sep, 12 noon – 9pm
Wild Hogs Hedgehog Rescue beside Saul Marine are the hosts of the Spikes and Sparks open day this Saturday, featuring marshmallow toasting, lantern-making, facepainting and refreshments. Visitors will also have the chance to take a tour of the hedgehog rescue centre, purchase handcrafted eco gifts from local suppliers, and sign up for a fundraising firewalk in the evening over hot coals.
- Celebrate eels– Sun 27 Sep, 10.30am – 12noon
The Stroud Valleys Project and eel expert Dr Laura Weldon mark World Rivers Day 2026 with a special exploration of the lifecycle of freshwater eels. The event takes place near Arundel Mill Pond on the canal towpath towards Brimscombe and is part of Cotswold Canals Connected Canal Reflections series, made possible by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Showing this week
- See Adam Cartwright’s Being and Becoming– Tue 22 – Sun 27 Sep, 10am
Stroud-based contemporary abstract artist Adam Cartwright brings a collection of his naturally-inspired paintings to Three Storeys in Nailsworth. The works are influenced by Cartright’s experience of being immersed in the landscape, where he takes inspiration from subtle relationships and how contrasting elements can exist together.
Further afield
- Enjoy Bath Children’s Literature Festival– Fri 25 – Sun 4 Oct
Bath Children’s Literature Festival begins this Friday bringing some of the best-loved names in children’s books to the city. Highlights include Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler hawking their new Gruffalo book Gruffalo Granny, Horrible Histories‘ illustrator Martin Brown’s reflections on Horrible Bath and a talk from Supertato co-creator Sue Hendra.
For details of how to suggest community events for inclusion in our weekly guide to things to see and do in the Stroud area, see here.
