Southport Comedy Festival runs 2 to 18 October, then Oktoberfest, Books Alive in half term and the rugby club fireworks on 6 November. Dates, venues, prices.

October in Southport belongs to the Southport Comedy Festival, seventeen shows in a heated marquee in Victoria Park from Friday 2 to Sunday 18 October. The marquee stays up for Southport Oktoberfest on the 23rd and 24th, then half term brings Books Alive!, a free children’s book festival across the town centre from 24 to 31 October. The Atkinson has a show most nights, the Little Theatre has two amateur runs, and in the first week of November come the rugby club’s fireworks on Friday 6th and the opening of a free Gilbert & George exhibition at The Atkinson on Saturday 7th.

Everything below comes from the organisers’ own listings, read on 28 September 2026: The Atkinson’s box office, the festival’s own programme, the Little Theatre, The Grand, Southport Market, Southport RFC, Southport FC, WWT Martin Mere and Sefton Council. Each entry links to its source, so check it before you set off. Southport has no council bonfire night; the town’s big fireworks were the championship on 26 and 27 September. For places that are open whatever the month, see our guide to things to do in Southport.

This week

  • Jane Eyre, Thursday 1 and Friday 2 October, 7.30pm, The Atkinson, Lord Street, PR8 1DB. A stage version of the Brontë novel. £23, under 16s and students £15 (The Atkinson).
  • The Unfriend, Friday 2 to Saturday 10 October, Little Theatre, Hoghton Street, PR9 0PA. Southport Dramatic Club stages the comedy about a couple too polite to evict an American houseguest who may be a serial killer. Box office 01704 530521 (Little Theatre Southport).
  • Southport Comedy Festival, Friday 2 to Sunday 18 October, Festival Marquee, Victoria Park, PR8 1RX. Most shows start at 8pm with doors at 7pm; tickets from £8 plus a booking fee. Seven shows have already gone to a waiting list: both Jason Manford shows, Jason Byrne, Henning Wehn, Gary Delaney, Paul Merton and Suki Webster, and Scott Bennett. The cheapest seats still on sale are the £8 New Comedian of the Year final and the £10 Comedy Bingo (Southport Comedy Festival). Our comedy festival guide has every show and start time.
  • Farmer Ted’s Pumpkin Festival, Friday 2 October to Sunday 1 November, Flatman’s Lane, Downholland, L39 7HW. From £12 a person or £41.50 for a family, booked online (Farmer Ted’s).
  • Mayor of Sefton’s Charity Quiz Night, Saturday 3 October, doors 7pm, quiz 8pm, Little Theatre. Teams of six at £10 a team, tickets from the Mayor’s Office on 0151 934 2062 (Little Theatre Southport).
  • An Afternoon with Tony Bellew, Sunday 4 October, doors 11.30am, starts 1pm, Southport Market Hall, King Street, PR8 1LA. Tony ‘The Bomber’ Bellew on his career from Liverpool to a WBC title; all ages (Southport Market).

Next week

  • Cake and Classical, Monday 5 October, 1pm, The Atkinson. A lunchtime recital, with a hot drink and cake from 12.30pm for table seats. £13 (The Atkinson).
  • An Evening with Danny McNamara, Wednesday 7 October, 7.30pm, The Atkinson. An evening with the founder and singer of Embrace. £28, meet and greet £75 (The Atkinson).
  • Grateful Fred’s: Brooks Williams and Aaron Catlow, Wednesday 7 October, 7.30pm, The Atkinson studio. The monthly Americana and roots night. £15 (The Atkinson).
  • What Happens in Vegas with Asa Murphy, Sunday 11 October, 1pm, The Grand, 180 Lord Street, PR9 0QG. Swing and crooner songs with the Swingtime Band. The Grand is on 01704 334533 (The Grand).

