Seafront fireworks every Saturday, the Jazz Festival from 12 October, Oktoberfest in Priory Park, the Halloween Parade on the 31st and the Big Beach Bang.

October is the busiest month of the autumn in Southend. The Southend Jazz Festival runs across the city from Monday 12 to Sunday 18 October, Oktoberfest puts a beer tent in Priory Park on the 16th and 17th, and the free Halloween Parade takes over the seafront on Saturday 31 October. The free seafront fireworks go up every Saturday at 7.30pm until 14 November, and the Round Table’s Big Beach Bang at Shoeburyness follows on 7 November.

Every entry below comes from the organiser’s own listing: the council, Leigh-on-Sea Town Council, Southend Theatres’ box office, Southend Museums, the football club and the event organisers themselves. All of them were read on 28 September 2026, and each links back to its source so you can check before setting off. For places that are open whatever the week, see our guide to things to do in Southend.

This week

  • Wonders Of Our Universe, Tuesday 29 September, Palace Theatre, Westcliff. Tickets from £21.50 (Southend Theatres).
  • Burlesque The Musical, Tuesday 29 September to Saturday 3 October, Cliffs Pavilion. Tickets from £29.50 (Southend Theatres).
  • Autumn wreath-making workshop, Wednesday 30 September, 1pm to 2.30pm, the Ironworks at Leigh Community Centre, 71-73 Elm Road, SS9 1SP. A tutor shows you how to build a fresh seasonal wreath to take home. £20, including all materials and a welcome drink; booking essential (Leigh-on-Sea Town Council). The TicketSource booking page shows the start as 1.30pm, so allow for either.
  • Sindhu Vee: Swanky, Thursday 1 October, Palace Theatre. Listed as selling fast, from £34.50 (Southend Theatres).
  • Waverley’s 80th anniversary cruise, Friday 2 October, leaving Southend Pier at 1.25pm and back at 5pm. The paddle steamer sails out to the Red Sands, Shivering Sands and Knock John forts on the anniversary of her launch (Waverley Excursions timetable). Every remaining Southend sailing is on our Waverley page.
  • Southend United v AFC Fylde, Saturday 3 October, 3pm, Roots Hall. National League (Southend United tickets).
  • Simon Evans Is Staring At The Sun, Saturday 3 October, Palace Theatre. Listed as selling fast, from £26 (Southend Theatres).
  • 40s and 50s Hangar Dance at the Vulcan, Saturday 3 October, 6pm to 10.15pm, the Vulcan Restoration Trust’s hangar at London Southend Airport. The 18-piece Sid Bolan Big Band plays two sets under Vulcan XL426’s wings, and the Air Raid Jive Dance School gives tutorials at 7pm and 8.30pm. £21, or £17 for trust members, plus booking fees (Vulcan Restoration Trust).
  • The Best Of Queen, Sunday 4 October, Palace Theatre. From £35 (Southend Theatres).
  • Phil Wang: UH OH, Sunday 4 October, Cliffs Pavilion. From £31.50 (Southend Theatres).

The box office’s listing gives dates and starting prices but not curtain-up times, so check the show’s own page before you go.

Next week

  • What The World Needs Now: The Burt Bacharach Songbook, Monday 5 October, Cliffs Pavilion. From £31.50 (Southend Theatres).
  • An Evening With Michael Portillo, Tuesday 6 October, Cliffs Pavilion. From £37 (Southend Theatres).
  • Sky Full Of Stars, Tuesday 6 October, Palace Theatre. Listed as selling fast, from £37 (Southend Theatres).
  • Over-60s Autumn Quiz with lunch, Wednesday 7 October, noon to 2pm, Leigh Community Centre, SS9 1SP. A quiz with a cottage pie lunch (Leigh-on-Sea Town Council).
  • Dr John Cooper Clarke, Wednesday 7 October, Palace Theatre. Listed as selling fast, from £39.75 (Southend Theatres).
  • Kane Brown: Crowd Work King, Thursday 8 October, Palace Theatre. Listed as selling fast, from £23.50 (Southend Theatres).
  • Waverley’s Thames season finale, Sunday 11 October, leaving Southend Pier at 4.15pm. Her last Southend sailing of the year goes up the Thames under a floodlit Tower Bridge to London Tower Pier, with the return by coach (Waverley Excursions timetable).

