What’s on in Stroud this week: 15 – 21 June
It’s another busy week of community events in and around Stroud in the run up to midsummer.
Highlights include a midsummer feast at the Long Table, an end-of-term fashion show at Stroud School of Art, poetry at the Museum in the Park and a book fair at Lansdown Hall.
Plus, SITE Festival returns for a second weekend, Tewkesbury Town Band plays a free concert in Stratford Park and Nailsworth Pride begins a week of festivities.
Find out more in our regular look at things coming up in Stroud and the wider district.
Regular and one off events
- Watch the Stroud School of Art Fashion Show – Thu 18 June, 6pm
Stroud School of Art’s most fashionable students bring together an end-of-year catwalk event, showcasing garments and collections created as part of their course. Expect an impressive display of local creativity, technical skill and individual design work.
- Enjoy poetry at the Museum in the Park – Thu 18 Jun, 7.30pm
Stroud’s best museum throws a special evening of poetry, with readings from Gloucestershire poets Stewart Carswell, Jehanne Mehta and Kathryn Southworth. The wide-ranging subject matter takes in everything from life crises and joys in the Forest of Dean to the persecution of Lancastrian women in the seventeenth century.
- Eat a Midsummer Feast – Fri 19 June, 6pm
The Long Table team host a special midsummer feast at Brimscombe Mill, featuring dancing from Miserden Morris, a seasonal feasting menu and solstice-inspired performances from local writers and musicians. Limited spaces are available, booking recommended.
- Browse at the Stroud Indie Book Fair – Sat 20 Jun – 10am – 3pm
Stroud Indie Book Fair sets up shop for the day at Lansdown Hall, promising the chance to meet independent and small publisher authors for signings and chats. Those on site represent a range of genres including romance, sci-fi, fantasy, crime and poetry.
- Listen to Tewkesbury Town Band in Stratford Park – Sun 21 June, 2 – 4pm
The summer season of free Sunday gigs at Stratford Park bandstand continues with a free concert from Tewkesbury Town Band. The prolific north Gloucestershire brass ensemble formed in 1974, and enjoy touring across Gloucestershire and further afield, including as far as Germany.
- Explore Site Festival’s second weekend – Sat 20 – Sun 21 Jun, 11am – 5pm
Site Festival returns for a second weekend, with a range of creative talent on offer up and down the Stroud Valleys. Alongside the continuing open studios, this week’s special events include a glazing workshop at House of Goblin and an exhibition of expressive and self-reflective works of art and writing by adults with learning disabilities, mental health issues, and dementia.
Beginning this week
- Celebrate Nailsworth Pride – Fri 19 – Sun 28 Jun
This year, thanks to lots of hard work from the Nailsworth Pride team, the town is set to host a week-an-a-bit of events focussed around LGBTQ+ people in the community. Highlights include a reception and party, queer crafts, talks and an outdoor exhibition.
Further afield
Home to the largest prehistoric stone circle in the world, the Avebury World Heritage site is a favoured location for many celebrating the summer solstice, particularly those seeking to avoid the Stonehenge crowds. Avebury’s celebrated henge measures 430 metres across and has a village and pub at its heart, though even at this size it does get busy over the solstice so best to check the website before travelling.
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.
