EDITOR'S NOTE
A festive week. The free Festive Family Fun Day takes over the High Street on Sunday 15, the Yvonne Arnaud has The Disappearing Man, a new play about a washed-up magician, from Tuesday, and Jools Holland is listed at G Live on Friday. The Boileroom runs tribute nights on Friday and Saturday. The practical bit: buses replace trains between Reading and Guildford on Sunday, the same day as the fun day, and the Met Office has light rain from Tuesday.
FEATURED THIS WEEK
Guildford Festive Family Fun Day
Sunday 15 November, 11am to 4pm. Free. Festive street entertainment along the High Street, Tunsgate and Friary Street: walkabout characters, local choirs at Tunsgate Arch, brass bands playing carols, Christmas market stalls and mulled wine on sale. A parade of characters and mascots goes up the High Street, with the Mayor of Guildford. If you're coming by train, note the Sunday bus replacement below. Event listing →
BEST FOR KIDS
Storytime at Guildford Cathedral, Friday 13 November. A free drop-in session for pre-schoolers, parents and carers; no booking. Visit Surrey lists it for Friday 13, but the page gave no start time, so check with the Cathedral before you go. For the older ones, the Festive Family Fun Day on Sunday is the big one. Storytime details →
NEW THIS WEEK
Encore! Guildford's Theatre Stories opens at Guildford Museum. A new free exhibition on the town's theatre heritage, local theatres, past productions and the people behind them, opens Saturday 14 November and runs to 17 April 2027. Open Wednesday to Saturday, 12 noon to 4pm.
HEADS UP
Buses replace trains between Reading and Guildford on Sunday 15 November. Engineering work closes all lines between Reading and Wokingham. Great Western Railway buses cover Reading to Guildford, including the stops at Wokingham, Blackwater and North Camp. Check before you set off for the Fun Day. Rail works calendar →
👨👩👧 Things To Do
Kids & Family
Guildford Festive Family Fun Day, Sun 15 November, 11am to 4pm. Free. High Street, Tunsgate and Friary Street: parade, carols, choirs and market stalls. Details →
Storytime at Guildford Cathedral, Fri 13 November. Free drop-in for pre-schoolers and carers. Time not listed; check with the Cathedral. Details →
Encore! Guildford's Theatre Stories, Guildford Museum, from Sat 14 November. Free exhibition, open Wed to Sat, 12 noon to 4pm.
Youth Theatre: Autumn Term (13–16), Yvonne Arnaud Workshop, Wed 11 November. Last few places; check the theatre's page.
Adults · Date Night
The Disappearing Man, Yvonne Arnaud (Main House), Tue 10 to Sat 14 November. Evenings at 7.30pm, matinees Thursday and Saturday at 2.30pm. About 2hr 20 including a 20-minute interval. A washed-up magician (Matt Bardock) attempts a comeback in a faded seaside town: live magic, comedy and a father-and-son story. Tickets from £33, advance from £19; the listing mentions a captioned show on Friday 13, so check with the box office. No age guidance yet. Tickets →
Anthem for Dissatisfaction, Yvonne Arnaud (Mill Studio), Tue 10 November. Billed as a defiant "rip-roaring tour de force". Time and price weren't listed; check the theatre's page.
Republica: 30 Years of Ready To Go!, The Boileroom, Thu 12 November, 7pm. Tickets →
Jools Holland & His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, G Live, Fri 13 November. Date from ticket-agency listings; we couldn't load G Live's page, so check start time and price there.
Weekend Events
A celebration of Blink-182: 25 Years of Take Off Your Pants & Jacket, The Boileroom, Fri 13 November, 7pm. Tickets →
A celebration of Red Hot Chili Peppers: 30 Years of Blood Sugar Sex Magik, The Boileroom, Sat 14 November, 7pm. Tickets →
Free Orchestral Concert: Music Inspired by Literature, Sat 14 November. Played by University of Surrey students and friends; tickets are free but must be booked. Venue and time weren't on the listing, so check when you book. Book →
Guildford Festive Family Fun Day, Sun 15 November, 11am to 4pm (see above).
Henry Paker: Pencil Case, Yvonne Arnaud (Main House), Sun 15 November. Stand-up combined with live illustration; the theatre says last few tickets. Time and price weren't listed. What's on →
BEX, The Boileroom, Sun 15 November, 7pm. Tickets →
Looking ahead: Cornish Bakery opens on Wednesday 25 November, the Cathedral Christmas Fair is on Fri 20 and Sat 21 November, and the Guildford Pavilion Festive Market is on 21 and 22 November.
