What’s on in Stroud this week: 12 – 18 May
It’s another week of festivals and special events in the Stroud District, with Stroud Festival of Food and Drink kicking off on Friday, a special Chartist Festival based at Rodborough’s Prince Albert on Saturday and Sunday and Nailsworth Festival kicking off a week of events this weekend.
Plus choral events at Brimscombe Mill and St James the Great in Dursley and with cows back out on Minchinhampton and Rodborough Commons from this Tuesday, the National Trust are holding their own celebration on Saturday at the Old Lodge.
Find out more in our regular look at things coming up in Stroud and the wider district. To suggest an event for inclusion, use this form.
Regular and one off events
- See Acapellies at the Long Table – Thu 15 May, 7.30pm
Eleanor Holliday’s community choir, the Acapellies, bring their polyphonic celebration of the Easter Story to the Sanctuary at Brimscombe Mill. We are told to expect a soul-stirring journey through the vocal traditions of Georgia, Corsica, Bulgaria, Russia, Germany, Italy, Britain and the Americas.
- Attend the Stroud Festival of Food and Drink – Fri 16 – Sun 18 May
Stroud’s weekend of street eating and drinking returns for its fourth year, with a plethora of food on offer in Fawkes Place, London Road and Lansdown. Plus, head to Bank Gardens to check out the special family area, music and more, or head to the Sub Rooms for Weber barbecue demonstrations all weekend.
- Create at Brimscombe Mill – Sat 17 May, 10 – 11.30 am
Georgie and Alex’s Let’s Create pops up at the Long Table, offering unstructured child-led activities to encourage the imagination. We are told to expect colour, recycled chaos, cardboard inventions, googly eyes, sticky tape masterpieces, and total creative freedom.
- Learn about Marking Day at the Old Lodge – Sat 17 May, 11am – 3pm
The centuries-old tradition of Marking Day falls each year on 13 May, marking the moment at which livestock are released onto Rodborough and Minchinhampton Commons. To celebrate the occasion, the National Trust and the Minchinhampton and Rodborough Commons Advisory Committee are holding a special celebration at the Old Lodge on Minchinhampton Common on Sat 17 May with a range of engaging activities to celebrate and raise awareness of conservation efforts on the commons.
- Celebrate the Chartists with Radical Stroud – Sat 17 – Sun 18 May
Stroud historian and local institution Stuart Butler leads a weekend celebration of the Chartists, reflecting on the moment in May 1839 when 5,000 people met on Selsley Common in support of the People’s Charter, a working class movement which called for democratic reforms to the political system. The festival includes a commemorative walk on Selsley Common, a showing of a film about the 1839 meeting and a performance of the Stroud Red Band.
- Listen to Dursley Male Voice Choir – Sat 17 May, 7.30pm
Founded in 1978 and comprising up to 40 singers drawn largely from Dursley and the surrounding area, the Dursley Male Voice Choir performs a number of concerts each year, the majority for charity. Their annual concert at St James’ in Dursley is a highlight of the choir’s calendar, and this year’s event features a special performance from Welsh harpist Manon Browning.
Beginning this week
- Attend the Nailsworth Festival – Sat 17 – Sat 24 May
The Nailsworth Festival offers a week of varied cultural events in the town each year seeking to provide something for everyone. This year’s festival kicks off on Sat 17 May with a Vyshyvanka Day celebration of traditional Ukrainian embroidery and textiles, music and market stalls in the bus station and a sports fest at the King George V Playing Fields.
Further afield
- Attend the Castle Combe Steam Rally – Sat 17 – Sun 18 May
Now in its 38th year, the Castle Combe Steam Rally returns to the Castle Combe Racing Circuit for a special celebration of heritage vehicles. Expect traction engines, vintage cars, crafts and more, plus a range of arena entertainments throughout the weekend, including from the Tigers Childrens Motorcycle Display Team, and train rides from Severn Beach Miniature Railway team.
For a full month of art, music, theatre, literature, film and comedy events, pick up a copy of Stroud’s popular listings magazine, Good on Paper.
