Abingdon’s noticeboards and railings are filling up as we head towards November. There are plenty of big events over the next couple of weeks. I have just space for the next week, and will cover more separately in a few days’ time.

Saturday 25 October – Poppy Appeal Launch
This year’s Poppy Appeal will be launched on the Market Place with stalls and military vehicles.

Now Open – Christmas Card Shop
The Christmas Card shop has opened in St Nicolas Church, raising funds for a range of charities.

Tuesday 28 October – Agnostics Anonymous Discussion
The next Agnostics Anonymous Open Discussion asks: “Why do Christians bother with the Old Testament?” It takes place at the Parish Centre, opposite the main door of St Helen’s Church.

Tuesday 28 October – Saturday 1 November – Hello, Dolly!
Abingdon Operatic Society present the musical Hello, Dolly! at the Amey Theatre. Their big productions are always popular and a highlight of the Abingdon year.

Tuesday 28 October – Saturday 1 November – Abingdon Artists Autumn Exhibition
At Christ Church Barn, Northcourt Road, this exhibition features recent work by local artists, with cards and artworks for sale and live demonstrations during the week.

Friday 31 October – Sunday 2 November – Abingdon Traditional Craft Fair
At the Abbey Buildings, alongside a wide range of crafts for sale, there’ll be live demonstrations and ‘have-a-go’ sessions for visitors.

Saturday 1 November – The Oxford Waits
The period-instrument group The Oxford Waits bring 17th-century songs, dance tunes and readings – all in costume – to St Helen’s Church.

You can start in the attic of the County Hall Museum, where there’s an exhibition built from one person’s memories which features among other objects: a lost toy elephant, a maternity jumper, and letters and photos from a relative who hoped to be a missionary in 1913. Each everyday object has a story, and Sarah Frodsham shares why they matter to her.

Step out into the autumn air on Wednesday the 15th and head to Abingdon Baptist Church. The lights will be glowing, and Nilmini Roelens will be talking about ‘Solar Villages in Sri Lanka’. It’s hosted by the Abingdon Carbon Cutters.

The very next night, Thursday the 16th, you’ve got a choice.

At the Unicorn Theatre, ‘The Lost Trades’ bring folk harmonies with a touch of 1960s California to the medieval setting. Detta Kenzie is playing support.

Or, if you’d rather hear some local music in a brewery, head to the Loose Cannon Tap Room, where Cheap Petrol, Faith Healers, and Dave King are on the bill – thanks to Music in Abingdon.

On Saturday the 18th, the ‘Oxford Gospel Events Choir’ will fill Christ Church on Northcourt Road with harmonies, raising funds for ‘Family of Hope’, a school in Uganda. Just hand over £10 at the door and let the music lift you up.

Over the weekend and through half-term (check dates on their website), there’s another sort of gathering just outside town. High Lodge Farm has plenty of pumpkins and activities for children on their Spooky Trail.

On Tuesday the 21st, it’s ‘Books and Bakes’ at St Ethelwold’s House. Tables piled with paperbacks and cake — and are you the one who goes home with more books than you can carry?

And, on Saturday the 25th, the sound of Haydn’s ‘The Creation’ fills St Helen’s Church.

The clocks go back an hour at 2am on Sunday, 26th October 2025. There’ll be plenty more happening in Abingdon after that – but that’s for another time.

Abingdon 1945 Exhibition
(4 October – 23 December, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm at Abingdon County Hall Museum)
Marking 80 years since the end of WWII, this free exhibition explores Abingdon in 1945 – from food shortages and evacuees to VE/VJ Day celebrations and post-war changes.

Abingdon Michaelmas Fair & Fair Service
(Sunday 4:00–9:00 pm, Monday & Tuesday 2:00–10:30 pm at Abingdon town centre – Market Place, High Street, Ock Street)
Europe’s longest street fair returns. Opens with the Traditional Fair Service and Blessing: Sunday 5 October, 3:30 pm, on the Golden Galloper in Abingdon Market Place

Conversations with Susie Howard
(Thursday 9 October, 7:00 pm at St Ethelwold’s House)
A talk about the growth and development of “St Eths” with Susie Howard. Free event — to reserve a place, contact the organisers.

Mighty in Power – Launch Concert
Friday 10 October, 7:30 – 9:30 pm at St Michael & All Angels’ Church
An evening of music from the newly released CD Mighty in Power by Abingdon composer, David Preston, sung by the Northcourt Singers. Tickets £15 on the door (children free).

Just Jane – Jane Austen Afternoon
Saturday 11 October, 3:00 – 5:30 pm at St Michael & All Angels’ Church
An afternoon of Jane Austen readings with contemporary music, coffee, tea, cakes and conversation. Tickets £15 (door) / £10 if pre-booked; under-18s free.

Jackie Smith, Abingdon’s Honorary Archivist, will be granted the Freedom of the Town of Abingdon-on-Thames at a special ceremony on Saturday 27 September (photo courtesy of the Town Crier).

Also on Saturday 27 September there’s a litter pick beside the River Thames. With the weir pathway now open, access for volunteers should be easier than at the previous event.

On Sunday 28 September Abingdon hosted Abbey-Con 25, a TV, film and pop-culture convention featuring celebrity guests, photo opportunities, trade stalls, props, costumes and interactive experiences.

On Tuesday 30 September Agnostics Anonymous will continue their discussions, this time exploring the question: “Why would a good God create through evolution with its violence and waste?”

Starting Wednesday 1 October, Abingdon Drama Club are staging a thriller at the Unicorn Theatre about a sociopathic student who persuades his weaker-minded friend to help murder an innocent fellow undergraduate.

Also on Wednesday 1 October, the Town Council meets in the Roysse Room. Alongside updates from County and District councillors, committee reports will be presented. The Finance Committee is recommending that the Council move its day-to-day current account banking away from NatWest.

The new Abingdon Cake Club for local baking enthusiasts meets next on Thursday 2 October. For details contact debbiegarrod21@gmail.com / 07939 260580.

On Thursday 2 October for National Poetry Day, four published poets living in or near Abingdon will read from their work at the library. There will also be poems by other local poets, followed by an open-mic session for anyone who would like to share a poem.