Aylsham Food Festival ends with a £13 brunch on 4 October, Wroxham Barns' free pumpkin patch opens on the 10th, and two fireworks displays fire on 7 November.

The Aylsham Food Festival finishes this weekend, with the Big Slow Brunch on Sunday 4 October, and Wroxham Barns holds a free makers market the same day. Pumpkin picking opens at Wroxham Barns on Saturday 10 October. Half term fills the last week of the month, and Wroxham Barns has its low bang fireworks and Spixworth Scouts their display on Saturday 7 November.

Everything below was reread from the organisers’ own pages on 3 October 2026. Each entry links to its source, so you can check before you set off. A price appears only where the organiser publishes one. For places that are open whatever the month, see our guide to things to do in Broadland.

This week

Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October.

  • Journeys: Global Textiles from the Karun Thakar Collection, daily to Sunday 1 November, 11am to 4pm, Blickling Estate, NR11 6NF. Kimonos, kanthas, Kente cloth and more, shown in the house. No booking; normal admission applies and members go free (National Trust).
  • Aylsham Food Festival, to Sunday 4 October, Aylsham town centre, run by Slow Food Aylsham. Saturday: the Food and Craft Market below, and the wine tasting. Sunday: the Big Slow Brunch at the Town Hall, 10am to 1pm, £13, under-12s £6.50, booked by email with Slow Food Aylsham; the organisers say events usually sell out (Slow Food Aylsham, Visit Aylsham).
  • Aylsham Food and Craft Market, Saturday 3 October, 9am to 2pm, Market Place, Aylsham, NR11 6EL. The monthly market of local produce and crafts, formerly Aylsham Farmers’ Market, this month part of the food festival. The town council gives 9am to 2pm; the festival listing says 8am to 1pm, so go early (Aylsham Town Council).
  • Wine Tasting with Brix & Bones, Saturday 3 October, 7pm, Friendship Hall, Cawston Road, Aylsham. £25 a person. Six wines, with cheese, nibbles and commentary. The heritage centre’s ticket page showed the event as unavailable on 29 September, so ask before you go (Aylsham Heritage Centre).
  • Halloween at BeWILDerwood, Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October, 11am to 6pm, Horning Road, Hoveton, NR12 8JW. Twig or Treating with the characters, then a Glowing Light Trail at dusk. It repeats on 10 and 11 October and 17 and 18 October, then runs daily from 24 October to 1 November (BeWILDerwood).
  • Stranger Folk, Volume 1: Crone Calling, daily to Sunday 8 November, Blickling Estate. It runs 10am to 5pm until 25 October, then 10am to 4pm. A folklore adventure game for families, played on one phone, for age seven and over. The app is free; normal admission applies (National Trust).
  • October Makers Market, Sunday 4 October, 10am to 3pm, Wroxham Barns. Free to enter and free to park. Up to 25 stalls from Norfolk makers, with live music. Dogs on leads are welcome (Wroxham Barns).

Next week

Monday 5 to Sunday 11 October.

  • Journeys: Global Garden Tour, Friday 9 October, 10.15am to 11.15am, Blickling Estate. Gardener Bill Adamson on the plants that reached Blickling from around the world. Booking is essential (National Trust).
  • Dippy’s After School Adventure: Halloween Party, Friday 9 October, 5pm to 7pm, Dinomite at ROARR!, Lenwade. £8 a child including one adult; extra adults £5. Halloween games and an hour of free play. Fancy dress is welcome (ROARR!).
  • Pumpkin Patch at Wroxham Barns, Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October, 10am to 4pm. Free to enter, with pumpkins from £2. It is open again on 17 and 18 October, then through half term to 31 October. The page gives both the 23rd and the 24th as the first half term day, so check before a Friday visit (Wroxham Barns).
  • Relaxing gong session, Sunday 11 October, 6pm to 7pm, Aylsham Town Hall, Market Place, NR11 6EL. An hour to rest under blankets as the evenings draw in. Places are limited; book with Julie on 07849 012213 or Jaime on 07789 407581 (Visit Aylsham).

