EDITOR'S NOTE
Half-term is over and November is here, with mild days and cold nights. The big date is Saturday 7, when the Guildford Lions' Firework Fiesta returns, but it's ticket-only with nothing sold on the night. The Yvonne Arnaud has a bold new Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, from Tuesday; The Boileroom has China Crisis on Friday and a Smiths tribute on Saturday; and Sunday 8 is Remembrance Sunday. The practical bit: the Portsmouth line works end on Sunday 1 November, and we found nothing listed for the week itself, but check before you travel.
FEATURED THIS WEEK
Guildford Lions Firework Fiesta
Saturday 7 November. Gates open at 5pm, live music runs from about 6pm to 8.30pm, and the fireworks start at around 8.30pm. It's an all-ticket event with no sales on the night: tickets went on sale from 19 September at the Guildford Tourist Information Centre, 155 High Street (open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4.30pm), so ask there about availability. Profits go to the Lions' Welfare Fund and to a knife-crime awareness programme run by Guildford Shakespeare Company. The listing doesn't name the venue, so check it when you buy. Event listing →
BEST FOR KIDS
Frozen Jr open auditions, Yvonne Arnaud, Tuesday 3 to Saturday 7 November. RARE Productions is holding open auditions in the Main House; no booking is needed, but ages and times weren't listed, so check the theatre's page first. For pre-schoolers, the theatre's free Pop Up Play sessions run weekly to 18 December. Frozen Jr details →
NEW THIS WEEK
Cornish Bakery is coming to Guildford. The Mevagissey-born bakery says it will open its new Guildford bakery on 25 November. The announcement didn't give an address in the item we could read.
HEADS UP
Dangerous plant on the Ash Vale towpath. Ash Parish Council has warned residents not to touch hemlock water dropwort, found along the Basingstoke Canal towpath at Ash Vale. Keep children and dogs away from it.
👨👩👧 Things To Do
Kids & Family
Guildford Lions Firework Fiesta, Sat 7 November. Gates 5pm, music from about 6pm, fireworks about 8.30pm. Tickets in advance only, from the Tourist Information Centre on the High Street. Details →
Frozen Jr Auditions, Yvonne Arnaud (Main House), Tue 3 to Sat 7 November. Open auditions, no booking needed; times and ages weren't listed. Details →
Pop Up Play, Yvonne Arnaud. Free weekly sessions for pre-schoolers, running to 18 December. The days and times weren't on the listing we saw; check the theatre's page.
Little Notes autumn term, Yvonne Arnaud (River Room), Tuesdays. The 2.5–4.5 years pass has limited places; the younger sessions are sold out.
Adults · Date Night
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Yvonne Arnaud (Main House), Tue 3 to Sat 7 November. Evenings at 7.30pm, matinees on Thursday and Saturday at 2.30pm, and a captioned performance on Thursday 5 at 2.30pm. About 2hr 20 including a 20-minute interval; ages 12+. A bold new adaptation by Tilted Wig with Watford Palace Theatre; tickets from £29, advance from £17.50. Tickets →
Open Stages, The Boileroom, Mon 2 November, 7pm. Tickets →
China Crisis, The Boileroom, Fri 6 November, 7pm. Tickets →
Coffee Time Talk: Adventures in Family History, The Guildhall, Thu 5 November. Doors 10.30am for refreshments, talk at 11am (about 50 minutes). Suggested donation £3; booking required via [email protected] or 01483 444751.
Ouch! Why Feedback Hurts and How to Get the Most from It, The Guildford Institute, Wed 4 November. Time and price weren't listed.
Weekend Events
A Celebration of The Smiths: 40 Years of The Queen Is Dead, These Smiths, The Boileroom, Sat 7 November, 7pm. Tickets →
Guildford Choral: Magnificat, G Live, Sat 7 November, 7.30pm. The choir's autumn concert.
Winter Wellfest Guildford, G Live, Sat 7 November. It's on the venue's listing; we couldn't load details, so check the G Live page.
Dr Richard Shepherd: Time of Death – More Unnatural Causes, G Live, Sun 8 November. The forensic pathologist's third tour; start time and price weren't shown. Tickets →
So You Want To Play Detective?, Yvonne Arnaud (Main House), Sun 8 November, 7.30pm. A live interactive show where the audience solves cases on their phones. £27.50; 18+ (discussion of real-life crimes). Limited tickets. Tickets →
Remembrance Sunday, 8 November. Guildford Cathedral holds the County Service of Remembrance. Times weren't listed; last year's Borough service was at 9.45am at Holy Trinity Church, with a parade to the Castle Grounds, so check before you go.
