Ageing Well Festival: A month of Wellness Activities coming to Dudley this October

Here at Dudley Carers Service, we know the importance of ageing well, helping people to stay happy, healthy and connected.

Whether you are worried about someone you are Caring for, or looking for an opportunity to learn more yourself, the Ageing Well Festival is for you.

Taking place from 1 to 31 October 2026, the month-long festival offers an incredible 630 different sessions across more than 70 venues, giving people opportunities to get active, meet new people, learn new skills and look after their health and wellbeing. 

Read all about it below and check out the full timetable to see what you can get involved with.

Ageing Well Festival

With the theme “Wellness is Ageless”, the festival brings together activities and opportunities from more than 150 local partners, including community groups, charities, leisure providers, libraries, health and wellbeing organisations and local services. 

The Ageing Well Festival was established to support residents to live healthier, happier and more connected lives as they grow older.

This is the first year the festival is being led by Citizens Advice Dudley and Wolverhampton as part of Dudley Empowerment Partnership in collaboration with the Council’s Public Health team and an incredible network of statutory, voluntary and community partners from across the Borough. 

The programme has something to suit a huge range of interests and abilities with many of the events being free to attend.

Residents can choose from walking, exercise and dance, as well as singing, crafts, gardening, games, films, digital skills, social groups and health and wellbeing sessions. 

A key part of this year’s festival is a free and extensive leisure offer in October, giving residents even more opportunities to get active and try something new. 

The programme includes opportunities to enjoy public swimming, gym use, fitness classes, racket sports and use of the running track at The Dell Stadium, with activities designed to help people become more active in a way that suits them. 

Whether you already enjoys exercise or is thinking about trying something new, the festival provides opportunities to explore the wide range of ways residents can stay active and support their wellbeing. 

The festival is organised around 8 Ways to Ageing Well, helping people to explore opportunities to: 

• Be active  

• Stay connected  

• Keep your mind healthy  

• Eat well and stay hydrated  

• Develop healthy habits 

• Look after your health  

• Self-manage your health  

• Be weather-wise  

Citizens Advice and partners wants to showcase the incredible range of opportunities available across Dudley Borough, while encouraging people to try something they may not have considered before. 

Whether you are looking to make new friends, become more active, discover a new hobby, learn a new skill or simply enjoy a cup of tea and a chat, there will be opportunities taking place throughout the borough. 

All events listed in the programme are free and open to everyone, unless otherwise stated. Some activities may have specific eligibility criteria, require booking or have limited spaces, so residents are encouraged to check individual listings before attending. 

As many activities are run by volunteers and community organisations, information is correct at the time it was provided by festival partners, but occasional changes may be necessary at short notice.