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Splendour Festival
Saturday 18th – Sunday 19th July
Wollaton Park
Splendour Festival will return in summer 2026!
The two-day festival will be back at its Wollaton home with a brand-new line-up to appeal across the generations, from long-term regulars to families and youngsters.
Two huge international acts have been announced as the headliners – The Wombats will headline on Saturday and Snow Patrol on Sunday 19 July.
The festival will also see the return of Day Fever, the daytime disco conceived by Nottingham’s own Vicky McClure, along with husband Johnny Owen and Reverend and the Makers’ Jon McClure.
As the sun sets, The Beatles Dub Club, celebrates the Fab Four with plenty of reggae, ska, latin, hip hop, dub, funk, house and even drum & bass takes on their songs while 6 Music’s Craig Charles will bring the sweetest funk and soul grooves.
The weekend offers several stages of music with a wonderful mix of acts to appeal across multiple generations. Alongside the music, there will be Little Splendours children’s area, silent disco, comedy, fairground rides, an independent market, gourmet food and drink and fringe entertainment all in the beautiful historic parkland.
Day and weekend tickets plus payment plans are available. Nottingham City residents can receive a 10% discount by entering their council tax number and postcode when booking.
Bulwell Global Day
Bulwell Hall Park
Saturday 11th July, 1-5pm
Bulwell is getting ready to celebrate in style as the Bulwell Arts Festival 2026 returns with a week full of creativity, community and culture from 4–11 July. Inspired by the spirit of the historic Bulwell Wakes, and even the legendary elephant that once passed through the marketplace, this year’s festival promises something truly special.
The grand finale is Global Day on Saturday 11 July, 1–5pm at Bulwell Hall Park, a lively, feel good afternoon that brings the whole community together. In partnership with the CommuniTree Nottingham Festival, the park will come alive with music, crafts, hands on workshops, global food, local history and plenty of family-friendly fun.
Whether you want to get creative, try something new, enjoy great food or simply soak up the atmosphere, Global Day is a celebration for everyone, a chance to experience the diversity, talent and pride that makes Bulwell such a vibrant place to live.
Come along, bring your friends and family, and be part of it.
Nottingham Playhouse Puppetry Exhibition
22 Jun 2026 – 28 Jun 2026. 11:00am – 6:00pm
Nottingham Playhouse
Come and meet some of the greatest puppets ever to grace the Playhouse Stage – from the truly beautiful to the fiendishly clever to the downright scary. Find out the all secrets behind our animated friends.
Look out for Walkabout times during the Open Weekend from 27 to 28 June to get really close to the action.
Bottesford Skatepark Community Day
Saturday 4th July, 10:30 – 15:00
Grantham Road, Bottesford, Notts, NG13 0EE
Join Skate Nottingham at Bottesford Skatepark for a community day to support the local campaign for a new skatepark!
There will be free skateboard coaching, pop-up skate obstacles, a mini ramp jam, and lots of creative consultation activities. All wheels are welcome and encouraged to get involved!
We’ll be launching a new skatepark survey to give skatepark users, families & residents the chance to give more in-depth views and feedback on the future of Bottesford skatepark, following a previous survey by the skatepark working group earlier this year. Every new response will provide useful insight for this campaign!
10:30 – 12:00: Free skateboard coaching
10:30 – 15:00: Skatepark consultation all day
12:00 – 15:00: Extra skate obstacles free to skate
13:00 – 14:00: Mini ramp jam
All skateboarding activities are for ages 7+ only – but younger visitors are encouraged to get creative with skatepark survey activities.
The village of Bottesford, between Bingham and Grantham on the borders of Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire & Lincolnshire, has had a large wooden skatepark for the community since 2003. Sadly, the park is coming to the end of its life, with many of the ramps already removed due to their dilapidated and unsafe condition.
Work is underway between the Bottesford Skatepark Working Group – a cohort of local residents & supporters – and Bottesford Parish Council to raise funding for a new, modern skatepark for the village. Find out more about the campaign and how you can get involved by stopping by on Saturday 4th July, and by following @bottesfordskatepark on Instagram & Facebook.
Sustainable Future: Face of Change
20th – 27th June, Opening Night 19th June, 6-8pm
Surface Gallery
Surface is excited to offer a platform for emerging photographic talent and present Sustainable Future: Face of Change. This exhibition is the product of months of fieldwork and interviews by second-year students on the BA (Hons) in Photographic Practice at Nottingham College.
Sustainable Future: Face of Change celebrates sustainability champions who are making a positive impact on the environment and their local communities across Nottingham. Through portraiture, environmental imagery and video, the exhibition offers an interactive and engaging experience for all ages, showcasing how young people are responding to sustainability while inspiring others to get involved.
