What’s On Walsall – September 2026

Walsall MakerFest 2026 

Date: Saturday, 26 Sep at 12pm - 4pm

Location: Walsall Town Hall

One of Walsall's most creative and colourful events is set to return this autumn, with MakerFest 2026 set to return to Walsall town centre on Saturday 26 September.

Over the coming weeks, Walsall Council will be revealing more information about the event, including the full programme of activities, participating makers, entertainment, workshops and opportunities to get involved.

The Makers’ Market will return with stalls available for artists, crafters, designers, food artisans, tech creatives, and more. Alongside stall holder we are also looking for community groups, performers, choirs, craft facilitators, workshop facilitators, storytellers, poets, the event Is about showcasing the best Walsall has to offer.

Walsall Hippo Trail Exhibition and Art Workshops

Date: Saturday, 12th September at 11am – 3pm 

Location: The New Art Gallery Walsall

Contribute to the Hippo sculpture Trail Coming to Walsall 2027

Join us at The New Art Gallery Walsall on Saturday, 12th September, from 11am to 3pm, for a lively celebration of community creativity and local heritage. This free, drop-in event invites everyone, families, children, and art lovers alike to explore a vibrant exhibition of hippo-themed artworks created over the summer by local young people. 

Get hands-on with engaging workshops in drawing, clay sculpture, zine making, and leather craft all inspired by Walsall’s iconic hippo! Meet talented artists, craft your own hippo-inspired art, and be part of the journey toward Walsall’s exciting new giant hippo sculpture trail, launching in 2027. 

Come along for a day of fun, community spirit, and artistic discovery. Help shape the future of Walsall’s creative landscape and celebrate the borough’s beloved hippo! 

It’s free, fun, and open to everyone!

Walsall Arena & Arts Centre

There’s a varied programme of music, comedy and entertainment coming to Walsall Arena & Arts Centre this September.

Highlights include:

• Funny Beeseness comedy night with Joel Dommett – Friday 4 September, 7.30pm. TV favourite Joel Dommett headlines an evening of stand-up comedy alongside Darren Harriott and Louise Young.
• Frankie – The Concert 2026 – Friday 11 September, 7.30pm. Enjoy a celebration of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, featuring a nine-piece band and a host of classic hits.
• Simon Evans – Staring at the Sun – Saturday 12 September, 7.30pm.
• The Ultimate Eagles – Saturday 19, 7.30pm a tribute to one of rock music’s most celebrated bands.
• Ready Steady 60s Show – Friday 25 Sep, 8.00pm a nostalgic trip back to the music of the 1960s.
• Barry from Watford – Saturday 26 Sep, 7.30pm comedy entertainment for audiences looking for a night of laughs.
• The D-Day Darlings – Sunday 27 Sep, 3.00pm live music celebrating wartime classics.

For full details, dates, ticket prices and booking information, visit Walsall Arena & Arts Centre.

The New Art Gallery Walsall

• Location:  Gallery Square, Walsall, WS2 8LG
• Opening times: Tuesday–Saturday, 10am–4.30pm | Sunday, 11am–4pm | Closed Mondays and Bank Holidays
• Website: www.thenewartgallerywalsall.org.uk

Contemporary Exhibitions 

Ten.8 afterimage

• Artists: The exhibition features works by 34 artists including specially commissioned new work by Heather Agyepong. A partnership project between The New Art Gallery Walsall and International Curators Forum.
• Exhibition open until: 13 September 2026

Ten.8 afterimage explores the legacy and enduring impact of Ten.8 (1979–1992), a photography journal that emerged from the Midlands’ radical cultural and political landscape. Ten.8 played a key role in shaping critical debates about representation and the politics of photography. Curated by Pelumi Odubanjo.

What Grows In Between

• Artists: Dan Booth, Abraham Babajide Cole, Hannah Rollason
• Exhibition open until: 11 October 2026

A group exhibition of newly commissioned work made during the third iteration of Assembly, a development programme for local artists held in partnership with arts organisation Multistory. Through painting, sculpture and installation, the artists explore connection and transformation as ways of navigating uncertain times. 

Collection Exhibitions 

Face Value, Contemporary Portraits from the Collections

• Artists: Ruth Claxton, Darryl Georgiou, Oliver Jones, Mahtab Hussain, Eugene Palmer, Shanti Panchal, Andrew Tift, Gillian Wearing, Nilupa Yasmin
• Exhibition open until: 23 May 2027

Inspired by the strong focus on portraits in the Garman Ryan Collection, this temporary exhibition brings together a selection of artworks from the Gallery’s Permanent Collection. These artworks demonstrate how different themes and ideas can be conveyed and presented through portraiture. The works also vary in scale and media.

Community Gallery

Mothers without Hands

• Artist: Tereza Bušková
• Exhibition open until: 15 November 2026

Mothers without Hands presents outcomes from an international project initiated and developed by Birmingham-based artist Tereza Bušková, which involved diverse communities in Folkestone, Prague, Brno, Erdington and Walsall in creative workshops and public processions to raise awareness of violence against women and girls.

The exhibition takes its title from The Girl Without Hands, a 1200-year-old fairy tale collected and revised by the Brothers Grimm. Featuring a girl whose hands are cut off and magically restored, it is a story not only about patriarchal oppression, persecution, violation and trauma, but also survival, strength and healing.

Creative activities

The Gallery’s Sunday Art Club continues throughout September, offering free creative activities for children and young people aged four and over, as well as their Baby & Me sensory sessions. September activities include:

• 6 September: Snail clay pots, 12pm–3pm
• 9 September: Baby and Me, 10.30am–2pm
• 13 September: Autumnal flower crown, 12pm–3pm
• 20 September: Everyday objects, extraordinary characters, 12pm–3pm
• 27 September: Pompom panels, 12pm–3pm

For more information about exhibitions, events and activities, visit The New Art Gallery Walsall.

Parks and outdoor activities

Get Cycling with On Ya Bike

Why not learn to ride, build your confidence or improve your cycling skills through our free On Ya Bike cycling sessions at Willenhall Memorial Park throughout August, September and October?

Every Sunday in September :

• Family Cycling Lessons: 9:00am to 11:00am
• Adult Cycling Lessons: 11:30am to 1:30pm

The sessions are suitable for all abilities and provide a great opportunity to enjoy the outdoors while developing a valuable life skill.

Free Park Tennis Continues

Our popular Free Park Tennis programme will continue throughout September, providing opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to get involved.

Whether you're picking up a racket for the first time or returning to the game, these fun and friendly sessions are a great way to:

• Meet new people
• Enjoy a full-body workout
• Improve your tennis skills
• Play in a relaxed and welcoming environment

Session Details

• Walsall Arboretum: First Sunday of every month, 10:00am to 11:00am
• Willenhall Memorial Park: Second Sunday of every month, 10:00am to 11:00am

View the full activity programme here: https://go.walsall.gov.uk/parks-and-green-spaces

Activities can be booked for free here: https://www.ticketsource.com/healthyspaces