Free motocross on Weymouth Beach on 10 and 11 October, the fireworks at 8pm on 5 November, plus 42 more dated events with times, prices and organiser links.

The biggest free event of the Dorset autumn is on the sand: Weymouth Beach Motocross on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October, which the organisers say draws more than 25,000 spectators on race day. Three and a half weeks later the town council lights its bonfire on the same beach, with fireworks at 8pm on Thursday 5 November. Between the two come the Weymouth Octoberfest, Halloween ghost trains on the Swanage Railway and a run of big names at the Electric Palace in Bridport and the Pavilion.

This page covers Saturday 3 October to Saturday 14 November. Every entry was read on 3 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

Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October.

  • Pirate Weekend at Nothe Fort, Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October, 10am to 4pm, Nothe Fort, Barrack Road, Weymouth DT4 8UF. Included in admission, which is £11 for an adult and £4.50 for a child aged 5 to 16. A treasure hunt with chocolate coin prizes, a pirate ship on the parade ground, dressing up and water cannons. (Nothe Fort)
  • Gary Delaney: Gary On Laughing, Sunday 4 October, 7.30pm, Weymouth Pavilion, The Esplanade, Weymouth DT4 8ED. £30.50. A new hour of one-liners. The Pavilion’s listing marked it “last few” on 3 October. (Weymouth Pavilion)
  • Via Dolorosa by David Hare, Sunday 4 October, 7pm, doors 6.30pm, Dorchester Corn Exchange, High East Street, Dorchester DT1 1HF. £16, or £14 for members and concessions. Gary Hay performs David Hare’s monologue about his 1997 journey through Israel and Palestine. (Dorchester Arts)

Next week

Monday 5 to Sunday 11 October.

  • The Phantoms, starring Lee Mead, Thursday 8 October, 7.30pm, Weymouth Pavilion, The Esplanade, Weymouth DT4 8ED. Adults £37, concessions £35. Songs from Les Misérables, Miss Saigon, West Side Story and The Phantom of the Opera. A meet and greet at 6pm is sold as a £73 add-on. (Weymouth Pavilion)
  • Black Water County, Thursday 8 October, 8pm, doors and bar 7.30pm, Dorchester Corn Exchange, High East Street, Dorchester DT1 1HF. £18, or £16 for members and concessions. The five-piece folk-punk band. It is a standing gig, and Dorchester Arts says it cannot guarantee seating. (Dorchester Arts)
  • Mark Thomas: 40 in Stand-Up Years, Friday 9 October, 7.30pm, doors 6.30pm, Hardye Theatre, Thomas Hardye School, Queens Avenue, Dorchester DT1 2ET. £22, or £16 for concessions. The comedian marks 40 years at the microphone. Note the venue: this one is at the school’s theatre, not the Corn Exchange. (Dorchester Arts)
  • Rave On: The Ultimate 50s and 60s Experience, Friday 9 October, 7.30pm, Weymouth Pavilion, The Esplanade, Weymouth DT4 8ED. £29. Rock and roll from Sun Records to the British Invasion. Pre-show meals are served in the Piano Bar from 5pm. (Weymouth Pavilion)
  • David Olusoga: The Global History of the British Cup of Tea, Saturday 10 October, 7.30pm, Electric Palace, 35 South Street, Bridport DT6 3NY. £32 in advance, £34 on the door, ages 14 and over. A new illustrated talk with a Q&A and book signing. It was moved from Saturday 26 September and existing bookings remain valid. (Electric Palace)
  • Weymouth Beach Motocross, Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October, from 12pm on Saturday to 5pm on Sunday, Weymouth Beach, The Esplanade, Weymouth DT4 7AN. Free for spectators. Saturday is the track build, with demonstrations, traders and children’s rides along the seafront. Sunday is race day. It is organised by Weymouth and Portland Lions Club with Purbeck Motocross Club, and the money raised goes to local causes. (Weymouth Town Council)
  • Bincombe Bumps Pumpkins, opens Saturday 10 October, 10am to 4pm, Bincombe, near Weymouth. Free to enter. A pick-your-own pumpkin patch with a haunted house, play areas and trick or treat, also open 11, 17 and 18 October and daily from 24 to 31 October. Our Dorset Halloween page has the other patches and trails. (Bincombe Bumps Events)
  • Artillery Display at Nothe Fort, Sunday 11 October, firing between 12pm and 3pm, Nothe Fort, Barrack Road, Weymouth DT4 8UF. Included in admission, £11 for an adult. Musketry and cannon drills by the fort’s Victorian garrison, the last demonstration of 2026. Ear defenders can be borrowed. (Nothe Fort)

Driving in for the motocross? Our Dorset roadworks and travel page carries any closures the council announces, and parking in Dorset has the Weymouth car parks.

