Our Top Picks

Cambridge Literary Festival / Various Venues

From Midge Gillies’ ‘Army Wives’ and Gareth Stedman Jones’ ‘Karl Marx: Greatness and Illusion’ on the Saturday, to Christopher Davidson’s novel on the rise of extremism and an interview between Peter Hennessey and former Labour MP Charles Clarke, the Cambridge Literary Festival features chaired discussions and interviews revolving around literature and its subjects. Prices vary per event. 

26th-27th November

Visit: cambridgeliteraryfestival.com

What else is on? 

Saturday 26th

Lady Chatterley’s Lover

Cambridge Arts Theatre, 2.30pm or 7:45pm

D. H. Lawrence’s controversial novel is given a stage adaptation, produced by the same company that premiered Brideshead Revisited on the stage. The closing night of the production, tickets range from £18 to £33.

Visit: cambridgeartstheatre.com

Sunday 27th

Presents Galore

Rowley Mile Racecourse, Newmarket, 10am-4pm 

In collaboration with MacMillan Cancer Support, this annual Christmas fair offers “candles to cashmeres, toys to toiletries, food to fantasies, jewellery to jugs, books to bronzes”. 

Visit: presentsgalore.org

Monday 28th

Artist in Focus: Mario Sironi

The Combination Room, Wolfson College, 12:30pm

Coinciding with Kettle’s Yard’s Reimagining the City, and in collaboration with the university’s History of Art department, this talk focus on artist Mario Sironi, and his connections with Italian fascism, futurism and metaphysical art. 

Visit: kettlesyard.co.uk

Honeyblood

Cambridge Junction, 7pm

The Glaswegian duo recorded their new album in 10 days with Peter Katis, producer for The National and Interpol, and offer “fuzzy tales of romance and heartbreak” as well as “thrumming rhythms, crunchy riffs and bold admissions”.

Visit: junction.co.uk

Tuesday 29th

goat: Christmas Gifts Pop-Up Craft Stall

Hot Numbers Coffee, Gwydir Street, 7pm

Local pop-up home and lifestyle shop ‘goat’ will be offering a selection of ceramics, textiles, and items for the home and kitchen. Other companies will also be selling their wares, alongside live music, food and Christmas tipples. 

Visit: hotnumberscoffee.co.uk

Wednesday 30th

Frankenstein

Mumford Theatre, 7:30pm

The closing night of this production of Mary Shelley’s classic novel is the perfect alternative to the various Christmas pantomimes that are dominating the theatre calendar. Features ensemble storytelling, live music and “stunning theatricality”. £12.50, or £8.50 for students.

Visit: angila.ac.uk

Thursday 1st

J. S. Bach Christmas Oratorio Cantatas 1-3

King’s College Chapel, 8pm

Intended for performance in church during the Christmas season, the grandiose King’s College Chapel plays host to the first three parts of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, performed by the Cambridge University Collegium Musicum and Ensemble Pro Victoria. Tickets are £10 for students in advance.

Visit: kings.cam.ac.uk

Newnham Smoker

Darwin College, 8pm

With headline act Grainne Maguire, the feminist comedy night offers a platform for students to perform their very own sets. The perfect way to bid farewell to the cares and anxieties of Michaelmas term.

Friday 2nd

Jimmy Carr

Corn Exchange, 8pm

Tickets are at limited availability for the comedian, who has become a mainstay on British television and is offering an evening of his most popular jokes and sets alongside new material. £30, including a £2.50 booking fee. 

Visit: cambridgelivetrust.co.uk