The exhibition will take place in the Project Space alongside A Degree of Uncertainty in the Main Gallery. As always, there will be a donations bar with ales from local brewery Pheasantry.
Performance: The Whole Routine by Edward Thomasson
Sat 4 Jul, 3pm-3.55pm & 5pm-5.55pm
Nottingham Contemporary
The Whole Routine is a new musical performance about control and longing by Edward Thomasson. This ambitious work uses song and dance to explore how patterns of behaviour develop to manage the discomfort of vulnerability. Harmonies falter, gestures fall flat, and routines fall out of time but the group keeps trying, and imperfect connections form. Developed over three years through weekend workshops and public presentations, The Whole Routinedescribes attempts at breaking the numb repetitions of conventional interaction and the sometimes alarming awkwardness of trying to feel things differently.
The ensemble brings a range of experiences to the work: some have formal training; others sing in community choirs or perform in more informal settings. Each performer finds their own distinct way through the song and dance sequences. They perform side by side, together but separate.
The piece is performed imperfectly: slippage, mistakes and false starts are hoped for. Performers are encouraged to follow each other if they get lost at any point, but it’s not a mistake to get lost. The intention of the piece is to gently hold these various approaches and incoherencies together.
SNEINTON FESTIVAL 2026: On the Water
Parade & Main Carnival Day, Saturday 11th July 2026
4th – 12th July 2026
Celebrating the Element of Water
The Trent, the Leen , Colwick Lakes, the Canal and all the ponds of Sneinton, all the creatures that live in them, the people who work and play on them
– water is sacred and essential –
join us to enjoy the stories of our water – sacred wells, ghosts, mysterious turtles, floods and marauding mobs!!!
Row your coracle over to the perfect fishing spot, with the wind in the willows, have a chat to a salamander, see the world through the eyes of a water nymph or a great carp, whispering old soul songs of the river of old, prophetic words about the spring of life, become enchanted by a nixie and be back in time for tea!
NOTTINGHAM BIG QUEER MARKET
Project Gallery, Backlit
Friday 24th July, 6-10:30pm & Saturday 25th July, 1-7pm
We had such a great time at our last market. The vibes? Impeccable. The artistry?? Awesome. The community??? Delicious.
Annnnd boy are we are still hungry 🫦 so we launched another call-out, and are bringing another 70 queer artists to Nottingham on Pride weekend this July 💞
Come find us Friday 24th July evening after work for some late night shopping.
And find us on Saturday 25th July after the pride march, just 4 mins walk from where the march ends at Sneinton Market. We’re gonna have a photographer set up (w studio lighting ofc 💅🏽) to take photos of y’all’s fits
Trader applications are still open, and will be till 22nd June.
Join @kingsforlife.drawing for free drag life drawing,
🫦 Friday 24th July , 7-9pm with @hausofgunk 🫦
🫦 Saturday 25th July, 3-5pm with @h.r.c_creations 🫦
MATRIKA: SHE WHO MAKES WORLDS BY SAROJ PATEL
New Art Exchange
23 MAY – 12 SEP
Matrika: She Who Makes Worlds by Saroj Patel is an exhibition exploring women’s strength, ancestral memory, and the futures we imagine into being. In Hindu cosmology, Matrika refers to the divine mothers, a group of powerful feminine energies connected to creation, protection, and transformation.
Drawing on mythology and intergenerational stories, the works reflect on how worlds are carried forward through courage, care, and transformation. Through material, gesture, and collective presence, the exhibition honours the power of women to shape the past, present, and what is yet to come.
Everyone Welcome | Free
Nottingham Puppet Festival
Nottingham Playhouse
Sat 27 – Sun 28 Jun
We’re delighted to be part of this year’s Nottingham Puppet Festival, bringing puppetry of every kind to all corners of the city ✨
Join us for our FREE Open Weekend – packed with puppets. From workshops to a puppetry exhibition, there’s something for everyone in, around and outside Nottingham Playhouse.
Meet incredible puppets created by local designers and keep an eye out for some unusual creatures wandering around to say hello…
🌳 Summer in Bloom
Part of the Magical Major Oak Series
📅 Sat 27 – Sun 28 Jun
Featuring enchanting puppetry, interactive storytelling and woodland creatures to meet – perfect for little ones and grown-ups alike!
