What's on in Hertfordshire June 2022

Your guide to the best events in Hertfordshire this month

Next slide please
June 2, St Albans 
Presenter and comedian Sandi Toksvig is looking for reasons to be cheerful with her new show Sandi Toksvig Live! Next Slide Please... at Alban Arena. Born out of a need to counter those number 10 Covid briefings during the pandemic, you can expect fascinatingly funny facts, silly jokes and a quick-fire Q&A session from the host of QI. It's all served with Sandi's warmth and wit. The Times described it as 'a breath of fresh air and lots of fun'. £31.50 
alban-arena.co.uk

The Real McKoys will be playing at this year's Jubilee Bish Bash - Credit: Steve Beeston

Jubilee Bish Bash
June 3-4, Bishop’s Stortford  
Bishop's Stortford longest running music festival, Bish Bash, makes a return celebrating not only the Queen’s Jubilee but the event's 20th anniversary. Headliners include EMF, The Boo Radleys and Uncle Funk’s Disco Inferno. Alongside music, there’s comedy, children’s entertainment including superheroes, workshops and inflatables, stalls, locally sourced street food and a bar selling a special festival lager. Head to Sworder’s Field for this community fun day,. You may even see Her Majesty (or someone quite like her) From £25. 
stortfordmusicfestival.org.uk

See trapeze artiste Anna Rastsova performing heart-stopping aerial aerobics in Giffords Circus Carpa! - Credit: Andy Payne Photography

¡Carpa! Circus
June 9-13, Elstree
The circus is coming to town, well, Home Farm in Elstree, and with it Tweedy the Clown and a host of international circus talent including trapeze artistes, tap dancers, tight-rope walkers, stunt riders, magicians, illusionists and acrobats. This year's show, ¡Carpa! takes inspiration from Mexico. Combining dance, comedy, horses and live music under a white tent surrounded by vintage-style showman’s wagons, Giffords Circus promises skill, humour, turmoil and excitement. Let the show begin. From £20.
homefarmglamping.com

Goodnight Mister Tom
June 10-18, St Albans  
Tom, a gruff, reclusive widower living in a small village takes in a young evacuee from London during World War Two. After a difficult start, Tom realises his young charge William comes from an unhappy background. The pair form a close attachment but as the boy's 10th birthday looms, William is summoned back to London by his abusive mother. This charming play, performed by Company of Ten, is adapted from the novel by Michelle Magorian. £13.
abbeytheatre.org.uk

Ashridge House - Credit: Archant

Ashridge gardens 
June 14-16, Ashridge 
The historic gardens at Ashridge House will be open this month for the charitable National Garden Scheme. Take a stroll around the Grade II* Humphry Repton designed gardens. Meander through the Italian gardens, bask in the scents of the rose garden, and explore the informal arboretum; there's 190 acres of glorious grounds to discover. To coincide with the open garden there's a plant fair so if Repton has inspired you, pick up something for your own green space. £5.
ashridgehouse.org.uk

Tony Christie will be stopping off at The Radlett Centre as part of his Avenues and Alleyways tour - Credit: Dean Chalkley

Christie's greatest 
June 16, Radlett
English pop singer Tony Christie, who has recorded million selling albums and singles and performed at major arenas around the world, is coming to the Radlett Centre. His tour, Avenues and Alleyways, will see him perform  his greatest hits with his band from a career that spans five decades. Songs include I Did What I Did For Maria, Walk Like A Panther, Las Vegas, Avenues and Alleyways and of course he will be asking Is This the Way to Amarillo which topped the charts in 2005 raising thousands for Comic Relief. £26.
radlettcentre.co.uk

Common people
June 18-19 
Art on the Common has been a fixture in the Harpenden summer programme for more than 40 years. It features over 50  local artists exhibiting a wide range of artwork including paintings, ceramics, photography, jewellery, wood and glass and there's always new artists adding their creative concepts to the mix. Meet the artists and take home a unique piece of work. The event on Harpenden Common coincides with Harpenden Carnival on the Saturday featuring a procession to the common where there will be music, arena acts, a dog show and more, all with a superheroes theme. 
artonthecommon.co.uk
harpendencarnival.com

Music & Mayhew
June 19, Hatfield
Six stories will be brought to life with music and illustrations at this family concert, Once Upon A Tune. As the de Havilland Philharmonic Orchestra plays, celebrated author and illustrator James Mayhew brings the action to life with painting and storytelling. Tales of trolls and flying carpets, swans and bumblebees, crossbows and magic are combined with the glorious music of Grieg, Rossini, Dukas, Sibelius and Rimsky-Korsakov. It's a great introduction to classical music for younger ones at the University of Hertfordshire's Weston Auditorium.. £18, children £8.
uharts.co.uk

Dads' day out 
June 19, Knebworth
The sights and sounds of medieval jousting returns to Knebworth Park on Father’s Day. The turrets and towers of Knebworth House provide the perfect backdrop to the knights on their magnificent horses dressed for battle. Cheer, jeer and gasp as the knights demonstrate their skill in a fantastic display of horsemanship as they gallop at full tilt at one another. Tickets include access to Knebworth Park, the gardens, dinosaur trail and the adventure playground. From £12.50.
knebworthhouse.com

Jazzing it up
June 25, Hertford
Hertford Choral will be Jazzing It Up! for its summer concert. The programme includes Bob Chilcott’s original A Little Jazz Mass,  Latin Missa Brevis which showcases a variety of jazz styles, jazz motets and 'some stunning jazz virtuosity' from local jazz pianist Chris Eldred and his trio. At All Saints’ Church, Hertford. £16.
hertfordchoral.org.uk

Sat 25 June 
Open air Shakespeare
June 25, St Paul’s Walden Bury  
June 26, Tring Memorial Gardens  
Enjoy Shakespeare comedy in the park with an outdoor performance of The Taming of the Shrew. In 16th century Padua, Baptista Minola has two daughters, the elder and headstrong Katharina and fair Bianca who has suitors lining up. But Baptista will not agree her marriage until Katharina is first married. Enter Petruchio - can he subdue Katharina’s legendary temper and win her dowry? The family performance by Drama Impact in Elizabethan costume with live music and dance is preceded by an inclusive, fun and educational event. From £22.
dramaimpact.com