Wow, it's October already. That came around quickly, didn't it?
There's a chill in the air (and quite a few rain clouds) and the leaves are turning from green to gold.
As long as you wrap up, it's a lovely time of year to enjoy a scenic walk in the countryside.
It's also a good month for getting out and about and enjoying the varied events happening across the county.
Whether you fancy a night out with friends or a day of fun with the family, there's plenty of things that you can get involved in. Here's a few suggestions of things to do in October:
Wednesday, October 2 - Japanese Street Food X Cocktails - 33Cank Street, Leicester
Popular bar 33Cank Street is presenting 'the ultimate street food and cocktail battle'.
Yuko Dixon of Omotenashi Dining will bring to you a fierce trio of bar/street food dishes and James Bowker from House of Suntory will be firing out accompanying cocktails.
Ultimately, will they combine their powers for the greater good?
Ringside tickets £25 per person for three rounds of street food and cocktails, very limited spaces. Advance purchase only, call 0116 251 9994.
Thursday, October 3 - Sunday, October 6 - Autumn Steam Gala - Great Central Railway, Loughborough
The event will begin with a busy passenger service on Thursday, stepping up a gear on Friday with the addition of freight trains.
On Saturday and Sunday there will be an intensive timetable, including a very frequent passenger service with goods trains and Travelling Post Office demonstrations.
LSWR T9 30120 and SR Schools Class number 926 "Repton" are the two star guests, appearing alongside up to eight home fleet locomotives.
Tickets from £20 adults/ £11 child on Thursday. Click here for further details and to book.
Friday, October 4 - The Stand-Up Mystery Show - Attenborough Arts Centre, Leicester
Experienced technician and Australian Trevor Lewis has been a tech at the Edinburgh Fringe for 10 years, but now, after building up his contacts and shaking pina coladas in the sun with the stars, he’s moved into promoting.
Trevor is bringing to Leicester a show which will have a high-profile mystery guest performing an hour of stand-up comedy - but who will it be?
7.30pm – 8.30pm. Tickets £10 / £5 concession, £30 party of four. Click here to book.
Friday, October 4 and Saturday, October 5 - Canteen: Pizza and Beer Parties - 2Funky Street Kitchen, Leicester
Canteen have teamed up with Biddulph's Pizzeria and Vedett to bring you a pizza and beer party over two days with free entry. Expect great pizzas, beers, cocktails and music.
On Friday (5pm - 10pm) enjoy traditional pizza, and on Saturday (12pm-8pm) enjoy Chicago deep pan pizza.
Saturday, October 5 - Fastlove - De Montfort Hall, Leicester
Described as 'the world's favourite George Michael tribute show', Fastlove is here in Leicester, direct from London's West End.
Starring Leicester-born singer and George Michael lookalike Joseph Samsone, the show will feature all 23 of Michael’s UK-Top 10 hits - from the days of ‘Wham!’ such as ‘Club Tropicana’, ‘Everything She Wants’ and ‘I’m Your Man’ to solo hits such as ‘Faith’, ‘Freedom’ and ‘One More Try’.
Tickets £28/£29. Click here to buy.
Saturday, October 5 and Sunday, October 6 - East Midlands Food Festival - Melton Mowbray Livestock Market
Foodies and families can look forward to an exciting weekend of food and theatre in Melton – Rural Capital of Food - on Saturday, October 5 and Sunday, October 6.
The theatre line-up has been changed for this year’s festival with new additions including CBeebies presenter Katy Ashworth, who will focus on cooking for kids.
Also in the theatre will be Lincolnshire food celebrity Rachel Green, local chefs Tony Fitt (Stapleford Park) and Tom Paxton (Brooksby Hall), and the ‘Cooking Maharaja’ who will be talking about samosas and Bollywood.
Stephen Hallam from the Pie Shop will be hand raising a Melton pork pie and Teresa Bovey will introduce proceedings with her family recipes with a twist.
The street food area will feature Greek food, Indian fish and chips, Big Melt cheese sandwiches, seafood, and savoury and sweet crepes.
There will be a wall of chocolate, German chocolate kisses and hot waffles draped with chocolate sauce. You'll also find locally produced gin, vodka and English rum, as well as the Trappist beer produced by the monks of Leicestershire’s Mount St Bernard Abbey.
For children under 16 (who get in free), there’s a Kids Zone with plenty of activities to entertain and educate them about food.
Tickets are priced at £6 (£5 in advance). Children under 16 enter free. Advance tickets are on sale from the Visit Leicester centre in Leicester and Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe in Melton, or online here.
Friday, October 11 - Sunday, October 20 - One Giant Leap - Leicester
Across the city, events are taking place during October half term - including the return of Luke Jerram's stunning Museum of the Moon to Leicester Cathedral (Oct 11-20)
There's also the BRICKLIVE Outer Space Trail (Oct 11-20) giving you the chance to locate 15 LEGO brick models around the city and Retro Arcade Games in Space (Oct 11-20) - on large-scale screens across the city.
At Sock-it To The Moon at the LCB Depot (Oct 12), children will be able to get creative, making sock puppet aliens and trash robots.