Later in October

  • BLACKOUT, Wednesday 14 October, 7.30pm, The Atkinson. An immersive horror play set during a late-night rehearsal, with haze, flashing lights and sudden darkness. £27 (The Atkinson).
  • Andy Fairweather Low and The Low Riders, Thursday 15 October, 7.30pm, The Atkinson. The former Amen Corner singer with his blues band. £33 (The Atkinson).
  • The Void, Friday 16 October at 7.30pm and Saturday 17 October at 2.30pm and 7.30pm, The Atkinson. A sci-fi horror play for 13 and over. £25, concessions £22.50 (The Atkinson).
  • The Angels of Mons, free, closes Saturday 17 October, The Atkinson, Monday to Saturday 10am to 4pm. An exhibition with Mons Memorial Museum on the First World War legend of St George’s phantom archers; Sefton has been twinned with Mons since 1964 (The Atkinson).
  • The Band, Saturday 17 to Saturday 24 October, Little Theatre. BOS Musical Theatre Company in the Take That musical. Booking line 0333 666 4466 (Little Theatre Southport).
  • Southport v Radcliffe, Saturday 17 October, Haig Avenue, PR8 6JZ, National League North (Southport FC).
  • North West Bird Watching Festival, Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October, WWT Martin Mere, Fish Lane, Burscough, L40 0TA. The reserve opens at 8am to watch the geese leave the roost; the site closes at 7pm on Saturday and 6pm on Sunday. Normal admission, with talks sold at the ticket desk (WWT Martin Mere).
  • An Evening with Jan Molby and Mick Miller, Friday 23 October, doors 6pm, starts 7.30pm, Southport Market Hall. The Liverpool legend on his career from Ajax to Anfield, with the comedian alongside (Southport Market).
  • Southport Oktoberfest, Friday 23 October 6pm to 10pm, and Saturday 24 October 1pm to 5pm and 6pm to 10pm, Victoria Park. Admission £15 early bird while they last, then £20. It is run by Elite Events, not the comedy festival (Southport Oktoberfest).
  • The Haunting of Blaine Manor, Saturday 24 October, 2.30pm and 7.30pm, The Atkinson. Joe O’Byrne’s ghost story set at a seance in 1953. £24, concessions £20 (The Atkinson).
  • Tom Jones Tribute Night, Saturday 24 October, 7pm, The Grand. £30 a head with a one-course meal (The Grand).
  • Books Alive!, Saturday 24 to Saturday 31 October, Southport town centre. Free. A Jolly Postman trail of nine installations around the centre, and a Festival of Stories at The Atkinson and Southport Library on Thursday 29 and Friday 30 October. The full programme is still to come (Visit Southport, Sefton Council). Our Books Alive page has the detail.
  • SUPER Natural half term, Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November, WWT Martin Mere. Willow wands, marshland potions and owl pellets, 12pm to 3pm, included with entry (WWT Martin Mere).
  • Southport v Macclesfield, Tuesday 27 October, Haig Avenue, National League North (Southport FC).
  • Freezin, Wednesday 28 October, 1pm and 4.30pm, The Atkinson. A half-term family show about Jack Frost’s eternal winter. £18, under 16s £16 (The Atkinson).
  • John Lydon: I Could Be Wrong, I Could Be Right, Thursday 29 October, 7.30pm, The Atkinson. An evening with Johnny Rotten himself, 16 and over. £35, VIP £49 (The Atkinson).
  • Southport v AFC Telford United, Saturday 31 October, Haig Avenue, National League North (Southport FC).
  • Southport Market’s Halloween Bash, Saturday 31 October, 7pm, Southport Market Hall. A DJ, competitions and a costume contest. Adults £15, children £10 (Southport Market).

For pumpkin picking and the rest of half term, see our Halloween and half term guide.

November

  • Hocus Pocus Family Halloween Spooktacular, Sunday 1 November, 11am to 2pm or 3pm to 6pm, The Grand. A live Sanderson Sisters show and fancy dress. £10 a person (The Grand).
  • Southport Rugby Club Fireworks Extravaganza, Friday 6 November, gates 6pm, display about 8pm, Southport RFC, Waterloo Road, Hillside, PR8 4QW. Adults £9, children 4 to 15 £6, a family of four £28, under 3s free, plus a booking fee; only a few tickets are kept for the gate. There is no car park for the event, so use Hillside station, five minutes’ walk, or the 49 bus. No dogs and no sparklers (Southport RFC).
  • The Incident Room, Friday 6 to Saturday 14 November, Little Theatre. Southport Dramatic Club’s drama about the Leeds detectives hunting the Yorkshire Ripper in 1975 (Little Theatre Southport).
  • Susie Dent: Word Perfect, Saturday 7 November, 2.30pm, The Atkinson. £28. Only 27 of 382 seats were left on 28 September (The Atkinson).
  • ARTIST ROOMS: Gilbert & George, from Saturday 7 November to 20 February, The Atkinson, Monday to Saturday 10am to 4pm, free. Work from the national collection owned by Tate and the National Galleries of Scotland, the pair’s first show in the North West in over 30 years (The Atkinson).
  • Remembrance Sunday, Sunday 8 November, at the war memorial on Lord Street. The Royal British Legion holds it on the second Sunday of November; the 2026 parade times are not published yet (Royal British Legion, Southport). Our Remembrance Sunday page has last year’s timings and the road closures.

The Christmas lights launch comes next; see our Christmas lights page.

Regular events

  • Southport parkrun, every Saturday at 9am, Hesketh Park, Park Crescent, PR9 9ND. A free, timed 5k; register once and bring your barcode (parkrun).
  • Southport Artisan Market, the first Saturday of every month, 10am to 4pm, in Southport Market Hall and on Market Street. Next dates Saturday 3 October and Saturday 7 November (Southport Market, Independent Street).
  • Martin Mere’s free late openings, Wednesdays and Saturdays from 3 to 24 October, 5.30pm to 7pm. The Discovery Hide and nature trail stay open to watch the pink-footed geese come in to roost; no booking (WWT Martin Mere).
  • Martin Mere’s winter swan feed, daily at 3pm from Saturday 17 October to 14 March, at the Discovery Hide with a warden’s commentary, included with admission (WWT Martin Mere). Our swan feeds page has the prices.

Send us your event

Running something in Southport, Formby or the villages? Email hello@southporttoday.co.uk with the date, time, venue, price and a photo. Listings are free of charge, and each one goes on this page and in the diary on our front page.