Where to go in Britain this weekend, 3–4 October: from York to Cardiff, what is free and what ends on Sunday

The weekend of 3–4 October is dry and warm across most of Britain: high pressure sits over the country and rain is only likely in the far north-west. It is the best weekend for a day out in weeks. Our London listings are in a separate guide. This one covers the rest of the country: what is free, what needs a ticket and where to go for the day.

Where can you go for a day out on 3–4 October?

York is the best free day out of the weekend. York Unlocked runs on both Saturday and Sunday: more than 25 historic buildings that are normally closed open their doors for free — Herbert House, King's Manor, the Assembly Rooms, Bedern Hall, St Anthony's Garden. No booking, no tickets, everything within walking distance in the centre. York is about two hours by train from London.

Bath turns its centre into an autumn market. Bath Autumn Fayre fills Milsom Street and the streets around it from 2 to 4 October, 10:00–17:00, free entry: over a hundred stalls, street food, live music and theatre. The Holburne Museum opens "Ancient Landscape, Modern Times", on Eric Ravilious and the artists of the chalk downs, on Saturday 3 October. Bath Children's Literature Festival closes on Sunday.

Steam trains. The 1924 locomotive Pendennis Castle is hauling services on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway on both days, Pickering to Whitby across the moors, £35 adult and £17.50 child. The Great Central Railway in Leicestershire runs its Autumn Steam Gala from 1 to 4 October with five visiting engines, from £39.

What is free in British cities this weekend?

Bristol: the St Werburghs Arts Trail runs both days. More than 70 artists open their own homes and studios, free entry — a rare look at how artists in Britain actually live and work.

Leeds: an Artisan Fayre in the amphitheatre at Temple Newsam, Sunday 10:00–15:00, free — local producers and makers in the grounds of the old estate.

Brighton: Brighton Makers Market on Jubilee Square in North Laine, Saturday 11:00–17:00, free and dog-friendly.

Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool: Albert's Schloss is running Oktoberfest until 25 October with free entry, oompah bands and all six official Munich beers. You only pay for food and drink.

Gateshead: The Glasshouse hosts "Steve Reich at 90" from 2 to 4 October. Part of the programme is free and unticketed: the Concourse talks on 3 and 4 October and "Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices and Organ" on Sunday.

Which concerts and shows are on outside London on 3–4 October?

Newcastle: Westlife play two nights in a row at the Utilita Arena with the "25: The Anniversary" tour, Saturday and Sunday, both at 18:00 (listing).

Liverpool: The Pussycat Dolls bring the PCD Forever tour to the M&S Bank Arena on Saturday, doors 18:00, with Lil' Kim — twenty years since their debut album. An ELO tribute plays the smaller auditorium the same night.

Glasgow: Kevin Bridges plays the OVO Hydro on both Saturday and Sunday: doors 18:30, show 20:00–22:25, tickets £42.25–76.30. SIX closes at the Theatre Royal on Saturday.

Edinburgh: Scottish Ballet performs Crystal Pite's "Emergence" and the world premiere of "Entress" at the Festival Theatre on Saturday at 19:30 — the last performance in the city. The Undertones and The Skids play the Corn Exchange the same evening on their fiftieth-anniversary tour.

Manchester: The Hallé and Opera Rara perform Offenbach's rarely staged "Barkouf" — the one where a dog takes power in the city — at the Bridgewater Hall on Sunday at 16:00.

Birmingham: boxing at the Utilita Arena on Saturday, Ben Whittaker v Conor Wallace, an IBF title eliminator, doors 16:30, first bell 17:00, from £40.

Bristol: Jonathan Pie at Bristol Beacon on Saturday, African Soul Rebels with Les Amazones d'Afrique on Sunday. Brighton: the London Philharmonic plays Dvořák with cellist Kian Soltani at Brighton Dome on Saturday at 19:30, tickets from £10.

Why are there no Premier League matches on 3–4 October?

Because of the international break: the 2026/27 season stretches it to almost three weeks, and the next Premier League round is on 10 October (league schedule). The Championship is not playing either.

The only home international in Britain is Wales v Denmark at the Cardiff City Stadium on Sunday at 19:45 in the UEFA Nations League, live on BBC Two and S4C. England play in Croatia on Saturday at 17:00 and Scotland in North Macedonia at 19:45, both away.

There is live club football — the Women's Super League. On Sunday Manchester City host Arsenal at the Etihad at 16:30, Everton play Birmingham City at 14:00 at Goodison Park, now home to the women's team, and Aston Villa host Crystal Palace at Villa Park. The Manchester United v Liverpool derby is on Saturday at 13:30 (WSL fixtures). Rugby: Bristol Bears host Northampton Saints at Ashton Gate on Saturday at 15:05, Glasgow Warriors host Ulster at Scotstoun at 17:30. Ice hockey: Sheffield Steelers on Saturday at 19:00, Belfast Giants on Sunday at 17:00.

Where can you take children, and which museums are free?

Britain's big regional museums are free, and they have plenty on this weekend. Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery is showing "EVERY THING MUST GO", the first major exhibition of comedian Joe Lycett as an artist, free, until February 2027. Cambridge's Fitzwilliam Museum has seven decades of Frank Bowling, free and unticketed; Oxford's Ashmolean shows Soma Surovi Jannat on climate and care for nature.

In Belfast the Ulster Museum is free and starts World Space Week on 4 October with drop-in activities for children. In Cardiff, Techniquest has Luke Jerram's "Gaia" both days, 10:00–17:00 — a six-metre illuminated Earth built from NASA imagery; National Museum Cardiff next door is free. Manchester's Science and Industry Museum is free, with only the Horrible Science show ticketed at £10.

Out of town, the National Trust is running apple days: Orchard Day at Dudmaston Hall in Shropshire on Sunday, 11:00–16:30, with apple pressing at 11:30 and 14:00, and Apple Sundays at Ardress House near Portadown, 11:00–17:00. The events are free; normal admission to the house and grounds applies.

Which roads are closed in Cardiff and Glasgow on Sunday?

Two cities hold mass races on Sunday morning and both centres will be partly closed. The Cardiff Half Marathon starts on Castle Street at 10:00 (wheelchair athletes 09:57) and finishes at the City Hall lawns, with around 27,000 runners on the course. In Glasgow the Great Scottish Run starts on St Vincent Street: 10K at 08:30, half marathon at 10:10. Watching is free, but leave the car outside the centre.

One more for Birmingham: the Conservative Party conference opens there on Sunday 4 October and runs to 7 October. The area around the ICC and Symphony Hall will have heavier security and road closures, so allow extra time if you are heading into the city.

What ends this weekend?

Three things worth catching. SIX closes at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow on Saturday. In York, Cuban company Acosta Danza performs "Cuban Baroque" with the world premiere of "Pearls" on Saturday only, at 14:30 and 19:30. Bath Children's Literature Festival ends on Sunday, and Horrible Histories plays its final shows at the Sheffield Lyceum on Saturday.

And one practical note: engineering works on the railway are most common on Sundays, so check your return journey on National Rail before you travel, and book long-distance tickets in advance — walk-up fares are usually one and a half to two times the price.