Overview Effect is described as a breath-taking outdoor spectacle that celebrates the ambition and technical achievement of the 1969 moon landing. This will be shown in New Market Square on October 18 and 19.
The events are part of the One Giant Leap celebrations which began in the summer with an intergalactic outdoor cinema and a CreateACon in Space event for families. The events are being held to mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing.
Friday, October 11 - The Matrix 20th Anniversary Screening - National Space Centre, Leicester
Enjoy a screening of this popular film, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, and Carrie-Anne Moss.
The Matrix depicts a dystopian future in which humanity is unknowingly trapped inside a simulated reality.
The Wachowskis’ 1999 classic won four academy awards and has been praised by critics, filmmakers and authors of science fiction – especially for its spectacular action scenes and its ground-breaking special effects.
The first screening at 7pm is already sold out, but tickets are still available for the second screening at 9.15pm. Tickets £6. Click here to book.
Friday, October 11 - Bongo's Bingo - Athena, Leicester
The classic game has been reinvented with added mayhem, dance anthems and class prizes.
You're promised a night of incredible fun, singalongs and false calls.
Tickets £13 each. Click here to buy.
Saturday, October 12 - Josh Widdicombe - Bit Much... - De Montfort Hall, Leicester
Stand-up star Josh Widdicombe promises a very funny night of grumbles and jokes. He'll tackle the hot comedy topics of advent calendars, pesto and the closing time of his local park.
Widdicombe is best known for the twice BAFTA nominated and multiple Broadcast and RTS award winning show The Last Leg, as well as his critically acclaimed sitcom JOSH, Insert Name Here, QI, Have I Got New For You, A League of Their Own and his hit podcast Quickly Kevin Will He Score.
Tickets £21.50. Suitable for aged 14+. Click here to book.
From Saturday, October 12 - The Many Faces of Palitoy - A Century of Toys - Rothley House, Coalville Business Park
Toys made in Leicestershire over the last 100 years are set to be celebrated in this new free exhibition.
'The Many Faces of Palitoy' will be held at the former Palitoy factory in Coalville, and will run from October 12 until November 10.
It is a Coalville Heritage Society led project through a partnership with North West Leicestershire District Council, the National Trust (Museum of Childhood), Leicestershire Museums Service and Leicestershire Promotions as well as individual donors.
Entry is free.
Sunday, October 13 - Diwali Lights Switch-On - Belgrave Road, Leicester
Diwali celebrations here in Leicester are among the biggest outside of India - and it is almost time for this year's festivities to begin.
Events marking the festival of lights start on Sunday, October 13, when the city's spectacular Diwali lights will be switched on.
The switch-on event will begin at 3pm, and run until 9pm.
The main stage, in Belgrave Road, will feature entertainment from 5.30pm until 8pm, and a Diwali Village at Cossington Street Recreation Ground will be open from 3pm until 9pm, with stage entertainment from 3pm until 8.30pm.
For more details, click here to read our piece all about the switch-on.
Tuesday, October 15 - Saturday, October 19 - Cabaret - Curve, Leicester
Cabaret features show-stopping choreography, dazzling costumes and iconic songs Money Makes The World Go Round, Maybe This Time, Cabaret and more.
It’s 1931, Berlin is a haven of divine decadence and the legendary Sally Bowles is about to take the stage at the infamous Kit Kat Klub…
Starring as Emcee is John Partridge - well known to TV audiences as EastEnders' Christian Clarke and one of West End theatre’s most prolific leading men.
Kara Lily Hayworth stars as Sally Bowles following her performance in the title role of Cilla The Musical.
They are joined by Anita Harris , who first rose to fame as a singer in the 1960s and has appeared both on screen and on stage, most notably as Grizabella in the West End’s Cats.
Tickets £10-£40. Click here to book.
Friday, October 18 - Gary Meikle: The iBrow Guy - The Y Theatre, Leicester
Scottish comedy award winner and viral sensation Gary Meikle is coming to Leicester with a bang and new brows.
He's racked up more than 100 million views with a rant about his daughters’ eyebrows, and during his show, Gary will guide us through eyebrow etiquette, logic and laws, how it’s changed his life and how he feels about being known forevermore as “the eyebrow guy”.
Tickets £15. Click here to buy.
Friday, October 18 - Nick Helm - Phoenix From The Flames - Just The Tonic, Leicester
Following his return to the Edinburgh Fringe after six years, Helm is back on tour to remind the world what they’ve been missing out on.
Resurrected from the ashes, the Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee and International Treasure in Waiting will sing some songs and right some wrongs.
Tickets £13.50. Click here to buy.
Halloween in Leicestershire 2019
Friday, October 25 - 'Home' screening and Q&A with Sarah Outen MBE FRGS - New Walk Museum, Leicester
Adventurer, author and motivational speaker Sarah Outen, from Oakham, presents her new film Home.
Intimately and unflinchingly capturing Sarah’s journey, Home tells a story of heart and soul, of struggle and joy, and one woman’s trek towards true emotional acceptance.
Tickets £7.50. Contact the museum on 0116 225 4920 to book. Doors 6pm for private view and bar. Film starts at 7pm.
The event is part of the 100 First Women exhibition at the museum.
