Hertfordshire weekend plans for 10–11 October 2026
Tring’s Apple Fayre parade and market, Bushey Oktoberfest, Berkhamsted’s artisan high street, and Hatfield House Music Festival — four stronger days out for 10–11 October.
Mid-October in Hertfordshire leans into harvest energy and festival nights: Tring’s Apple Fayre parade and farmers’ market (with street food at The Piggeries after), Oktoberfest in Bushey’s ballroom on Saturday evening, Berkhamsted’s outdoor artisan market on Sunday, and Hatfield House Music Festival wrapping the weekend with jazz and a choral finale. If you’re sorting mates, a partner or a family day out, these four are the ones worth building the weekend around.
Tring Apple Fayre Parade + Farmers’ Market (+ Piggeries Street Food Saturday)
Tring’s Own Apple Fayre Parade and Special Farmers’ Market take over Brook Street Marketplace (the Old Market Site — not Church Square) on Saturday 10 October 2026, 9am–2pm. Entry is free. The Apple Cart procession leaves the King’s Arms around 10.30am and reaches Brook Street by 11am — carnival of beasts, the Wycombe Worm, Morris dancing, school scarecrows and Green Men and Women. Expect appley produce, scarecrow judging and music sessions at The Bell. Full programme details are on the Sustainable Tring Apple Fayre page; market date and venue are confirmed on the Tring Farmers Market dates list and the Tring Town Council listing.
Stay west for the evening: Street Food Saturday – Spread Your Wings is at The Piggeries Taproom and Courtyard (Dunsley Farm, London Road, Tring, HP23 6HA) on Saturday 10 October, 4–7pm — grilled chicken wings, fries and courtyard taproom energy. Free to attend; pay for food and drinks. See the Piggeries what’s-on diary. Ideal for families and friends who want a full west-Herts social Saturday from parade morning to street-food evening.
Metropolitan Bushey Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest at Metropolitan Bushey (Aldenham Road, Bushey, WD23 2TR) is on Saturday 10 October 2026, 7pm–midnight (doors 7pm; bar closes midnight). Tickets are £17.50; over-18s only. The ballroom goes Bavarian: trestle tables, themed décor, premium German-style beer plus craft beers, cider, wine and spirits, bratwurst and a German-style menu, with back-to-back sets from a traditional Oompah band, a live singer and a party DJ/host. The same Oktoberfest also runs Friday 9 October if you want a weekend kick-off. Book on the official Metropolitan Bushey Oktoberfest page.
This is the weekend’s clearest mates/partner night-out — high-energy festival vibes indoors (not the big Hartham tent; that one’s next weekend). Tables aren’t reservable; Monty’s Bar & Kitchen is open earlier if you want a pre-door drink.
Berkhamsted Artisan Market
Berkhamsted Artisan Market lines Berkhamsted High Street on Sunday 11 October 2026, 9.30am–3.30pm. Free to browse. It’s a curated makers’ market — handmade products along the historic high street — with stallholder fees supporting local charities (run by FoSP). Easy walk from the station and on the 500/501 bus route; stay for castle grounds, the river walk or a town lunch afterwards. Details on the Berkhamsted Artisan Market site.
Sunday’s outdoor social day if Saturday was parade-and-Oktoberfest: family-friendly, partner-friendly, and proper high-street buzz without needing tickets.
Hatfield House Music Festival
Hatfield House Music Festival runs Thursday 8–Sunday 11 October 2026 at Hatfield House (AL9 5NQ) — the 15th anniversary weekend. For this Insight shortlist, the standout weekend slots are the Julian Bliss Jazz Quintet on Saturday 10 October at 8pm in the Marble Hall (£38 front / £19 rear stalls) and the Festival Finale with The Sixteen and Guy Johnston on Sunday 11 October at 3pm in the Old Palace (a James MacMillan commission among the programme). Full listings and prices are on the official festival programme; book via TicketSource — Hatfield House Music Festival.
Availability note (researched 1 Oct 2026): Jazz Quintet was down to a handful of tickets; Festival Finale and Sir András Schiff (Sun midday) were sold out / waiting list; Come and Sing (Sat 11am–1pm, £15) and the Relaxed Concert (Sat 3–4pm, from £5/£12) still had tickets. Check TicketSource before you travel. Pair a concert with Hatfield Park if gardens are open that day — a culture-forward day or evening for couples and music fans.
Quick shortlist
- Tring Apple Fayre Parade + Farmers’ Market (+ Piggeries Street Food Sat) — Free Saturday harvest parade, market and evening wings (family / friends)
- Metropolitan Bushey Oktoberfest — Ticketed Saturday night Oompah, steins and bratwurst, £17.50, 18+ (mates / partner)
- Berkhamsted Artisan Market — Free Sunday high-street makers’ market (family / friends / couple)
- Hatfield House Music Festival — Jazz Quintet Sat / Finale Sun; book on TicketSource (couples / culture)
Also worth a look: Welwyn Garden City Vegan Market (Sat 10 Oct, Stonehills — free plant-based street food); Stevenage BHM Cultural Pop-Up (Sat–Sun, Westgate Unit 7); St Albans BHM Market Celebration (Sun 11 Oct, Second Sunday Market).
Next weekend teaser: Hertfordshire Oktoberfest returns to Hartham Common, Hertford, on Friday 16–Saturday 17 October 2026 — steins, Oompah and the big outdoor Bavarian weekend. Don’t confuse it with Bushey’s ballroom nights this weekend; save Hartham for the week after.
If you’re only picking one, decide the vibe: free Apple Fayre day in Tring, a proper Oktoberfest night in Bushey, a Sunday artisan high street in Berkhamsted, or a Hatfield House concert. Hertfordshire has all four across the same weekend.