Later in October

  • Woodwork classes for beginners, Monday 12 to Sunday 18 October, 10am to 5pm, Wroxham Barns. £85 a person. One-day classes with Pat’s Wood Crafts for up to four people. You make a bottle opener and a clock to take home. Book on 01603 784245 (Wroxham Barns).
  • Journeys: Global Blickling Tour, Friday 16 October, 10.15am to 11.15am, Blickling Estate. Curator Megan Dennis on the estate’s links to India, America, Japan and beyond. Booking is essential (National Trust).
  • Specialist tour: Textile Conservation Studio, Tuesday 20 October, 11am to 12.30pm, Blickling Estate. £25 a ticket. A look behind the scenes in the studio’s 50th anniversary year. Booking is essential (National Trust).
  • The Languages of Norwich and Norfolk: talk by Prof Chris Joby, Thursday 22 October, Aylsham Town Hall, Market Place, NR11 6EL. Arrive at 7pm for a 7.30pm start. Free to society members, £5 for others (Aylsham Local History Society).
  • Autumn Lanterns Workshop, Thursday 22 October, 6.30pm to 9pm, Urban Clay, 35 Red Lion Street, Aylsham, NR11 6ER. £45, including materials, nibbles and a drink. Build a willow and tissue paper lantern lit with LEDs; bring an apron (Waterbank Press, on Humanitix).
  • Aylsham Picture House: Thelma & Louise, Friday 23 October, Aylsham Town Hall, doors 6.30pm, film 7.30pm. Visiting mixologists serve film-themed cocktails to mark the Picture House’s tenth year. No price is published (Visit Aylsham).
  • Magic & Mischief at Wroxham Barns, Friday 23 October to Sunday 1 November, 10am to 5pm. Online price £13.50 for adults and children aged two and over, infants £3, babies free. Wilma the Witch’s potion trail and Broomstick Bootcamp on the Adventure Farm. Each child ticket includes a pumpkin (Wroxham Barns).
  • Kids Go Free October Half Term, Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November, Bure Valley Railway, Aylsham Station, Norwich Road, NR11 6BW. Up to two children travel free with each full-paying adult. The steam ride is 45 minutes each way, with Halloween activities (Bure Valley Railway).
  • Free Halloween pumpkin picking at Pettitts, Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November, 10am to 5pm, Pettitts Adventure Park, Reedham, NR13 3UA. Every paying child gets a free pumpkin to carve and take home. The park’s season ends on 1 November (Pettitts).
  • Trust10 trail run at Blickling, Sunday 25 October, 9.20am, Blickling Estate. The monthly 10k on the fourth Sunday, with a 3k option. Briefing is at the white park gates. No booking (National Trust).
  • Autumn Archery at Blickling, Monday 26 October, 11am to 3pm, Blickling Estate. Included in normal admission, no booking. It depends on volunteers, so ask on arrival (National Trust).
  • Nature Wands craft workshop, Tuesday 27 October, 11am to 3pm, Blickling Estate, with a second session by Friday 30 October. Children make a wand from natural materials. Included in normal admission, no booking (National Trust).
  • Spooky Spokes: balance bikes and obstacle course, Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 October, 10.30am to 3.30pm, Blickling Estate. Balance bikes for three to five year olds and an obstacle course for older children. Included in normal admission (National Trust).
  • Wonder Wednesday at Fairhaven, Wednesday 28 October, 10am to 2pm, Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden, School Road, South Walsham, NR13 6DZ. The garden’s school holiday activity session (Fairhaven).
  • Family Nature Pack Walk at Blickling, Thursday 29 October, 11am to 12pm, Blickling Estate. A guided garden walk with binoculars and digital microscopes, for age three and over. Reserve a place at the Estate Barn on arrival (National Trust).
  • Pumpkin Carving at Fairhaven, Thursday 29 October, 10am to 2pm, Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden. Booked through the garden’s ticket site (Fairhaven).
  • Backtracking live at Aylsham Town Hall, Saturday 31 October, 7.30pm to 10.30pm, Market Place, Aylsham. The six-piece local band plays 60s and 70s rock, soul and pop. The night raises money for the Aylsham Christmas lights. The Christmas Lights Committee has set tickets at £12, sold at Postles; bring your own food and drink, and there will be a raffle (Visit Aylsham, Christmas Lights Committee minutes, 10 September).
  • Halloween nature walk at Barton Boardwalk, Saturday 31 October, 5pm to 7pm, Barton Angler car park, Long Road, NR12 8XP. £7.01, booking essential. Broads Authority rangers lead a spooky walk as dusk falls (Visit the Broads).