🧦 Sock Puppet Workshop
📅 Sun 28 Jun, 10am
Turn an odd sock into a superstar puppet! Get creative with googly eyes, fuzzy hair and silly voices before learning how to bring your puppet to life
📜 Brown Paper Puppet Workshop
📅 Sun 28 Jun, 2pm
Create expressive moving puppet characters using kraft paper and tape, then learn puppetry techniques to make them move, breathe and tell stories.
Henry Normal
Back once again for another tour of Nottingham Libraries, @henrynormalpoet and friends treat us to a tour of the book palaces of our city. 📚
Henry is a writer, poet, television and film producer, founder of the Manchester Poetry Festival (now the Literature Festival) and co-founder of the Nottingham Poetry Festival.
In 2017, he received a special BAFTA for services to television. He co-wrote and script edited the multi-award-winning Mrs Merton Show and its spin-off Mrs Merton and Malcolm, and co-created and co-wrote the first series of The Royle Family. With Steve Coogan, he co-wrote Paul and Pauline Calf Video Diaries, Coogan’s Run, Tony Ferrino, Doctor Terrible, Coogan’s live tours, and the film The Parole Officer.
As co-founder and Managing Director of Baby Cow Productions, he executive produced and script edited numerous acclaimed projects, including Philomena, Gavin and Stacey, Moone Boy, The Mighty Boosh, Red Dwarf, Nighty Night, and Alan Partridge.
Since retiring in 2016, he has written and performed a series of BBC Radio 4 shows combining comedy, poetry and family stories. His memoir A Normal Family (2018), co-written with Angela Pell, became an Amazon bestseller.
Henry will be accompanied on tour by eleven East Midlands poets:
9th June 11am-12pm | Strelley | Keith Ford @keithford1973
9th June 1:30pm-2:30pm | Wollaton | Neal Pike @neal86
9th June 4pm-5pm | St Ann’s | Robbie Hood @robbie.hood.poetry
10th June 12:30pm-1:30pm | Hyson Green | Naomi Wood @iamnaomiwood
10th June 3:30pm-4:30pm | Radford/Lenton | Dan Webber @imgenrefluid
10th June 8pm-10pm | Central Library | Pete Ramskill @peteramskill
11th June 3pm-4pm | Southglade | Bep Summerscales @beppoet
12th June 11am-12pm | Dales Centre | Jake Wildhall @jakewildhall
12th June 1.:30pm-2.30pm | Clifton | Sophie Diver @sophiedwrites
12th June 4pm-5pm | The Meadows | Gabrielle Cracknell @gabstract__
13th June 11am-12pm | Sherwood Library | Johnny Hughes @johnnyx141
Film Screening! Faya Dayi
New Art Exchange
Friday 12th June, AT 7:00 PM – Late
Ever fancied going to a gig in a gallery? 🖼️ Now’s your chance!
In June, we take over @new_art_exchange gallery for a night of intimate acoustic performances from three local artists 🎶
Discover emerging talent in a unique space, with sets designed for close listening and connection ✨
NAE OPEN 2026
New Art Exchange
23 MAY – 12 SEP
The NAE Open returns for its sixth iteration in 2026, with a presentation of works that includes paintings, print, video, installation, photography, textiles and sculpture.
This dynamic exhibition was created through a competitive open application process for Nottinghamshire based artists and Global Ethnic majority* artists living anywhere in the UK.
Tasked to seek out the most innovative and high-quality artworks that address key societal concerns and interests, a panel of advocates including neighbours, artists and curators chose from a substantive number of submissions. The result is an eclectic and compelling selection of artists at different stages of their careers.
Everyone Welcome | Free
NOTTINGHAM POETRY FESTIVAL PRESENTS – JOHN HEGLEY
Friday 12th June 2026, 7-10pm
Canalhouse, Nottingham
ohn Hegley began his career busking outside Westminster tube station, beside the toilets, burning incense sticks to sweeten this experience. He graduated to street entertaining in Covent Garden with the spectacular Popticians, who recorded two sessions for John Peel. Then came a Perrier comedy nomination, a residency at Keats House, twelve books, one mug, an honorary doctorate, an Arts Council funded project taking ten-year-olds into art galleries, and radio appearances across the BBC network, including the one-off special: ‘All you ever needed to know about busking.’
The poet Adrian Mitchell said of him ‘just because he is one of the funniest men alive, don’t underestimate his dedicated gentleness.’ The Independent described him as ‘awesomely mundane.’
John Hegley: New & Selected Potatoes
New and Selected Potatoes is the spud-in-cheek title of the compilation of 10 volumes of work by poet, comic, singer, songwriter and glasses-wearer, John Hegley. John will perform poems and songs from across his back-catalogue, alongside new pieces, focussing on his educational work and storytelling. Mandolin accompaniment is now expanded to include a Portuguese cavaquinho and a train whistle from Didcot Railway Centre. In places the audience will be invited to participate, emotionally.
