Things to do
What's new around town, plus the weekend's best bets. The kind of plans that don't need a spreadsheet.
Friday
Fri 13 Nov · doors 6.30pm · tickets via the Colosseum
The tribute to Jeff Lynne and the Electric Light Orchestra, with the strings, the light show and the hits: Mr Blue Sky, Livin' Thing, Telephone Line, Don't Bring Me Down and plenty more.
Got a ticket already? It Walks Around The House At Night, ThickSkin's ghost story, is at Watford Palace Theatre · Fri 13 Nov · 7.30pm · 1 hour 30 minutes, no interval · ages 14+. Every ticket band shows as sold out, so this one's for ticket holders.
Saturday
Sat 14 Nov · 10am to 1pm · Church Street, WD18 0EG · free, donations welcome
A wobbly chair, a bike that clicks, a lamp that's given up? Bring it along. Volunteers help with electrical items, furniture, toys, bikes, clothing and textiles, glasses frames and jewellery, plastic and resin repairs, and they'll sharpen tools and scissors too. No appointment: just turn up, register your item at the desk, and have a tea and a slice of cake while you wait. You stay with your item and watch or help. It's on the second Saturday of every month.
From Sat 14 Nov to Sun 17 Jan · Leavesden · tickets must be booked in advance
The Harry Potter sets get their festive dressing: the Great Hall with Christmas trees and a festive feast, the Gryffindor and Slytherin common rooms in garlands and wreaths, and the Hogwarts castle model under a blanket of filmmaking snow. New this year, the Backlot Stage shows how Christmas sound effects were made with Foley.
No Hornets this weekend: it's the international break. Watford are next up away at Sheffield United on Sat 21 Nov, 3pm (BBC Sport fixtures).
Watford Repair Café, St Mary's Church Annex ↗Hogwarts in the Snow, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London ↗
Sunday
Sun 15 Nov · 2pm · WSL 2 · home
Fresh from a 1-0 win away at Leicester City last Sunday, Watford FC Women are at home to Ipswich Town. Fixture details on BBC Sport, tickets via Watford FC.
Sun 15 Nov · 6.15pm · standard tickets £30.50 and £33
A night of musical theatre where young performers from across the region share the stage with West End professionals.
What's new
Tasty Bean team to run the new Town Hall café. The family business behind The Tasty Bean at Oxhey Activity Park will open a café on the ground floor of the Town Hall, with an outdoor terrace overlooking the new Town Square. It's scheduled for spring 2027, alongside the new Museum of Watford.
What's new
Beryl bikes pass two million kilometres. That's almost 50 trips round the Earth since the scheme launched in March 2020. Watford Junction is the busiest bay, and more than four in five journeys this year have been on an e-bike.
What's new
Woodside Community Centre on track to reopen in spring 2027, run by Chime Housing. Want a say in what happens there? There's a meeting for a resident stakeholder group on Tue 17 Nov at 6pm at Combewood, Horseshoe Lane.
What's new
Totally Spooking Out trail, Rickmansworth Aquadrome · daily until Sun 15 Nov · free. Three Rivers District Council's new augmented reality trail: find 10 Halloween masks on the trees, scan each QR code, then try the mask on for a spooky selfie. It takes about 45 minutes, there's a free digital fun pack at the end, and you'll need a smartphone.
From the 29 October issue
What's new
Dark Arts, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London · until Sun 8 Nov · Leavesden · book in advance. The Great Hall under more than 100 floating pumpkins, with Death Eaters and Dementors about. It's included in the normal ticket price. The after-hours Nox nights (Thu 29 to Sat 31 Oct) are sold out.
From the 29 October issue
What's new
Hertfordshire schools on the county calendar finish on Friday 23 Oct and are off from Mon 26 to Fri 30 Oct. Academies and free schools can set their own dates, so check with your school. What's on that week is in Plan Ahead below.
From the 22 October issue
What's new
The museum's building on the High Street is closed while it moves into Watford Town Hall, with the new museum due in 2027. You can still explore the collections and get involved in the meantime.
From the 22 October issue
What's new
Sophie Cordery's paintings and prints are up in the Charles Room as the latest Art@ the Pump House show. It's free and open whenever Tina Lake's café is open (see below).
From the 22 October issue
What's new
Navratri 2026 with Watford Hindu Group. Three days of Navratri at Woodside Leisure Centre (WD25 7HH) this weekend: Fri 16 and Sat 17 Oct from 8pm to midnight, then a Sunday afternoon session on Sun 18 Oct from 3 to 7pm. £5 a ticket, under 2s free. Book online in advance, as there's no cash on the door.
From the 15 October issue
What's new
Reply and tell us.
From the 15 October issue
What's new
Rak-Su are coming home. Watford's own X Factor winners play a home town show at the Palace on Sun 18 Oct, billed as One For The Road. Doors 3.15pm, Rak-Su on at 5pm, done by 6.15pm, tickets from £28. Could be a goodbye, could be a restart. Either way, it's a Watford night.
From the 8 October issue
What's new
If you hear of one, reply and tell us.
From the 8 October issue