Norfolk’s half term has its own page, with the school dates: October half term around the Broads. Every pumpkin patch and Halloween event is on our Broads Halloween page.

November

  • Winter Makers Market, Sunday 1 November, Wroxham Barns. Free to enter and free to park. Up to 60 stalls, indoors and out, with live music from 11.30am to 1.30pm. Opening times are not yet published (Wroxham Barns).
  • Flint Vineyard at Mannington, Friday 6 November, 5pm to 9pm, Mannington Hall, NR11 7BB. Tickets are free but must be booked in advance. Wine, a bonfire with marshmallows, live music and wood-fired pizza (Mannington Estate).
  • Low Bang Fireworks at Wroxham Barns, Saturday 7 November. A quieter, child-friendly display set to film music, with food trucks and a licensed bar. Wroxham Barns has not yet published times or prices (Wroxham Barns).
  • Spixworth Fireworks, Saturday 7 November, 6.30pm to 9.30pm, field opposite The Longe Arms, 1 Crostwick Lane, Spixworth, NR10 3PE. The 1st Spixworth Scouts’ annual display. Tickets go on sale in October at Spixworth Co-op or from a Scout leader; 2026 prices are not yet published (1st Spixworth Scout Group).
  • Shaun the Sheep Find the Flock Garden Trail, daily from Saturday 14 November, 10am to 4pm, Blickling Estate. A trail of Shaun the Sheep sculptures through the garden, running into the Christmas season. Free, but normal admission applies (National Trust).

The community bonfire night displays are tracked on our Broadland fireworks page. Later in November the Christmas season starts. See Broads Christmas markets, the Fairhaven Christmas Lights Walk, Blickling at Christmas and BeWILDerwood’s Christmas event.

Regular events

  • Blickling parkrun, every Saturday, 9am, Blickling Park, NR11 6NF. A free timed 5k. Register once and bring your barcode (parkrun).
  • Catton parkrun, every Saturday, 9am, Catton Park, Oak Lane, NR6 7DB. Free (parkrun).
  • Brundall parkrun, every Saturday, 9am, Brundall Countryside Park, Postwick Lane, NR13 5RF. Free (parkrun).
  • Fitzmaurice Park parkrun, every Saturday, 9am, Fitzmaurice Park, Pound Lane, Thorpe St Andrew, NR7 0UL. Free (parkrun).
  • Blickling Bounders weekly dog walk, every Monday, 10am to 12pm, Blickling Estate. Free, no booking. Meet at the Old School in the main car park (National Trust).
  • Blickling Social Walk, every Friday, 10am to 11.30am, Blickling Estate. A led walk of just under three miles, past the lake and the Mausoleum. Meet at the Estate Barn at 9.50am. No booking; non-members pay for parking (National Trust).
  • Aylsham Food and Craft Market, first Saturday of every month except January, 9am to 2pm, Market Place. The remaining 2026 dates are 7 November and 5 December (Aylsham Town Council).

Getting there

Blickling, the Bure Valley Railway and Aylsham Market Place are all within two miles of each other. All eight Broadland council car parks are free, and our page on parking in Broadland lists them. Check Broadland roadworks and travel before a booked time slot.

Dates can still change, so use the links before you travel. More in our What’s On section.

Send us your event

Running an event in the Broads or the villages north of Norwich? Email hello@broadsnews.co.uk with the date, time, venue, price and a photo. Listings are free of charge. Your event goes on this page and in the diary on our What’s On hub.

Sources

Image: “Blickling Hall, Norfolk” by nick macneill, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blickling_Hall,Norfolk-geograph.org.uk-_2430279.jpg).