Festivals
Festivals in Banburyshire
A street funfair that takes over the middle of Banbury, a free weekend on the canal and a charity beer festival behind a Victorian brewery. Three good ones, and one you may still see advertised that has stopped.
Next 30 days
Next 30 days
Nothing is on in the next 30 days.
Later this year
Three festivals are worth planning around here, and they could not be much less alike. Two fall in Banbury within a fortnight or so of each other in autumn, and the third is a summer Saturday in a field at Hook Norton. Each event's page carries next year's date as soon as it is published.
The funfair
Banbury Michaelmas Fair is the big one, and the one to see if you see one. There is no gate and no showground: for four days in mid-October, rides and stalls fill the Horse Fair, North Bar, the Market Place and Bridge Street, with Banbury Cross in among them. By tradition it opens on the first Wednesday after 10 October, Old Michaelmas Day, and it now runs to the Saturday: 14 to 17 October in 2026. The event page has the next dates once they are announced. Go for the opening, when a member of the Wilson family, who own the fair, hands a giant golden key to the Town Mayor and the chairman of Cherwell District Council, and each ride they touch with it gives a free turn. It is free to walk round and you pay for each ride. It takes over the middle of town, so it is not the week for a quiet visit. The fair's history starts with a Whit week fair first held in 1154. The Michaelmas Fair itself is on record as a hiring fair, the Mop, by 1677.
The canal
Banbury Canal Festival is the gentle one, free, on the first weekend of October or thereabouts, along the stretch between Castle Quay and The Mill Arts Centre. The forge is working at Tooley's Boatyard, boat rides leave from beside the yard, and there are stages, funfair rides and a covered market. It suits families, and anyone curious about the canal's working history. It is a town event more than a boaters' gathering, so do not come for rows of historic craft.
The beer
The Hook Norton Festival of Fine Ales is a one-day charity event on a Saturday in mid-July, in the field behind the brewery. Over 100 beers and ciders are served, with live music all day and camping. It has raised more than £450,000 for charity since 1994, the organisers say, and under-18s get in free. It suits people who want to try beers they have not met before. Brewery tours are a separate booking, and the Sun Inn is in the village if you want a bed, so ask early.
The one that has stopped
The Silverstone Festival is no longer running. Its last dates were in August 2025, and it is off Silverstone's calendar. Older pages and ticket listings may still come up in a search. For historic racing, go to the BRDC Classic in July. CarFest now holds the late-August bank holiday.
What else to look at
Music has its own page, led by Fairport's Cropredy Convention, and the free Banbury Show in June is on the family list. Adderbury's Day of Dance is a festival in all but name, on a Saturday in late April. We have no food festival or literary festival on the list yet. If you know of one that is running, tell us.
The festivals, and their friends
Each page has the next date when it is published.
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Banbury Michaelmas Fair
Event · Banbury town centre: Horse Fair, North Bar, Market Place, Bridge Street
Banbury's street funfair, four days in mid-October across the Horse Fair, North Bar, the Market Place and Bridge Street. It ran from 14 to 17 October in 2026; the pattern points to 13 to 16 October 2027, to be confirmed. Free to walk round; you pay for the rides.
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Banbury Canal Festival
Event · Oxford Canal, Banbury town centre ·
A free two-day festival on the Oxford Canal through the middle of Banbury, usually on the first weekend of October, with Tooley's Boatyard at its heart. The last was on 3 and 4 October 2026, 11am to 5pm. The 2027 date is to be confirmed: 2 and 3 October 2027 if the pattern holds.
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Hook Norton Festival of Fine Ales
Event · Field behind Hook Norton Brewery, Hook Norton ·
A charity beer festival in the field behind Hook Norton Brewery, with over 100 beers and ciders, live music and camping. Next on Saturday 17 July 2027, midday to 11pm. It has raised over £450,000 since 1994.
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Adderbury Day of Dance
Event · Streets, churchyard and pubs of Adderbury
Adderbury's three morris sides, with guests, dance through the village's pubs and lanes all day on a Saturday in late April, an annual event since 1975. It was last held on 25 April 2026. The 2027 date is not yet published; the pattern suggests 24 April 2027, to be confirmed.
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Fairport's Cropredy Convention
Event · Festival fields, Cropredy
Fairport Convention's three-day folk-rock festival on a single stage in the fields at Cropredy, north of Banbury, on the second full weekend of August. Next on 12 to 14 August 2027, the band's 60th anniversary. Tickets go on sale on 7 December 2026.
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Banbury Michaelmas Fair: from hiring fair to street funfair
Story · History · 5 minute read
Banbury's Michaelmas Fair fills the town centre for four days each October. Records show fairs here from 1154, a hiring fair called the Mop by 1677, and a pleasure fair that outlived its purpose. This is that history, and how the fair runs today.
Before you go
- Dates
- Most organisers publish late. Watch the event page, and the town council's calendar for the Canal Festival.
- Fair week
- The Michaelmas Fair takes over the town centre, and the Saturday market can move.
- Hook Norton
- The organisers put tickets on sale in the spring, by 1 May for the coming festival. The village is small, so plan where to park and sleep.
Festival dates, when they appear
A short note when next year's dates are out. Organisers here tend to publish late.
Questions
When is Banbury Fair?
For four days in mid-October, Wednesday to Saturday: 14 to 17 October in 2026. By tradition it opens on the first Wednesday after 10 October. The event page has the next dates as soon as Cherwell District Council gives them.
Is the Banbury Michaelmas Fair free?
It is free to walk round, with no gate. You pay ride by ride, and we found no published price list.
When is the Banbury Canal Festival?
Around the first weekend of October, on the canal between Castle Quay and The Mill Arts Centre. It is free. The event page has the next date when it is published.
Is the Silverstone Festival still on?
No. Its last dates were in August 2025, and it is off Silverstone's calendar. Our page says where the historic racing went.
Can you camp at the Hook Norton beer festival?
Yes, the festival offers camping in a field that opens at 5pm on the Friday, for a donation of £15 per tent per night, the organisers say. Check its own site for how it works before you go.