Ely Today – 27th September 2026 Edition

Ely is moving from its September cultural programme into the first part of the autumn season. Today has a good mix of market, Cathedral and community activity, while the next fortnight brings a new exhibition, more live music, regular markets and the start of the Cathedral’s autumn programme.

🗞️ Local news & developments

🎨 Ely’s first official street-art Free Wall

One of the more interesting recent local developments is the completion of Ely’s first official Free Wall for street art at the Gateway underpass at Ely Leisure Village.

Two young local artists have already completed the first murals, with the project supported by Ely City Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council, Cambridgeshire County Council, Ely College and other partners. The aim is to turn what was previously an uninspiring underpass into a more welcoming public space.

This is a genuinely local development and a nice example of something changing on the ground rather than simply another proposal.

🍽️ New restaurant watch

Two recent additions remain worth knowing about:

Grain Kitchen & Bar — opened on 7 August at the former Mangiare site. It is an independent all-day restaurant serving modern British food with international influences.

And further ahead:

Quay & Fen — chef Lee Bye is developing the new restaurant in the Grade II-listed Quay House, with a planned spring 2027 opening. The concept will concentrate on Fenland ingredients, with a bar, dining room and chef’s-table experience.

Status: Grain is open; Quay & Fen is a confirmed project, not yet open.

🎭 What’s On in Ely
🛍️ Sunday Market — TODAY

Sunday 27 September, 9am–3pm
📍 Ely Market Place, CB7 4NT

The regular Sunday Market is running today, with crafts, artisan food, plants, gifts, vintage items, vinyl and street food.

Ely Markets — current market programme

🎤 Ben Jupp Memorial Lecture — TODAY

Sunday 27 September, 5:30–6:30pm
📍 Ely Cathedral

The Annual Ben Jupp Memorial Lecture features Anoosheh Ashoori, the British-Iranian engineer who was arbitrarily detained in Tehran’s Evin Prison from 2017 to 2022.

This is a particularly interesting local event because it is being organised by the Amnesty Ely City Group, rather than being a generic touring lecture.

🎨 Ely Photographic Club Exhibition

Until Sunday 27 September
📍 Ely Cathedral

Today is the final day of the Ely Photographic Club’s exhibition of prints.

🎵 Live music & entertainment
🎹 English Piano Trio

Thursday 1 October
📍 Ely Cathedral

A lunchtime recital by the English Piano Trio opens the Cathedral’s October music programme.

🎭 High Notes and Low Jokes

Thursday 1 October, 7:30pm
📍 The Maltings, Ship Lane, Ely

A rather different musical evening: Juliette Pochin and James Morgan combine virtuoso musicianship with comic songs and musical mash-ups.

The show has been described as a mixture of music, comedy and cabaret, with material ranging across the history of Western music. Current ticket listings put admission at about £20.

🎧 90s Silent Disco

Friday 2 October, 8pm
📍 Ely Cathedral

A three-channel 1990s silent disco with the Cathedral illuminated for the occasion.

⚠️ Confirmed but SOLD OUT. So I’m including it as useful information rather than suggesting you can still buy a ticket.

🍎 Ely Apple Day

Saturday 10 October, 10am–4pm
📍 Ely Cathedral

An autumn event celebrating local apples, orchards and traditional produce.

🛍️ Markets & fairs

The market calendar remains reassuringly regular:

Saturday Craft, Food & Vintage Market

Saturday 3 October, 8:30am–3:30pm
📍 Ely Market Place

The weekly market continues with makers, bakers, vintage traders, artisan produce and street food.

Sunday Market

Sunday 4 October, 9am–3pm
📍 Ely Market Place

The usual relaxed Sunday market follows.

Pagan & Alternative Fayre

Saturday 26–Sunday 27 September
📍 The Maltings, Ship Lane, Ely

This weekend’s two-day fayre features alternative and pagan traders, jewellery, skincare, incense and spiritual/wellbeing services, including Tarot and rune readings.

Status: Confirmed by the organiser.

🏛️ Looking into October

The Cathedral’s programme now includes:

1 October — English Piano Trio
2 October — 90s Silent Disco — sold out
10–11 October — Harvest Weekend
13 October–1 November — Legacies of the Windrush exhibition
15 October — Lunchtime Recital with John Wyatt & Heather Toyn
23 October — An Evening of Kate Bush, full band, vocalists and string quartet.

The Kate Bush evening on 23 October is particularly worth putting in the diary if you’re looking for something beyond the usual classical programme.

🏛️ Council & planning

I haven’t found a newly announced Ely planning decision this week that is significant enough to justify dressing up a routine application as major local news.

The next East Cambridgeshire Planning Committee is scheduled for Wednesday 7 October, at the council offices in Ely. The council says planning committees normally meet on the first Wednesday of the month and publish agendas in advance.

🚗 Roads & transport

A useful longer-term point for the area is the county’s ongoing highway-maintenance programme. The 2026/27 programme includes significant preventative maintenance across Cambridgeshire, with the A142 Ely–Soham corridor among the named routes.

There isn’t a newly identified Ely city-centre closure that merits a warning this Sunday.

🌦️ Ely weather

The interesting feature of the coming week is a brief return to unusually warm conditions for late September. Tuesday and Wednesday currently look the warmest, with temperatures around 25°C, although showers are possible. Thursday starts wetter before becoming brighter, while Friday looks particularly pleasant.

So, despite the calendar saying autumn, Tuesday/Wednesday could feel more like summer.

⭐ Ely — My Picks

🛍️ TODAY: Sunday Market
🎤 TODAY: Ben Jupp Memorial Lecture — Ely Cathedral
🎭 Best unusual gig: High Notes and Low Jokes — 1 Oct
🎹 Best classical option: English Piano Trio — 1 Oct
🍎 Best autumn event: Ely Apple Day — 10 Oct
🎸 Best upcoming bigger music event: An Evening of Kate Bush — 23 Oct
🍽️ New business to watch: Quay & Fen — spring 2027

Overall

Ely is entering a pleasantly varied autumn period. There’s no single enormous event dominating the town this week, but the combination of the market, Cathedral programme, Maltings events and the new Free Wall gives the city plenty of genuinely local activity.

The Quay & Fen development is probably the most interesting longer-term business story, while the Kate Bush concert is one I’d particularly flag for October.