Looking ahead: Cornish Bakery opens on Wednesday 25 November, and the Cathedral Christmas Fair, flagged last week, is on Fri 20 and Sat 21 November.
🏙️ What's New in Guildford
Cornish Bakery will open in Guildford on 25 November. The Mevagissey-born independent says it is "preparing to open the doors" of its new Guildford bakery that day, according to Experience Guildford's news on 23 October. We couldn't confirm the address.
No confirmed closures this week. We checked Experience Guildford's news and the Dragon's coverage from 20 October onwards. Not run: Emma Sleep's store (opened 16 October, more than a fortnight ago), and a Dragon item on a "new vision" for the former House of Fraser building, which carries no date we could confirm.
🚧 Useful Guildford Updates
Trains: nothing confirmed for the week itself. The Havant resignalling closes the Portsmouth line to Guildford at the weekend: on Saturday 31 October buses replace trains between Haslemere and Havant, and on Sunday 1 November between Guildford and Havant. National Rail's notice covers only those two days, and we found nothing listed for 2 to 8 November, but check your journey before you travel. National Rail notice →
Roads: nothing confirmed on the A3.
A3, Hog's Back and M25 J10 at Wisley. National Highways' closure report covers 28 October to 3 November and showed no closures when we checked; it doesn't reach the rest of the week. Look again on Monday before a late drive. Closure report →
Council: new planning rules from Saturday. The Guildford Dragon reports that new rules for handling planning applications take effect on 31 October, and that the last Planning Committee meeting under the old system has already been held.
Planning register: not checked this week. We couldn't reach the Guildford planning register, which needs the browser connection that wasn't available for this run, so there is no Development Watch this week. It returns next Friday.
COMING UP THIS WEEK
Mon 2: Open Stages, The Boileroom, 7pm · 12°C, with a 20% chance of rain around 5am
Tue 3: The Picture of Dorian Gray opens, Yvonne Arnaud, 7.30pm (to Sat) · Frozen Jr auditions begin · 12°C, cloudy
Wed 4: Dorian Gray, 7.30pm · "Ouch!" talk, Guildford Institute · 11°C
Thu 5: Coffee Time Talk, Guildhall, 11am (booking required) · Dorian Gray, 2.30pm (captioned) and 7.30pm · 11°C
Fri 6: China Crisis, The Boileroom, 7pm · Dorian Gray, 7.30pm · 11°C
Sat 7: Guildford Lions Firework Fiesta, gates 5pm, fireworks about 8.30pm (tickets only) · Magnificat, G Live, 7.30pm · These Smiths, The Boileroom, 7pm · Dorian Gray final shows, 2.30pm and 7.30pm · Weather beyond reliable range
Sun 8: Remembrance Sunday · So You Want To Play Detective?, Yvonne Arnaud, 7.30pm (18+) · Dr Richard Shepherd, G Live · Weather beyond reliable range
HIDDEN GEM OF THE WEEK
The Guildhall, 131 High Street. You walk past it every time you shop on the High Street: the Guildhall, with its clock jutting out over the pavement. Look past the clock and the building behind it is 16th century, with a Tudor ground floor, preserved wood panelling and the town's civic plate. The bracket clock itself dates from 1683, and the council calls it magnificent and iconic. This was once a courtroom and council chamber, and it is still used for civic functions. There's a way in this week: the Guildhall's Coffee Time Talk on family history is on Thursday 5 November at 11am (suggested £3 donation, booking required). Thursday is forecast at 11°C, so wrap up for the walk up the High Street.
WEATHER THIS WEEK
Mild by day, cold by night, and mostly dry. The Met Office has Monday 2 at 12°C (low 8°C) with sunny intervals and a 20% chance of rain around 5am; Tuesday 3 is 12°C (low 8°C) and cloudy, with gusts up to about 22mph on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday 4 is 11°C (low 7°C), Thursday 5 and Friday 6 are 11°C (low 6°C), with rain chances of 10% or less. Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 are beyond reliable range: if you're heading to the fireworks on Saturday evening or the Remembrance services on Sunday, wrap up warm and look again on Friday.
Forecast from the Met Office Guildford page (daily maximum, minimum and chance of precipitation); the page's first day was Wednesday 28 October. Retrieved Thursday 29 October.
👀 WORTH KNOWING
Free weekly play for pre-schoolers at the Arnaud. The Yvonne Arnaud's Pop Up Play sessions are free and run weekly until 18 December. It's a calm, no-ticket-price way to fill a weekday morning; check the theatre's page for the current days and times.
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Published by Getbrief, a trading name of RJP Group Ltd