EVENT
Gyles Brandreth
6 October
Charter Hall, Colchester
He’s back – and unstoppable. Gyles Brandreth can’t stop talking. The jumper-loving This Morning and Just A Minute star, who pops up on Pointless, QI, Would I Lie To You?, Sunday Brunch, and Celebrity Gogglebox, has been babbling since he was a baby, and in his hilarious new one-man show the award-winning raconteur is trying to work out why. He’s won the Audience Award for Most Popular Show on the Fringe, multiple 5-star reviews and every time he’s in Edinburgh his shows sell out.
THEATRE
Beautiful Thing
Until 7 October
Stratford East
Teenage boys Ste and Jamie are neighbours on a South London estate. Jamie is more knowledgeable about The Sound of Music than football, while classmate Ste never misses a sports day. Both are being bullied, Jamie at school and Ste at home by his violent father and brother. One night, when things get too much, Ste seeks refuge in Jamie’s flat and, sharing a bed, the boys strike up a new relationship. Together they come to terms with their sexuality and explore their feelings alongside their Mama Cass loving, rebellious friend Leah and with the much-needed emotional support of Jamie’s lioness mother, Sandra. This 30th-anniversary revival of Jonathan Harvey’s iconic, coming-out and coming-of-age story set in the nineties, is about community, friendship, rites of passage and what it is to be 16 and in love.
EVENT
Simon Reeve
8 October
Cliffs Pavilion, Southend
Simon Reeve – To The Ends of the Earth follows his 72-date sell-out tour An Audience
With Simon Reeve, which ran from 2018-2020, and will see the adventurer aim to inspire
audiences to embark on more journeys and make the most of their chances to have wild
experiences in the great outdoors. With behind-the-scenes footage and stunning imagery, Simon will share surprising and thrilling stories, deeper thoughts and hearty laughs. Simon’s travels have taken him to more than 130 countries, across jungles, deserts, mountains and oceans, and to some of the most beautiful, dangerous and remote regions of the world.
EVENT
Latent Spaces
From 14 October
Crossrail Place
London’s acclaimed and newest experiential art hub, Illusionaries, has announced its latest exhibition, Latent Spaces. Members of the public will step into a unique multisensory world exclusively created by Illusionaries, to experience the latest immersive audio-visual art at the Canary Wharf venue. Latent Spaces comes from the mind of Illusionaries’ newest creative, generative artist Markos Kay. His artistic creations will be presented inside the venue’s hypnotic world, enabling visitors to experience a dazzling fusion of art and technology.
FAMILY
Science Festival
21-22 October
Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford
The Royal Society of Chemistry Essex Section volunteers are looking forward to attending the Chelmsford Science Festival family fun day, bringing with them a selection of chemistry themed hands on activities for all the family. These will include Periodic table crafts, electrolysis microscaled, fun with density and investigating endo and exo thermic reactions, plus more dazzling experiments right before your eyes.
EVENT
Tailenders
22 October
Cliffs Pavilion, Southend
The award-winning Tailenders podcast are heading on their biggest live tour to date – The Inaugural (Annual) Farewell Tour. Broadcaster and Radio 1 Breakfast Show host Greg James, musician and former Maccabees guitarist Felix White and England’s greatest cricketer Jimmy Anderson will take their alternative (and sometimes musical) look at cricket on the road across the UK this autumn. Expect a night of cricket, a night of laughs and night of surprises.
Guten tag
Say hello to the best of Oktoberfest in Essex
Oktoberfest Essex 2023
6-7 October
The world famous Oktoberfest returns to Chelmsford for the sixth time. The event at Central Park will feature VIP tables with waitress service, two pint steins of bier, live oompah bands, DJs, fancy dress and a whole host of fun, games and frolics.
Oktoberfest Southend
20-21 October
The most important date of Germany’s cultural calendar arrives back at Priory Park in Southend. Taking place inside what is set to be one of Europe’s largest bier tent for a Bavarian style festival, this promises to be one of the biggest shindigs in Southend this year.
Oktoberfest Colchester
27-28 October
Still have room for more Bavarian celebrations? Taking place inside a huge tent, this Bavarian style festival in Lower Castle Park includes a showcase of some of the best and authentic oompah bands from around the world across both days. Expect a large selection of traditional German foods, plus those all important steins.