The Observer commented “Hegley is to potatoes what Wordsworth has been to daffodils” – although there is more about Keats than Wordsworth in the show. There is much about family and foolhardiness in an evening designed for adults, but not unsuitable for the odd nine-year-old.
Drop-in Gardening Sessions
Primary
Friday April 17 – Friday July 31 , 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Free weekly gardening sessions are back every Friday!
Join us for gardening activities and relax in a friendly, informal social space. Learn more about growing vegetables, fruit, flowers and dye plants and gardening in urban areas.
All ages welcome, children must be accompanied by an adult.
Refreshments provided.
Bilborough Summer Festival
Saturday 27th June, 11am – 3pm
in and around Bilborough Library
Bilborough Summer Festival is a fabulous coming together of local schools, community groups and creative practitioners. THIS YEAR OUR THEME IS NATURE!
They’ll be a Craft Market at the Pelican Car Park. Browse a selction of handmade gifts, jewellery and toys.
Zodiac Carnival dancers will launch the festival, with music and a parade from the library and along Bracebridge Drive.
Free drop-in arts activities from 11am to 3pm and a local artists’ exhibition in the library! A fun packed day for all ages.
Sidedoor Social
Wednesday 8th July, 6-10pm
The People’s Hall
Sidedoor Social is a relaxed show & tell for creative projects. Share work, meet others, and experience local art, music & talks in Notts.
It’s not a pitch night. There’s no selling, no pressure, and no expectation to be polished. Just people showing what they care about, in a way that feels open, DIY, and a little rough around the edges. Work from across music, design, coding, animation, video, publishing, textiles and more is actively encouraged – any creative practice is welcome.
Alongside work exhibited across the space, a small number of artists will have timetabled slots to perform, present, screen films, or talk through their process.
Sidedoor Social is about connection and inspiration. It’s a place to meet other creatives, start conversations, find collaborators, and leave excited to begin something of your own.
Go to our Opportunities page to find out how you can apply and get involved!
MATRIKA: GATHERING, MAKING AND SOUND
11 JUL AT 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
New Art Exchange
An afternoon of conversation, intergenerational music, and collective making in response to Patel’s exhibition Matrika: She Who Makes Worlds.
The event includes an interactive live performance by Saroj’s mother, Sushila Patel, featuring singing and tabla, and a participatory textile activity where visitors are invited to stitch, knot, and work with fabric together.
Through sound, rhythm, and material gesture, the event explores themes of migration, memory, and women’s intergenerational knowledge.
Everyone Welcome | Free
Nottingham Poetry Festival
Various venues across Nottingham City Centre
Saturday 27th June
Nottingham Puppet Festival will be taking over the streets for a day on Saturday 27 June from 10.30am to 4.30pm.
Produced by Festival Director Alison Denholm, City Arts and the Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall, and supported by Its In Nottingham, the event features a free performances and walkabouts stretching from Nottingham Central Library and Listergate, through Albert Street, and up to Old Market Square.
Encounter a gentle, giant Mountain Hare leaping above the crowds, the vibrant colors of Kantaben the Roller Bird soaring through the festival skies, and kinetic sculptures including the four-metre-tall Worker Bee. Families can catch recurring shows throughout the day, including the charming bicycle-based storytelling of Penny and the Far Thing and the chaotic fun of the Wild Beasts of Silly.
For the full line up on the day, check out our what’s on listings for Saturday 27 June and download our city centre day schedule at a glance.
Next Up!
Sunday 28th June, 12-5pm
Binks Yard
Next Up is a feel-good open air music showcase, bringing together an exciting mix of emerging performers from across Nottinghamshire, working with Inspire Youth Arts. Audiences can expect original music from bands, solo artists and young DJs. The current line-up includes: DRING, Lemoneye ft. IYA young DJs, The Revivals, Something Or Other, Niicole, The Streaks, Will Hickman, Bittersweet Something, plus many more. Discover the full line-up of artists.
Alongside the live performances, there will be opportunities to get involved in pop-up workshops including Djembe Drumming x Beatboxing, and an Inspire Music workshop, offering a hands-on opportunity to explore sound, instruments, and creativity. Inspire Youth Arts are also delighted to be joined by radio host, Jackie P, who will bring her signature energy to the event.
Inspire Youth Arts delivers high-quality inclusive arts opportunities for young people across Nottinghamshire. Their programme spans regular term-time classes, creative holiday projects, and unique experiences in music, dance and digital arts. Inspire Youth Arts are based at The Old Library in Mansfield, but also in schools, colleges, and community venues countywide. All of the performers at Next Up have been supported by Inspire Youth Arts.