Later in October

Dorset Council’s half term is 26 to 30 October. Our October half term page has the school dates and more for families.

  • Kathakali, The Kala Chethena Company, Thursday 15 October, 7.30pm, doors and bar 7pm, Dorchester Corn Exchange, High East Street, Dorchester DT1 1HF. £16, or £14 for members and concessions. The classical dance drama of Kerala, performed by artists from south India. (Dorchester Arts)
  • Weymouth Octoberfest, real ale and cider festival, Friday 16 and Saturday 17 October, sessions 11am to 4pm and 6.30pm to 11pm each day, Ocean Room, Weymouth Pavilion, The Esplanade, Weymouth DT4 8ED. £12.50 a session online, including a glass, a programme and beer tokens; £15.50 if bought from the Pavilion. West Dorset CAMRA’s 20th festival. Friday lunchtime has sold out, and on 3 October Saturday lunchtime had 4 tickets left. Friday evening has a quiz and Saturday evening a live band. (CAMRA tickets)
  • Ruby Wax: Absolutely Famous, Friday 16 October, 8pm, Electric Palace, 35 South Street, Bridport DT6 3NY. £37, ages 14 and over. Ruby Wax and producer Clive Tulloh go back through clips from her television interviews. (Electric Palace)
  • Paul Merton and Suki Webster’s Improv Show, Saturday 17 October, 8pm, Weymouth Pavilion, The Esplanade, Weymouth DT4 8ED. £29. Improvised games and scenes with Mike McShane and guests. (Weymouth Pavilion)
  • Dressed For Duty: Fashion, Function and the British Army, Saturday 17 October to Sunday 13 December, Dorset Museum & Art Gallery, High West Street, Dorchester DT1 1XA. Included in the museum entry ticket; children under 16 go free with a paying adult. An exhibition from The Keep Military Museum on 200 years of army uniform, from red coats to camouflage. (Dorset Museum)
  • Nigel Havers: Talking Bllcks, Monday 19 October, 7.30pm, Weymouth Pavilion, The Esplanade, Weymouth DT4 8ED. £38. The actor’s second tour of stories from five decades on stage and screen. (Weymouth Pavilion)
  • Store Tour at the Collections Discovery Centre, Wednesday 21 October, 2pm to 3pm, Dorset Museum & Art Gallery, High West Street, Dorchester DT1 1XA. Free for members and museum ticket holders, and it must be booked. A behind-the-scenes tour of the museum’s stores and conservation studio, limited to 12 people. (Dorset Museum)
  • 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)
  • 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)
  • 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. Ten live bands across two days, among them The Jets and Darrel Higham and The Enforcers. Day passes cannot be swapped between days. (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: square bubbles, fog-filled bubbles and people inside bubbles. (Electric Palace)
  • 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, on the gate or online. Children follow clues to find escaped pumpkins around the gardens and get a prize at the end; fancy dress welcome. (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; no booking fee, free parking. The light trail through the gardens, run early this year before its Christmas season from 20 November: see our Abbotsbury Illuminate page. (Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens)
  • 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, £11 for an adult and £4.50 for a child. A mouse hunt, wand making and pumpkin golf daily, with spooky bingo at 11am and 2pm. Family ghost tour dates were still to be announced. The fort then shuts for the winter from 2 November. (Nothe Fort)
  • 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)
  • Tumbledown Free Autumnal Family Event, Friday 30 October, 10am to 1pm, Tumbledown, Radipole Lane, Weymouth DT4 9RP. Free. Trails in the woods, autumn crafts, swift box making, Forest School activities and pumpkins to carve. (Weymouth Town Council)
  • From The Jam, Friday 30 October, 8pm, Ocean Room, Weymouth Pavilion, The Esplanade, Weymouth DT4 8ED. £35. The Jam’s hits live, from Going Underground to Town Called Malice. Tables and chairs are set out but seating is not allocated, and there is a large dance floor. (Weymouth Pavilion)
  • 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. The Fascinating Aïda singer’s Barbra Streisand show with her band, seated: see our story. (Dorchester Arts)
  • Swanage Railway Halloween Ghost Trains, Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October, Swanage Railway. Adults £25, children £15. A heritage train with Halloween characters and onboard entertainment, then crafts and slime-making at Corfe Castle station; the ticket also covers the railway’s other trains that day. (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 live actors, jump scares and escape-room puzzles in a zombie circus. (Nothe Fort)
  • Lyme Regis Halloween Duck Race, Saturday 31 October, 12pm, Windsor Terrace, Higher Mill Flats, Lyme Regis DT7 3AW. Numbered toy ducks are released at Woodmead Road Bridge and race down the River Lym to Jordan Flats. First duck home wins £100, and the proceeds go to Lyme Heartbeat, which keeps the town’s defibrillators. (Love Lyme Regis)
  • 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, playing traditional tunes over dance-floor rhythms. (Electric Palace)

