The blog will be taking a short rest over the next few days to catch its breath. Before then, here are a few events happening in Abingdon over the coming week – some of them marking a momentous change in the town.

The last event to be held in the Abbey Buildings before they close for their revamp project is the Abingdon Beer Festival. Running from Friday 1st May to Sunday 3rd May, the festival takes place at Abingdon Abbey Buildings, down Checker Walk. Opening times are 5:00–11:00 pm on Friday and Saturday, and 1:00–4:00 pm on Sunday. It will be a last chance to see the Upper Gallery without glass windows.

With the Abbey Buildings closing, the regular live Music at the Unicorn – part of the Abbey Buildings – is relocating. For the near future, performances will be part of Music at St Helen’s Church, with the first concert taking place next Saturday, 7th May.

During the week, Oxfordshire Artweeks will be underway across Abingdon and beyond. Locally, the Abbey Group will be exhibiting at St Nicolas Church from 2nd May (10:00 am) to 9th May (5:00 pm), with five artists showing original art, prints, crafts, cards and jewellery.

There will be 9 artists exhibiting at St Ethelwold’s House during the week, and if you pick up one of the Artweeks booklets at any of the venues – or visit the website https://www.artweeks.org/ – you will find more.

More soon.

Beauty and the Beast
7–11 April | 7:30pm  Saturday Matinee 2:30pm
Amey Theatre, Abingdon
Abingdon Operatic Society brings Disney’s Broadway musical to Abingdon.

Musica Medievalis – Medieval Music Concert
10 April | 7:30pm (doors 7:00pm)
St Nicolas Church, Abingdon
Join Marco Cannavò and Steve Tyler for a  journey back to medieval Europe, featuring hurdy-gurdy, harp, lute, and organ. A blend of sacred and secular music.

Clubs & Societies Day 2026
Saturday 11 April | 10:00am – 2:00pm
Guildhall, Unit 25, St Nicolas Church & Market Place, Abingdon
Discover the wide range of local groups and organisations in Abingdon. A great chance to meet people, learn something new, and get involved.

Creating Ponds for Wildlife
Wednesday 15 April | 7:30pm
Abingdon Baptist Church
An illustrated talk by Jeremy Biggs exploring how to create ponds that support biodiversity and wildlife.

Author Talk: Carolyn Kirby – Ravenglass
Thursday 16 April | 6:00pm
Abingdon Library
Novelist Carolyn Kirby discusses her historical novel Ravenglass, set during the Jacobite Rising of 1745. Tickets: £2 (includes a welcome drink).

History Talk: Unremembered Allies
Thursday 16 April | 7:45pm
Northcourt Centre, Abingdon
A talk by Rev. Mark Nam on the Chinese Labour Corps in WWI – the often overlooked story of over 140,000 men who supported Allied efforts during the war.

Celtic Songs & Music Evening
Saturday 18 April | 7:30pm
St Helen’s Church, Abingdon
An evening of traditional Celtic music with Valentine Roland, performed on violin, guitar, and tin whistle.

An “eggspedition” around the town centre gave children the chance to hunt for twelve egg-themed words and win a chocolate Easter egg.

On the Market Place, there was live entertainment, including performances by the Stagecoach singers,

and the Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers. All this formed part of the Easter Eggstravaganza – a family event welcoming the spring, with crafts and local stalls.

Among the stalls was the One Wish Dog Foundation, founded in 2025, a new charity working to rescue and rehome unwanted and abandoned dogs across Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire.

Elsewhere around the town centre, shop windows joined in with Easter displays. Happy Easter!

On Saturday 28th March (9am–3pm), the Abingdon Local Excellence Markets return to the Market Place with a Spring Craft Market. There will be a wide range of locally made crafts and gifts — a good chance to browse and meet makers.

The Annual Parish Meeting takes place on Wednesday 1st April 2026 at 7pm in the Roysse Room at Roysse Court, Bridge Street.

This is the Town Council’s opportunity to report back on its work over the past year, with updates from committee chairs. PCSO Ali Blood will also speak about local policing. Local charities and community groups supported by council grants will share what they’ve been doing, and there will be time for residents to ask questions about the town.

With the Easter holidays beginning, there are plenty of activities for children and families.

At Abingdon Library, there’s an Easter Storytime with Sustainable Crafting on Wednesday 1st April, 1–2pm. This free session is ideal for children aged 4–10, combining stories with simple craft activities. Spaces are limited, so booking is recommended.

At Abingdon Museum, the “Chicks ’n’ Eggs” Easter craft session also takes place on Wednesday 1st April (10:30am–12:30pm and 1:30pm–3:30pm). This is a drop-in event where children can make hanging chicks and decorated collage eggs.

South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse councils are also running a wider programme of holiday activities across the area. In Abingdon, this includes a Mini Fun Day (9am–1pm) at White Horse Leisure and Tennis Centre on Thursday 3rd April. There are other activities available. Details and booking can be found online at https://www.southandvale.gov.uk/south-and-vale-holiday-activities/

For music, Unicorn Theatre hosts Suntou Susso on Thursday 2nd April (7:00–10:30pm). This is part of his The Future is Ancestral tour, an evening of kora music (a traditional West African instrument) and song. To book see https://musicattheunicorn.org.uk/.