We are now into the final quarter of the year, and while you may have a lot of your content planned out for the end of 2026, there’s always space for a topical story or event. We have put together some ideas for what you could cover in October, as well as what fellow journalists are normally looking for this month on our Journalist Enquiry Service. 

What to cover right now?

World Mental Health Day is celebrated every year on 10 October and this year’s theme is ‘Lived experiences: Real voices, real change’. This provides a good opportunity to chat to people about their experiences of dealing with any mental health issues and where they went for support. Sharing the thoughts of an expert on this matter would also tie in well (and we already have a list together here).

Another annual event is Black History Month, which takes place this month, and like World Mental Health Day has a theme which this year is ‘Honouring Our Communities’. To link into that community theme, you could cover related events, or speak to a historian about the contributions community leaders have made in different sectors.

Some of the world’s best new films will be given their debut at the BFI London Film Festival, which takes place from 7-18 October. There will be red carpet premieres at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, plus in-depth interviews with some of the leading lights of contemporary cinema and many free events for the public to attend, too. This year also marks the 70th anniversary of the festival which provides a great chance for a film expert to discuss some of the best films to premiere at the event over the years.

What’s coming up?

It’s not just films enjoying a festival in October with the London Literature Festival starting on 21 October and finishing up on 1 November. The event will take place as usual at the Southbank Centre, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary, and this year’s festival is being curated by the global popstar Dua Lipa who founded the Service95 book club. While you may not be able to grab an interview with Dua Lipa herself, you could chat to authors that will feature at the festival about why these events are still important.

October marks the beginning of what many now call ‘spooky season’ with Halloween taking place at the end of the month. There are numerous ways you could get Halloween content, from suggesting the best costumes to dress up in for a party to listing the most haunted houses that you can visit across the UK. Don’t be scared of using the Journalist Enquiry Service to get what you need for it.

If you cover food and drink as part of your beat, World Pasta Day is coming up on 25 October. Numerous restaurants are putting on special discounts and deals to celebrate the day so you review one, or get a chef to share some tips on quick and easy recipes to make or something a bit more outside the box! 

Still stuck? Here are common trends from the Journalist Enquiry Service for October

Money is always a concern and more so as winter approaches with the risk of rising energy bills. Eyes will be firmly on the Autumn budget on 28 October. ‘Budget’ crops up as a regular keyword on the Journalist Enquiry Service around this time, appearing in 4% of enquiries for the last two years. A personal finance expert could help to shed light on what the budget will mean for household finances or you could speak to an expert after the announcements to predict positive and negative impacts.

October onwards is when a rise in requests for ‘Winter’ come in. In the last couple of years, this has averaged at 4% of the total enquiries. The change in season offers various avenues to explore, from looking at new fashion, beauty or interior ideas, to looking more generally at what events are coming up in Winter or what trends to expect in your sector.

Finally, ‘retail’ has performed well as a keyword on the service in the last few years and has cropped up in 2% of all enquiries for October in both 2025 and 2024. With big events like Black Friday coming up, it’s a good time to start getting information on deals, or get insight from a retail expert about what we could expect to see in the lead up to Christmas.

Looking to get information on the Black Friday deals before anyone else? Send out a request on the Journalist Enquiry Service to get top quality retail expertise. Wanting stats and facts to add into a personal finance story connected with the upcoming Autumn Budget? Check out the Press Release Wire for extra information to include in your article.