Flying Scotsman at Swanage from 23 October, Weymouth's drones and fireworks on 5 November, the elf parade on 28 November: 38 dated events with prices.

Flying Scotsman arrives on the Swanage Railway this week: on static display at Swanage Station from Friday 23 October, then hauling trains through Purbeck on five days of half term. A fortnight later Weymouth Town Council puts a drone show over the bay at 7.15pm and fireworks at 8pm on Thursday 5 November. Then the Christmas season opens, with Lyme Regis switching on its lights on 21 November and Weymouth attempting an elf world record before its switch-on on 28 November.

This page covers Sunday 18 October to Sunday 29 November. Every entry was read on 18 October 2026 from the organiser’s own listing, and each one links back to it so you can check before you travel. Prices are the organisers’ published prices, and an entry with no price means none was published, not that it is free.

This week

Sunday 18 to Sunday 25 October. Dorset Council’s half term is 26 to 30 October, and many attractions run their half-term events from Saturday 24 October. Our October half term page and Dorset Halloween page have more for families.

  • Nigel Havers: Talking Bllcks, Monday 19 October, 7.30pm, Weymouth Pavilion, The Esplanade, Weymouth DT4 8ED. £38. The actor’s stories from five decades on stage and screen. The Pavilion marked it “last few” on 18 October. (Weymouth Pavilion)
  • Illusion Impossible, Thursday 22 October, 7.30pm, Weymouth Pavilion, The Esplanade, Weymouth DT4 8ED. £31. Stage illusions, mind reading and escapes, starring illusionist Kayden Black with Michael Carr and Andy Storm. (Weymouth Pavilion)
  • Flying Scotsman at the Swanage Railway, Friday 23 October to Sunday 1 November, Swanage Railway, from Swanage Station. The locomotive hauls trains on 24, 25, 28 and 29 October and 1 November: standard travel £59.95 an adult and £29.95 a child aged 3 to 15. On 23, 26, 27, 30 and 31 October it is on static display at Swanage Station, £29.95 a person, with travel to Corfe Castle and Norden that day. Our Flying Scotsman story has the road changes. (Swanage Railway)
  • While and Matthews, Friday 23 October, 7.30pm, doors 7pm, Dorchester Corn Exchange, High East Street, Dorchester DT1 1HF. £20, or £18 for members and concessions. Chris While and Julie Matthews, the folk duo, more than 30 years into playing together. (Dorchester Arts)
  • Billy Joel UK, Friday 23 October, 7.30pm, Electric Palace, 35 South Street, Bridport DT6 3NY. £22 in advance, £23 on the door. A tribute show through Piano Man, Uptown Girl and We Didn’t Start The Fire. (Electric Palace)
  • Weymouth Rock and Roll Weekender, Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October, from 12pm, Ocean Room, Weymouth Pavilion, The Esplanade, Weymouth DT4 8ED. £49 for a day pass, £89 for the weekend. Two days of live rock and roll bands. (Weymouth Pavilion)
  • The Amazing Bubbleman, Saturday 24 October, 2pm, Electric Palace, 35 South Street, Bridport DT6 3NY. £16.50, with £2 off each ticket when you buy four. Louis Pearl’s bubble show for half term. (Electric Palace)
  • A Creepy Circus, Live Actor Trail, Saturday 24 October, 10am to 1pm, Weymouth town centre, starting at Primark, DT4 8NS. £2.75 a person through Ticket Tailor. Live performers, sinister clowns and fortune tellers, in two versions: one for younger children, one for older children and adults. A free QR-code version runs from 25 October to 1 November, 10am to 6pm. (We Are Weymouth)
  • Halloween Half-Term Fun at Nothe Fort, Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November, 10am to 4pm daily, Nothe Fort, Barrack Road, Weymouth DT4 8UF. Included in admission, free with an annual pass. A mouse hunt, wand making, pumpkin golf and spooky bingo at 11am and 2pm; free family ghost tours, booked at the shop on the day, have no dates yet. (Nothe Fort)
  • Family Fun Pumpkin Trail, Sherborne Castle, Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November, 10.30am to 4.30pm, last admission 3.30pm, Sherborne Castle and Gardens, New Road, Sherborne DT9 5NR. Normal admission prices. A trail round the gardens to find escaped pumpkins, with a prize at the end. (Sherborne Castle)
  • October Illuminate, Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens, Saturday 24 to Saturday 31 October, evenings, Buller’s Way, Abbotsbury DT3 4LA. Prices and timeslots on the gardens’ booking system. The light trail, run early before its Christmas season: see our Abbotsbury Illuminate page. (Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens)
  • The Picture of Dorian Gray: A New Musical, Sunday 25 October, 5.30pm, Weymouth Pavilion, The Esplanade, Weymouth DT4 8ED. £25 to £38.50. A new musical of Oscar Wilde’s gothic tale, starring Kevin Kennedy. (Weymouth Pavilion)

Driving to Swanage or Weymouth over half term? Our Dorset roadworks and travel page carries the closures, and parking in Dorset has the car parks.