November

  • Weymouth Bonfire Night and Fireworks, Thursday 5 November, Weymouth Beach, The Esplanade, Weymouth DT4 7AN. Traders are on the Promenade from 5pm, the bonfire is lit at 7.40pm and the fireworks are fired from a vessel in Weymouth Bay at 8pm, with a pilot drone display whose timing is still to be confirmed. 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)
  • Dorset Winter Food and Drink Fair, Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November, 10am to 3pm, last admission 2.30pm, Athelhampton House and Gardens, Puddletown, Dorchester DT2 7LG. £5 online in advance, £7.50 on the day, under-12s free, gardens included; the house itself is closed that weekend. Dogs on leads welcome at the fair. (Athelhampton)
  • BridLit 2026: Oliver Bullough, Saturday 7 November, 10.30am, Electric Palace, 35 South Street, Bridport DT6 3NY. £16.50. The first Bridport Literary Festival session at the Palace, on how money laundering won, with festival chair Stuart Rock. Festival events run at the theatre until 14 November. (Electric Palace)
  • 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 with the Cobb behind, organised by the Lyme Regis Regatta and Carnival team. (Love Lyme Regis)
  • Remembrance Sunday Service, Dorchester, Sunday 8 November, 10.55am, Dorchester War Memorial, Dorchester. The town’s service, with a reading by the Mayor, the Last Post and wreath laying. (Dorchester Town Council)
  • Remembrance Sunday Service and Parade, Weymouth, Sunday 8 November, listed 10.30am to 11.30am, service from 10.55am, Weymouth War Memorial, The Esplanade, Weymouth. The service is at the War Memorial on the promenade, followed by a parade along the Esplanade to the US Memorial and a second wreath laying. (Weymouth Town Council)
  • Remembrance Sunday Parade and Service, Lyme Regis, Sunday 8 November, parade 9.30am, church service 10am, silence at the clock tower at 11am, St Michael’s Church, Church Street, Lyme Regis. The procession leaves the Pound Street entrance to Langmoor Gardens and goes down Broad Street to St Michael’s Church. (Love Lyme Regis)
  • The Illegal Eagles, Friday 13 November, 7.30pm, Weymouth Pavilion, The Esplanade, Weymouth DT4 8ED. £41.50. The band’s 30th-year Hotel California tour, with the whole album and then the Eagles’ hits. Pre-show meals in the Piano Bar from 5pm, booked on 01305 783225. (Weymouth Pavilion)

Road closures and parking for the services are on our Remembrance Sunday page. After that the Christmas season starts: see Christmas lights switch-ons, 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 to walk, jog or run, 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. Dorchester’s 5k, with coffee afterwards at the Pavilion in the Park. (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. The same site has a car boot sale on Sunday mornings, and Cornhill in the town centre has stalls through the week. (Dorchester Town Council)

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