 Thousands of people are expected at the St Albans Christmas Cracker – a family-friendly event that kicks off the festive season.
The street party takes place in the City Centre from noon until 6pm on Sunday 16 November with St Peter's Street closed to traffic.
Attractions include live music, fairground rides, a Santa’s grotto, street entertainers and dozens of market stalls selling hot food, drinks and seasonal gifts.
The Cracker is organised by the Council and supported by St Albans BID, Ovo, Costa Coffee in St Albans and other local businesses. This year it is also part funded through the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Click on the button below for further details including a timetable.
Harpenden Christmas Carnival and Lights Switch On, Sunday 23 November, noon to 6pm: Organised by Harpenden Town Council, there will be children’s activities, outdoor bars, market stalls, live music, funfair rides, Santa, a fantastic procession and the lights switch on.
London Colney Lights Switch On, the High Street, Sunday 23 November, 3.30pm to 6.30pm: A funfair, mini-Christmas market, food stalls and Santa’s grotto.
Redbourn Christmas Market, Sunday 30 November, 11am to 5pm: A not-for-profit event run by volunteers with funds raised paying for the village’s Christmas lights.
Wheathampstead Lights Up, Thursday 27 November, 5.30pm to 8pm: Wheathampstead Parish Council is organising a festive evening in the heart of the village. There will be shopping, eating, funfair rides and other activities.
Chiswell Green Christmas Market and Santa’s Grotto, Sunday 7 December, 2pm to 5pm: Organised by St Stephen Parish Council, this event takes place at Greenwood Park Community Centre and includes stalls full of seasonal gifts, handmade crafts and delicious treats.
Batford Christmas Lights Switch On, Thursday 27 November, 4.30pm to 6.30pm: A community event which includes carol singing, craft making and free festive refreshments.
Southdown Christmas Lights Switch On, Friday 28 November, 5.30pm to 7.30pm: A variety of entertainment including carol singing, fairground rides and stalls.
 An annual programme to keep St Albans District’s streets clear of autumn leaves is well underway.
The service is not a statutory requirement placed on local authorities by the Government.
It was introduced in response to residents’ requests some years ago and it has been continued despite the challenging financial climate.
More than 100 roads were carefully targeted this year for multiple sweeps from mid-October to early December.
Tree-lined streets in St Albans, Harpenden, Redbourn, Wheathampstead and other parts of the District are included. The leaves are taken away for composting.
Hundreds of people attended a moving Remembrance Sunday Parade and Service in St Albans City Centre.
They gathered around the City’s War Memorial to pay tribute to members of Britain’s armed forces who lost their lives in two World Wars and other conflicts.
St Albans Mayor, Councillor Teresa Heritage (pictured above), led the annual event and laid a wreath.
She was joined by leaders of the major faiths, Daisy Cooper, the MP for St Albans, and Honorary Aldermen as well as County, District, Town and Parish Councillors.
A parade included representatives of the Royal British Legion; air, sea and army cadets; the Guiding and Scout movements; the police and other uniformed services.
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 Improvements have been made to Drovers Way and Russell Avenue car parks in St Albans City Centre.
New equipment has been installed to make both car parks cashless and ticketless.
Each vehicle's number plate will be automatically registered by CCTV as it enters the car park and the duration of its stay will be timed.
To exit, motorists can pay at the barrier or they can go to one of the machines within the car park, input their registration number and pay there instead. The barriers will lift automatically.
Payments are contactless, made with a bank card or mobile phone, and the required amount is calculated by the machine.
On exit, blue badge holders can scan the blue badge barcode at the barcode reader on the machines, so they no longer need to go to the desk to validate their parking.
Our team is on site 24/7 with assistance available at our customer service window or by pressing the “telephone” button on any payment machine.
 A fly-tipper was ordered to pay almost £1,000 for dumping rubbish in a residential car park.
Our environmental enforcement team launched an investigation after reports of a fly-tip (pictured) at Century Close, St Albans.
The material was traced to a nearby resident who was prosecuted after refusing to pay a Fixed Penalty Notice.
Magistrates ordered her to pay a total of £994 after she admitted illegally dumping the waste.
This is the eighth successful fly-tipping prosecution we have undertaken this year.
Say hello to Nicholas Stagg who founded his House of Coffee business more than 40 years ago – and has now started trading at St Albans Charter Market.
Nicholas decided to expand from his shop in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, and chose the Market as the perfect spot.
He said: “I love the atmosphere and the opportunity to really connect with customers. We sell whole beans or ground coffee including our own blends and are attracting a great deal of interest."
Nicholas roasts 15 tons of coffee a year which he sources from places around the world including Sumatra, Papua New Guinea, Costa Rica, Tanzania and Peru.
Starting on Thursday 11 December, the Market takes place each Thursday, Friday and Sunday during the fortnight leading up to Christmas Day as well as the usual Wednesdays and Saturdays. There will also be an extra day’s trading on Tuesday 23 December.
 We are looking for volunteers to help tidy up Hatfield Road Cemetery to mark Interfaith Week 2025.
The plan is for a mixed-faith team to clear overgrowth that has appeared on some graves.
They will work in two two-hour shifts, starting at 10am and noon, on Sunday 23 November.