Next week

Monday 26 October to Sunday 1 November, half term.

  • Susan Calman: Tall Tales, Wednesday 28 October, 7.30pm, Weymouth Pavilion, The Esplanade, Weymouth DT4 8ED. £31.50, ages 14 and over. Stories about cruising, driving tanks, cats and getting older. (Weymouth Pavilion)
  • Seann Walsh: This is Torture, Thursday 29 October, 8pm, Electric Palace, 35 South Street, Bridport DT6 3NY. £20, ages 14 and over. A new hour of stand-up. (Electric Palace)
  • Liza Pulman Sings Streisand, Friday 30 October, 7.30pm, doors 7pm, Dorchester Corn Exchange, High East Street, Dorchester DT1 1HF. £32, or £30 for members and concessions. Her Barbra Streisand show, seated: see our story. (Dorchester Arts)
  • The Magic of Motown, Friday 30 October, 7.30pm, Weymouth Pavilion, The Esplanade, Weymouth DT4 8ED. £35. The touring Motown hits show. (Weymouth Pavilion)
  • From The Jam, Friday 30 October, 8pm, Ocean Room, Weymouth Pavilion, The Esplanade, Weymouth DT4 8ED. £35. The Jam’s hits live. The Pavilion marked it “last few” on 18 October. (Weymouth Pavilion)
  • Tumbledown Free Autumnal Family Event, Friday 30 October, 10am to 1pm, Tumbledown, Radipole Lane, Weymouth DT4 9RP. Free. Spooky trails in the woods, autumn crafts, swift box making, Forest School activities and pumpkins to carve. (Weymouth Town Council)
  • Spooks by the Sea Parade and Trunk ‘n’ Treat, Friday 30 October, free. The Halloween parade sets off from outside The Range at 5pm, then a Trunk ‘n’ Treat at Melcombe Regis car park from 5.30pm to 7pm, with decorated car boots, stilt walkers and sweets. Face painting in town from 10am to 4pm. (We Are Weymouth)
  • Swanage Railway Halloween Ghost Trains, Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October, Swanage Railway. Adults £25, children £15. A family Halloween train with characters and onboard entertainment. (Swanage Railway)
  • Nothe of the Living Dead: The Freak Circus, Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October, booked slots from 6pm to 11.40pm, Nothe Fort, Barrack Road, Weymouth DT4 8UF. £25, ages 16 and over, under-18s with a paying adult. An hour of jump scares and escape-room puzzles. (Nothe Fort)
  • The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight, Saturday 31 October, 7.30pm, Weymouth Pavilion, The Esplanade, Weymouth DT4 8ED. £42 to £73. Fourteen classical musicians playing rock and metal anthems by candlelight. Marked “last few” on 18 October. (Weymouth Pavilion)
  • Peatbog Faeries, Saturday 31 October, 8pm, Electric Palace, 35 South Street, Bridport DT6 3NY. £26, ages 14 and over, under-18s with an adult. The band from Skye. (Electric Palace)

