May in Watford is stacked. Not “there’s a few things on.” Properly stacked.
So here it is—actual listings you can book, argue over, and inevitably double-book.
At Watford Palace Theatre
This is a seriously busy month at the Palace—comedy, theatre, music, and the gloriously hard-to-categorise:
- Wed 6 May – Kiell Smith-Bynoe’s Kool Story Bro
- Thu 7 May – Makings of a Murderer: The Undercover Detective
- Sat 9 May – Emma Smith (live music)
- 12 - 16 May - Priscilla Queen of the Desert - from Cassio
- Thu 21 May – Kane Brown
- Fri 22 May – Lata & Asha: Purane Gaane – Side A | Side B
- Mon 25 – Wed 27 May – The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)
- Fri 29th May - Boyband in the Buff starring Gareth Gates
- Sat 30 May – The Comedy Store Players
- Sun 31 May – Gyles Brandreth: Can’t Stop Talking
It’s that rare thing: a month where you could come once a week and never see the same type of show twice.
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Big nights at Watford Colosseum
If the Palace is variety, the Colosseum is scale. And May is wall-to-wall:
- Fri 1 May – Public Image Ltd
- Sun 10 May – The Drifters
- Wed 13 May – Simon Reeve: To The Ends of the Earth
- Fri 15 May – Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox
- Sun 17 May – Yacht Rock Live
- Sat 23 May – Patel’s Millions 2
- Sun 24 May – Raver Tots (family rave… yes, really)
This is classic Colosseum territory: nostalgia, big laughs, big crowds, and at least one night where everyone ends up singing.
Local gems at Pump House Theatre & Arts Centre
The Pump House continues doing its thing—community-driven, slightly under the radar, often brilliant.
Expect across May:
- Cluedo from the Rickmansworth Players 5th-9th May
- The Mirror Crack'd (great play) Belmont Theatre Company 27th-30th May
- Smaller-scale comedy and performance nights
- Studio shows where you’re right in it
(And if you like saying “I saw them before they were famous,” this is your hunting ground.)
Elsewhere
Watford in May also means:
- Live music across town centre venues
- One-off club nights and themed events
- The occasional “I’ll just pop out for one” that absolutely isn’t
There’s even the wonderfully specific:
- Sun 3 May – Daisy Dukes Line Dancing Social (if that’s your thing… it might be now)
So what’s the move?
Honestly? Pick your lane:
- Culture → Shakespeare (abridged, thankfully)
- Comedy → Comedy Store Players or Brandreth
- Music → Postmodern Jukebox or The Drifters
- Wildcard → Raver Tots
Or do what most people do in May: book two things, say yes to a third, and end up out four nights in a row.
Watford’s like that at this time of year.
- Steve Marmion is chief executive and director of programming for Watford Palace Theatre. He has worked in the creative industries for over 20 years, including as Co-Chief Executive and Artistic Director of Soho Theatre (2010–18), and founder of PantoCo Ltd, which produces large-scale family shows. He has played key roles in launching productions and artists such as Fleabag, Baby Reindeer, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Richard Gadd, Bryony Kimmings and many more. His work is dedicated to reaching audiences who don’t traditionally attend live arts, and finding new voices with stories we’ve never heard before. His first play, 97 – about the victims of the Hillsborough Tragedy – was based on his experience as an 11-year-old attending the match.