Later in October

  • Southend Jazz Festival, Monday 12 to Sunday 18 October, venues across the city. The published programme so far includes Emily Saunders and the Southend Jazz Showcase at the Chalkwell Park Rooms, the Funk and Soul Time Machine at the Arlington Ballroom, Tomorrow’s Warriors at the Fickle Pickle Club and film screenings at the Jazz Centre UK. There are day passes and some free and discounted tickets (Southend Jazz Festival).
  • Howl at the Moon: Halloween Planetarium after hours, Thursday 15 October, 6pm to 8pm, Southend Central Museum and Planetarium, Victoria Avenue, SS2 6EW. Tickets £10.46 (Southend Museums on Eventbrite).
  • Gregory Walmsley and Lauma Skride, Friday 16 October, 8pm, Civic Centre, Victoria Avenue, SS2 6ER. Cello and piano: Beethoven, Fanny Mendelssohn, Carl Vine and Rachmaninoff’s Cello Sonata, opening the council’s 2026-27 concert series. £12, under-18s £5 (Southend-on-Sea City Council).
  • Oktoberfest Southend, Friday 16 and Saturday 17 October, Priory Park. Three sessions: Friday 6pm to 11pm, Saturday noon to 5pm and Saturday 6pm to 11pm, in a beer tent with oompah bands and a German food court. Early bird standing tickets are £15 plus a £1.95 booking fee (Oktoberfest Southend; dates from the council’s autumn listing).
  • Talk on the Art of Magic with lunch, Wednesday 21 October, noon to 2pm, Leigh Community Centre. A talk with a pasta carbonara lunch (Leigh-on-Sea Town Council).
  • Southend United v FC Halifax Town, Saturday 24 October, 3pm, Roots Hall (Southend United tickets).
  • Prittlewell Pumpkin Patch and Petting Farm, Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October, 11am to 4pm, last entry 3pm, Prittlewell Priory, Victoria Avenue, SS2 6NB. Pick a pumpkin on the priory lawn, meet the farm animals and follow a spooky scavenger hunt. Tickets from £8.30, under-3s free (Southend Museums on Eventbrite).
  • The Ironworks Children’s Halloween Party, Wednesday 28 October, 1pm to 3pm, Leigh Community Centre. Crafts, games, dancing and a fancy dress parade. £6 per child, accompanying adults free (TicketSource, the Ironworks). The same day’s three slime-making sessions at the centre are already sold out.
  • Cult Classics: The Birds, Thursday 29 October, 6pm, Beecroft Art Gallery. The Beecroft Cinema Club’s monthly cult film (Southend Museums on Eventbrite).
  • Southend Halloween Parade, Saturday 31 October, 6pm to 7.30pm, Marine Parade. Street performers, live music and costumed characters along the seafront. Free (Southend Halloween Parade). The organiser’s site carries flashing images, which the council warns about for anyone with photosensitive epilepsy. Our Halloween Parade page has the route timings, the 7.30pm fireworks finale and where to park.

Our October half term page has more for the school holiday.

November

  • Big Beach Bang, Saturday 7 November, 5pm to 9pm, Shoebury East Beach, SS3 9AD. Southend-on-Sea Round Table 106’s charity fireworks, with a low-noise SEND display at 6.30pm and the main display at 7.30pm. £7 plus a 50p booking fee (Southend Round Table). Our fireworks page has the parking detail.

The Christmas lights switch-on follows on Saturday 14 November; see our switch-on page.

Regular events

  • Seafront fireworks, every Saturday at 7.30pm until 14 November. Free, fired over the estuary and visible along the seafront. Displays can be cancelled in bad weather (Southend-on-Sea City Council).
  • Southend parkrun, every Saturday at 9am, Gunners Park, off New Barge Pier Road, Shoeburyness. A free 5k to walk, jog or run; register once before your first visit (parkrun).
  • Cult Classics at the Beecroft, the last Thursday of each month, 6pm (Southend Museums on Eventbrite).

Send us your event

Running something in Southend, Leigh, Westcliff or Shoeburyness? Email hello@southendtoday.co.uk with the date, time, venue, price and a photo. Listings are free of charge, and your event goes on this page and in the diary on our front page.

This page is rewritten as organisers confirm new dates. Dates can still change, so use the links before you travel. More in our What’s On section.

Sources