Maidstone LitFest runs to 11 October and the half marathon is on the 18th. Then half term, four fireworks displays and the lights switch-on, 19 November.

Maidstone’s literary festival opened on Thursday 1 October and runs for eleven days, which makes the next fortnight the busiest of the autumn for talks and children’s events. The Maidstone Half Marathon follows on Sunday 18 October in Mote Park. After that the diary turns to half term, Halloween and four fireworks displays on the weekend of 7 November.

There is one new date to note. One Maidstone has now listed the Christmas lights switch-on for Thursday 19 November in Jubilee Square. It has not yet published the times.

Every entry below comes from the organiser’s own listing or ticketing system, read on 29 September 2026 and rechecked on 1 October, and links back to it. Dates and prices can change, so check the link before you travel. For places that are open whatever the month, see our guide to things to do in Maidstone.

This week

  • Maidstone LitFest 2026, Thursday 1 to Sunday 11 October, at venues across the town. Author talks, workshops and children’s events at the museum, the Town Hall, Waterstones and the Hazlitt. Several sessions have already sold out (Maidstone LitFest). Our LitFest programme guide has the background.
  • LitFest: Iain Dale in conversation with Sian Williams, Friday 2 October, 7pm to 8pm, Maidstone Town Hall, ME14 1TF. The broadcaster talks about his book Have I Said Too Much? (LitFest box office).
  • LitFest children’s and young adult day, Sunday 4 October, 10am to 5.30pm, Invicta Grammar School, ME14 5DS. Author events through the day, each ticketed separately, with Onjali Q Raúf, Olaf Falafel, Jamie Littler and Holly Bourne among them. The Lucy Strange workshop and Harriet Muncaster’s Isadora Moon event have sold out, and Maz Evans’s 4.30pm event is no longer listed (LitFest box office).
  • Seann Walsh: This is Torture, Sunday 4 October, 8pm, Hazlitt Theatre. The comedian’s new hour of stand-up (Hazlitt Theatre).

Next week

  • LitFest: Acting Can Be Murder with Linda Regan, Monday 5 October, 6.30pm to 7.30pm, Maidstone Museum, St Faith’s Street, ME14 1LH. An evening with the actor and crime writer (Maidstone Museum).
  • LitFest: Dr Sian Williams, The Power of Anxiety, Tuesday 6 October, 8pm, Hazlitt Theatre. Her book argues for listening to anxiety rather than fighting it (Hazlitt Theatre).
  • Stories and Rhymes for under fives, Wednesday 7 October, 10.30am to 11.30am, Maidstone Museum. £2.50 per child, with tickets from reception on the day. A story, rhymes, instruments and a craft to take home (Maidstone Museum).
  • Remembering Jacquetta: Maidstone’s Link to a Dynasty, Thursday 8 October, 2pm to 3.30pm, Maidstone Museum. £15. The historian Amanda Harvey Purse on Jacquetta of Luxembourg, with a Q&A and book signing (Maidstone Museum).
  • LitFest: Milly Johnson, Let the Bells Ring Out, Friday 9 October, 7pm to 8pm, Maidstone Town Hall. The novelist talks about her new book (LitFest box office).
  • The Comedy Store at the Hazlitt, Friday 9 October, 8pm, Hazlitt Theatre. A stand-up bill from the Comedy Store (Hazlitt Theatre).
  • A Victory Harvest, 1940s Weekend, Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October, 10am to 5pm, Kent Life, Lock Lane, Sandling, ME14 3AU. Home Front re-enactment with the Home Guard, the Land Army, period dancing and a wartime harvest service in the chapel (Kent Life).
  • Behind the Scenes Tour: Art Collection, Saturday 10 October, 10.30am to 12pm and 2pm to 3.30pm, Maidstone Museum. £15. The Collections Manager shows the paintings, prints and drawings kept in the stores (Maidstone Museum).
  • Forever Clapton, Saturday 10 October, 7.30pm, Hazlitt Theatre. From £29. A six-piece live band tells the story of Eric Clapton’s career (Hazlitt Theatre).
  • LitFest: The Witching Hour, Sunday 11 October, 5pm to 6pm, Maidstone Museum. Michelle Paver, Bridget Collins and Jess Kidd close the festival (Maidstone Museum).