🏙️ What's New in Guildford
No new business openings confirmed this week. We checked Experience Guildford's news (latest item 3 November) and the Dragon's headlines to 4 November. The Cornish Bakery date is unchanged at 25 November (see Looking ahead above).
No closures reported. Not run: the Emma Sleep store (opened 16 October) 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: Sunday 15 November is the one to know. Buses replace trains between Reading and Guildford while all lines are closed between Reading and Wokingham. We found no Guildford works listed for Monday 9 to Saturday 14 on the South Western Railway calendar or National Rail's list, but check your journey before you travel. Rail works calendar →
Roads: nothing confirmed on the A3.
A3, Hog's Back and M25 J10 at Wisley. National Highways' closure report covers 4 to 10 November and lists some full closures on the A3 and M25 (locations didn't load for us), and it doesn't reach the end of the week. Look again on Monday before a late drive. Closure report →
Council: sanctuary bid and a rejected list. The Guildford Dragon reports that on 3 November councillors voted down a list of seven former councillors nominated as honorary aldermen, and that the borough council plans to seek accreditation as a "Council of Sanctuary".
Planning: a quiet week with a few early signals. We read every application validated (58) and decided (51) in the week beginning 26 October. Approved: a rebuild of Shawfield Primary School in Ash, with a temporary three-storey school alongside (30 October). Applied for: up to 34 homes and 750 sq m of commercial space at Upper Leewood Farm, Effingham (outline); a 7-bedroom HMO at 64 The Chase; and a move from 6 to 9 residents at an HMO on Ashenden Road. On the High Street: illuminated signs for 66 High Street were refused on 30 October, and 9 North Street has applied for new illuminated signs; neither names a tenant. Developers also filed paperwork to discharge conditions on the Guildford Park Road car park and Dennis Way (Slyfield) sites, the usual step before building starts.
COMING UP THIS WEEK
Mon 9: Cloudy, 10°C, 30% chance of rain around 2pm
Tue 10: The Disappearing Man opens, Yvonne Arnaud, 7.30pm (to Sat) · Anthem for Dissatisfaction, Mill Studio · Light rain, 11°C
Wed 11: The Disappearing Man, 7.30pm · Youth Theatre autumn term · Light rain, 11°C
Thu 12: Republica, The Boileroom, 7pm · The Disappearing Man, 2.30pm and 7.30pm · Cloudy, 11°C
Fri 13: Jools Holland, G Live (check time) · Blink-182 tribute, The Boileroom, 7pm · Storytime, Guildford Cathedral · The Disappearing Man, 7.30pm · Weather beyond reliable range
Sat 14: Encore! exhibition opens, Guildford Museum, 12 noon to 4pm · Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute, The Boileroom, 7pm · Free orchestral concert (book ahead) · The Disappearing Man, 2.30pm and 7.30pm · Weather beyond reliable range
Sun 15: Festive Family Fun Day, High Street, 11am to 4pm · Reading–Guildford rail buses · Henry Paker, Yvonne Arnaud · BEX, The Boileroom, 7pm · Weather beyond reliable range
HIDDEN GEM OF THE WEEK
Guildford Cathedral, Stag Hill. You can see it from half the town, but few people go in. The foundation stone was laid in 1936, work stopped for the war, and it was consecrated on 17 May 1961 in front of the Queen. Money ran short, so from 1952 more than 200,000 people paid 2s 6d to put a name on a brick, and the Queen and Prince Philip signed bricks that are displayed inside. Look up at the 15-foot gilded angel on the tower, which turns in the wind. There's a reason to go this week: Storytime for pre-schoolers on Friday 13. Opening hours weren't in the source we read, so check before you go.
WEATHER THIS WEEK
Grey and damp, but mild. The Met Office has Monday 9 at 10°C (low 8°C) and cloudy with a 30% chance of rain around 2pm; Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 are 11°C (low 8°C) with light rain and a 30% chance; Thursday 12 is 11°C (low 8°C) and cloudy. Friday 13 to Sunday 15 are beyond reliable range: if you're heading to the Festive Family Fun Day on Sunday, look again on Saturday and bring an umbrella just in case.
Forecast from the Met Office Guildford page (daily maximum, minimum and chance of precipitation); the page's first day was Tuesday 3 November, and days from Tuesday 10 are marked beta there. Retrieved Thursday 5 November.
👀 WORTH KNOWING
A shopping-access guide, kept up to date. Experience Guildford says its guide to how accessible the town's shops and services are, compiled by a wheelchair user, was updated on 3 November. It's a useful check before a busy festive-season trip into town for anyone planning around steps, doors or toilets.
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