November

  • Weymouth Bonfire Night and Fireworks, Thursday 5 November, Weymouth Beach, The Esplanade, Weymouth DT4 7AN. Traders on the Promenade from 5pm, a drone show over the bay at 7.15pm, the bonfire lit at 7.40pm and fireworks at 8pm. Our Dorset fireworks page has the rest of the county. (Weymouth Town Council)
  • Bonfire and Fireworks at Melbury House, Friday 6 November, gates 6pm, fireworks 7pm, Melbury House, DT2 0LW. Booked tickets; the listing gives no price. Bonfire, BBQ and refreshments. (Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens)
  • Go Your Own Way: The Fleetwood Mac Legacy, Friday 6 November, 7.30pm, Weymouth Pavilion, The Esplanade, Weymouth DT4 8ED. £30. Fleetwood Mac’s songbook, from Dreams to Rhiannon. (Weymouth Pavilion)
  • Dorset Winter Food and Drink Fair, Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November, 10am to 3pm, Athelhampton House and Gardens, Puddletown, Dorchester DT2 7LG. £5 online in advance, £7.50 on the day. More than 60 Dorset producers and makers. (Athelhampton)
  • Lyme Regis Fireworks Display, Saturday 7 November, 6.30pm, Marine Parade, Lyme Regis. Free, with cash donations collected on the night. Fireworks over the harbour, run by the Lyme Regis Regatta and Carnival team. (Love Lyme Regis)
  • BridLit 2026 at the Electric Palace, Saturday 7 to Saturday 14 November, Electric Palace, 35 South Street, Bridport DT6 3NY. The Bridport Literary Festival’s sessions at the Palace open with Oliver Bullough at 10.30am on 7 November (£16.50). Mary Berry’s session on 13 November is sold out. (Electric Palace)
  • Remembrance Sunday Service, Dorchester, Sunday 8 November, 10.55am, Dorchester War Memorial. A reading by the Mayor, the Last Post and wreath laying. (Dorchester Town Council)
  • Remembrance Sunday Service and Parade, Weymouth, Sunday 8 November, service from 10.55am, Weymouth War Memorial, The Esplanade, then a parade along the Esplanade to the US Memorial. (Weymouth Town Council)
  • Remembrance Sunday Parade and Service, Lyme Regis, Sunday 8 November, procession 9.30am from Langmoor Gardens, service 10am at St Michael’s Church, silence at the clock tower at 11am. (Love Lyme Regis)
  • The Illegal Eagles, Friday 13 November, 7.30pm, Weymouth Pavilion, The Esplanade, Weymouth DT4 8ED. £41.50. The Eagles tribute band. (Weymouth Pavilion)
  • A Dorset Autumn Afternoon, Sunday 15 November, Dorchester Corn Exchange, High East Street, Dorchester DT1 1HF. £25 including a ploughman’s lunch and a welcome drink, with traditional Dorset entertainment: see our story. (Dorchester Arts)
  • Abbotsbury Illuminate, From Friday 20 November, selected evenings to 31 December, Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens, Buller’s Way, Abbotsbury DT3 4LA. Family tickets, no booking fee, free parking: see our Illuminate page. (Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens)
  • Lyme Regis Christmas Lights Switch-On, Saturday 21 November, Broad Street, Lyme Regis. Free lantern workshop at Pine Hall from 2pm, judging at 4pm, then the lantern parade and switch-on at 5pm, with Santa on his sleigh. (Love Lyme Regis)
  • A Starlit Christmas Ball at Kingston Lacy, From Saturday 21 November to 3 January, house 10.30am to 3pm, Kingston Lacy, near Wimborne. Normal admission, no booking; late openings to 7.30pm on 4 and 5 December: see our Kingston Lacy page. (National Trust)
  • Elf World Record Attempt and Christmas Lights Switch-On, Weymouth, Saturday 28 November, Weymouth town centre. Elf workshops 9am to 12pm, registration at Weymouth Pavilion 11am to 1pm, Dorset’s largest elf parade 1.15pm, a main stage from 1pm, and the lights switched on at 5pm in New Bond Street by the Mayor and the panto cast. (Weymouth Town Council)

Road closures and parking for the Remembrance services are on our Remembrance Sunday page. The Christmas season has its own pages: Christmas lights switch-ons (Dorchester and Swanage as well as Weymouth and Lyme), Christmas markets, pantomimes and Santa specials and grottos.

Regular events

  • Weymouth parkrun, every Saturday, 9am, Lodmoor Country Park, Lodmoor car park, Weymouth DT4 7SX. Free, register once before your first run. A timed 5k, starting at the back of the Lodmoor car park. (Weymouth parkrun)
  • The Great Field parkrun, Poundbury, every Saturday, 9am, The Great Field, Poundbury, Dorchester DT1 2FG. Free, register once before your first run. (The Great Field parkrun)
  • Dorchester Wednesday Market, every Wednesday, Fairfield Market, Dorchester. The weekly market founded in 1860, run by Dorchester Town Council since April 2026; a car boot sale uses the same site on Sunday mornings. (Dorchester Town Council)

Weymouth junior parkrun was on parkrun’s national cancellations list for Sunday 18 October, with the venue unavailable, so check the cancellations page before taking children to a Sunday run.

Send us your event

Running something in the Dorset Council area? Email hello@dorsetpost.co.uk with the date, time, venue, price and a photo. Listings are free of charge, and yours goes on this page and in the diary on our What’s On section.

Sources