Later in October

  • The Heist: Elite Dance Company, Friday 16 to Sunday 18 October, Hazlitt Theatre. Four performances: 6.30pm Friday, 1pm and 6.30pm Saturday, 1pm Sunday. The company’s tenth anniversary showcase (Hazlitt Theatre).
  • Maidstone United v Maidenhead United, Saturday 17 October, 3pm, Gallagher Stadium, James Whatman Way, ME14 1LQ. National League South, and the Stones’ next home league game (Maidstone United).
  • Horrible Histories Halloween at Leeds Castle, Saturday 17 October to Sunday 1 November, Leeds Castle, ME17 1PL. Included with admission; the trail booklet costs extra. A ghost trail around the grounds with live performers and costume competitions twice a day (Leeds Castle).
  • Maidstone Half Marathon, Sunday 18 October, 9.30am, Mote Park, ME15 7SX. Advance entry is £30 for affiliated club runners and £32 unaffiliated, and closes at 1pm on the Wednesday before. On the day it is £40 if places remain (Sporting Events UK). Our half marathon page covers the route and how to enter.
  • Paranormal Activity in Kent with Neil Nixon, Thursday 22 October, 7pm to 8.30pm, Maidstone Museum. £15, ages 16 and over. Kent’s ghost sightings and UFO reports, from a local author (Maidstone Museum).
  • The Greatest Hits of Motown: How Sweet It Is, Thursday 22 October, 7.30pm, Hazlitt Theatre. From £37 (Hazlitt Theatre).
  • Ghost Hunting at Maidstone Museum, 23 October, Friday 23 October, 8pm to 11pm. £30, ages 18 and over with ID. An after-hours investigation with a ghost hunting team. This is the added date (Maidstone Museum).
  • Halloween Spooktacular at Kent Life, Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November, Kent Life, Sandling. Pumpkin carving, farm rides, a daily fancy dress competition and trick or treating every day (Kent Life).
  • Maidstone Symphony Orchestra: season opening concert, Saturday 24 October, 7.30pm, Mote Hall, Maidstone Leisure Centre, Mote Park, ME15 7RN. Bruch’s Violin Concerto No.1 with Irène Duval and Dvořák’s New World Symphony. A free talk starts at 6.40pm (Maidstone Symphony Orchestra).
  • Maidstone Monster Mash, Sunday 25 to Saturday 31 October, Maidstone town centre. Giant monster installations, a trail and activities through half term week (One Maidstone).
  • The Gruffalo free family workshop, Monday 26 October, 10.30am to 12.30pm, Maidstone Museum. Free. For children aged 3 to 8 with a parent, grandparent or carer (Maidstone Museum).
  • African Drumming free session, Wednesday 28 October, sessions at 10.30am and 11.30am, Maidstone Museum. Free, but booking is required. Part of Black History Month (Maidstone Museum).
  • Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, HI Production, Wednesday 28 to Saturday 31 October, Hazlitt Theatre. Evenings at 7.30pm, with a 2pm Saturday matinee and a relaxed performance at 2pm on the Friday. From £20, concessions £17 (Hazlitt Theatre).
  • Ghost Hunting at Maidstone Museum, 30 October, Friday 30 October, 8pm to 11pm. £25, ages 18 and over with ID. The museum prices this night £5 below the added date (Maidstone Museum).
  • Spooky Fun and Halloween Giggles, children’s party, Saturday 31 October, 5pm to 7pm, Maidstone Museum. £5. Games, crafts and a prize for the best dressed (Maidstone Museum).
  • The Spellbound Soirée: Fairies, Monsters and Fantasy Ball, Saturday 31 October, 8pm to midnight, Maidstone Museum. £15, ages 18 and over. A fancy dress ball run with Maidstone Pride (Maidstone Museum).

Half term has its own page: October half term in Maidstone. Four Maidstone secondaries take two weeks this year.

November

  • Dame Dolly’s Spooktacular Pirate Show, Sunday 1 November, 2pm, Hazlitt Theatre. From £14. A family show for ages 2 to 12 (Hazlitt Theatre).
  • Kent Life Fireworks Spectacular, Friday 6 and Saturday 7 November, Kent Life, Sandling. Friday: gates 4pm, fireworks 8.30pm. Saturday: gates 3pm, fireworks 6.30pm. Adult £18, child £15, family £60 (Kent Life).
  • Cornwallis Fireworks Spectacular, Saturday 7 November, gates 2pm, fireworks 6pm, Cornwallis Academy, ME17 4HX. Adult £16, concession £8.50. Food stalls, a bar and fairground rides through the afternoon (Cornwallis box office).
  • Maidstone Grammar School Annual Fireworks Spectacular, Saturday 7 November, gates 4pm, fireworks 6pm, Maidstone Grammar School, Barton Road, ME15 7BT. Adult £12, child over 5 £8, family of two adults and up to three children £25. Live music, a food court and rides, with free parking at Mote Park Leisure Centre (MGS Parents’ Association box office).
  • Leeds Castle Fireworks Spectacular, Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November, Leeds Castle. Grounds open from 2pm and the display is at 5.30pm on both days. Tickets £20 to £29 (Leeds Castle).
  • Rock ‘n’ Roll: 50s Band and Bash, Saturday 7 November, 7.30pm to 11pm, Maidstone Museum. £10, ages 18 and over. Slim Si and the Smokin Aces play live (Maidstone Museum).
  • Maidstone Christmas Light Switch On, Thursday 19 November, Jubilee Square. One Maidstone promises a stage of acts, the Mayor and Father Christmas. No times are published yet (One Maidstone).

None of the four fireworks displays is on Bonfire Night itself. Our fireworks page compares them. For later in the season, see Remembrance Sunday, the Hazlitt pantomime, Christmas at Leeds Castle and where to meet Father Christmas.

Regular events

  • Maidstone Market and boot fair, every Tuesday and Saturday, 7.30am to 1pm, Lockmeadow car park, ME16 8LW. The next Saturday market is on 3 October (Maidstone Borough Council). The council has decided to give the market notice, as our Lockmeadow market story explains, so check before a special trip.
  • Mote Park parkrun, every Saturday, 9am, Mote Park, Mote Avenue, ME15 7SU. Free. A timed 5km run or walk; register once before your first. The next is on 3 October (parkrun).
  • Maidstone River Park parkrun, every Saturday, 9am, starting at Kent Life, Lock Lane, Sandling, ME14 3AU. Free. The next is on 3 October (parkrun).

Getting there

The museum, the Hazlitt, the Town Hall and Jubilee Square are within a few minutes’ walk of each other in the town centre. Our parking in Maidstone page has the car parks and tariffs. Check roadworks and travel before a weekend trip.

Send us your event

Running an event in Maidstone or the villages around it? Email hello@maidstonelive.co.uk with the date, time, venue, price and a photo. Listings are free of charge. Your event goes on this page and in the diary on our What’s On section.

Sources