The event is being supported by St Albans Masorti Synagogue to mark Mitzvah Day, an annual day of social action.
If you are interested in helping out, you can contact mike.knight@e-sams.org or just turn up on the day.
We are supporting White Ribbon Day on Tuesday 25 November – the campaign to end male violence against women.
The Council has achieved White Ribbon status showing that we are committed to never take part in, excuse or remain silent about male violence against women.
This year's campaign theme is We Speak Up, a call for people not to stay silent about the issues involved.
We are also supporting the United Nations’ Orange the World initiative which has the same aims.
As part of this, our Museum + Gallery will be lit up in orange for 16 days starting on Tuesday 25 November at around 5pm.
The Orange the World campaign in the District is being led by the St Albans branch of Soroptimist International with more information available here.
Anyone who would like a white ribbon to show their support should contact neil.kieran@stalbans.gov.uk.
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St Albans District has achieved Age-friendly status and been accepted into the UK Network of Age-friendly Communities.
To join, the Council had to demonstrate its commitment to providing Age-friendly services and creating a District where older people are well supported.
This includes initiatives to involve older people in Council activities and act on issues such as loneliness and social isolation.
You can find more information by clicking the button below.
 Get into the festive spirit with the Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care's Rudolph Run on Sunday 7 December in St Albans.
This fun-filled event is suitable for all ages and abilities and includes both a brisk 5km run and a shorter 1.5km fun run.
Your entry fee guarantees a pair of festive antlers and a finisher's medal to celebrate your achievement as well as raising funds for local hospice care.
Click on the button below to register today and be part of a joyful community event that truly makes a difference.
Photo: some of last year’s runners.
The number of residential burglaries across Hertfordshire is currently around 10% higher than the same period last year.
St Albans Detective Inspector Sol Beere is urging residents to take measures to protect their properties.
He said: “We continue to pursue and detect burglars – but if would be preferable if we prevented burglaries from happening in the first place.”
The advice to householders is to close and lock all windows and doors when they go out, invest in CCTV or doorbell cameras, keep an eye on elderly or vulnerable neighbours and report any suspicious behaviour to police.
To guard against vehicle theft, consider using a steering lock and keep your keys away from the front door, preferably in a metal tin or Faraday bag.
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Worlds Connected, until Sunday 22 February, Weston Gallery, St Albans Museum + Gallery, Free: a multi-sensory exhibition exploring the many connections between St Albans and the Islamic World - from scientific discoveries to a fondness for coffee.
Spy Princess: The Life of Noor Inayat Khan, Wednesday 12 November, 7pm, St Albans Museum + Gallery, Tickets £10 in person or £6 online: the inspiring story of an Indian princess turned secret agent in World War Two. Dr Shrabani Basu traces that journey in this talk.
Mindful Collage Workshop, Saturday 22 November, 10:30am – 12:30pm, St Albans Museum + Gallery, Tickets £15: join us for this mindful collage workshop where we will be exploring the work of artist Mickalene Thomas and creating a collage that focuses on engaging our senses to create an expressive piece of art in a relaxed calm space.
This workshop is intended for teens and adults.
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Inns and Alehouses in Victorian St Albans, Friday 28 November to Sunday 15 March, Keeper’s Galleries, St Albans Museum + Gallery, Free: towards the end of the nineteenth century St Albans boasted just under a hundred commercial drinking establishments.
This exhibition looks at the differing types of venue that served the city’s population from beerhouses to taverns and the reasons that they flourished or failed as St Albans moved into the twentieth century.
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 Residents turned out in force last month for an introduction to retrofit works - how they can make their homes more energy efficient.
The event was organised by Morgan Sindall Property Services (MSPS) in partnership with the Council and Green House St Albans.
The session, at the Quaker Meeting House in St Albans, dealt with measures ranging from improving insulation to installing air source heat pumps.
MSPS, the Council's housing repairs contractor, is now considering holding a further information event given the high level of interest.
There is still time to register for our St Albans District Landlord Forum on Tuesday 25 November.
This is a chance for private landlords and letting agents to network, learn new information and discuss housing issues.
The Forum takes place from 6.30pm at the Civic Centre and you can book your place by clicking on the button below.
 St Albans Healthy Hub is your local centre for health and wellbeing information, advice and support.
You can get help with many issues including how to lose weight, quit smoking, cut down on alcohol, become more active and manage money.
The organisations involved include Citizens Advice, Communities 1st, Mind in Mid Herts and many more. You can find more information on the Healthy Hub webpages.
The Better Health Bus will be visiting London Colney and Wheathampstead soon to offer people free advice and support.
Eligible residents can receive a free NHS Health Check that can detect early signs of conditions like heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and dementia.
Shorter wellbeing checks and access to a stop smoking service will also be available.
The bus will be at the Caledon Community Centre, London Colney, on Friday 14 November, and at the Memorial Hall, Wheathampstead, on Thursday 18 December. You can drop in from 10am to 3.30pm.
If you are over 65, your flu vaccine matters as missing the jab means you’re twice as likely to be hospitalised with flu than someone younger.
Flu can hit harder as we get older – but the good news is, your vaccine is free and available now.
You can book your vaccine through your GP, the NHS app, by calling 119 or by contacting your local pharmacy via the website below.
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