Summer Craft Fair
Fri 17 Jul 5pm-8pm
Sat 18 Jul 10am-6pm
Sun 19 Jul 11am-4pm
Nottingham Contemporary
We are delighted to be returning with our wonderful Summer Craft Fair this July showcasing more than 50 makers over two floors, and exhibiting a fantastic range of different specialisms including jewellery, textiles, print, ceramics, homeware, stationery, gifts and more from talented maker from across the country.
Sneinton Festival – Bake Off
Sunday 5th July, from 10am
Stonebridge City Farm
Join us for a Family Fun Day as part of the week long Sneinton Festival celebrations on Sunday 5th July🙌🥳
🌊This years theme is On the Water and we have loads of fun activities, games and trails for you and your littles one to get involved with 🥰
🍰This year we will also be hosting the Sneinton Bake Off. This years most hotly anticipated baking competition…well maybe not the first, but a close second! Applications are open now! Head over to: https://forms.gle/65ncrUeoCPPfJqGY9 to apply and for more information 🎂🧁 (Link in bio)
The bake off will also be at Stonebridge on Sunday 5th July so make sure you’re able to drop your bakes off on that day! You will need to drop off your cake between 2pm – 3pm in time to be judged 👩🍳
🥳Stonebridge goes Sneinton
🗓 Sunday 5th July
📍Stonebridge City Farm & Gardens
⏰ From 10am
🎟 Free Entry, some activities may have a small charge
🌟We also have the amazing Mencap Makaton Choir performing at the farm on Wednesday 8th July
👩🎤 Makaton Choir
🗓 Wednesday 8th July
📍Stonebridge City Farm
⏰ 11am
🎟 FREE
Much Ado About Nothing- NOTTINGHAM SHAKESPEARE COMPANY
Sunday 12th July 2026, 3pm
Green’s Windmill Park, Sneinton
Sponsored by @thekingbillypub
Join us at Green’s Windmill Park on Sunday 12th for an amazing performance of Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, by Nottingham’s own Nottingham Shakespeare Company!
As one of Shakespeare’s best known comedies, and performed outdoors towards the end of the Greens Windmill Picnic in the Park day, it’s sure to be an amazing performance that you won’t want to miss!
CENTRAL LIBRARY PHOTO CLUB
After the success of the 2025 World Photography Day program, Nottingham Central Library are proud to initiate a seasonal photography club.
The Library is nestled within the Green Heart, a budding nature scape that changes with the seasons which has provided a rich source of material on our previous photography walks. Now, the library are formalising a free space in the building, once a season, for local photographers to meet, socialise, learn and head out on their own photo walks with the Green Heart as stop number 1.
With some sessions self-directed, and others featuring bite-size lectures from partners across the city, this club is an open and inclusive space to experiment and create.
Group Information:
Location: Nottingham Central Library, Atrium
Dates:
- Spring: Saturday 11 April, 12pm to 3pm
- Summer: Saturday 13 June, 12pm to 3pm
- Autumn: Saturday 12 September, 12pm to 3pm
- Winter: Saturday 5 December, 12pm to 3pm
GOBS Summer Saunter
Saturday 8 August 2026, 11:00-15:00
Windmill Community Gardens, Ascot Road, Nottingham
A relaxed community day centred around creativity, nature connection, poetry, shared food, and welcoming you into the GOBS poetry community
Join us for a beautiful day of poetry, nature connection, shared food, and community creativity in one of Nottingham’s loveliest hidden green spaces.
Nestled away in the city, Windmill Community Gardens is a peaceful and vibrant space full of growing things, wildlife, handmade structures, and creative energy — the perfect setting for slowing down and reconnecting with ourselves, each other, and the natural world.
The day will include:
🌱 shared picnic-style lunch vibes
🌱 creative writing activities
🌱 collaborative artwork using natural materials
🌱 gentle nature connection exercises
🌱 space to chat, reflect, and create together
Art activities will be led by Alan Withington from the Windmill Community Gardens.
Whether you’re already part of the GOBS Community or looking to join for the first time, you’re warmly welcome.
Please note:
- this event is open to registered GOBS Community members. If you’d like to attend and aren’t yet signed up, you can join the community here: gobscollective.org/get-involved
Anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
METRONOME NOTTINGHAM
Just the Tonic has been producing comedy shows in Nottingham for over 25 years. We have now found a new home in Metronome. Described by many comedians as one of the best comedy venues in the country. With Just the Tonic’s notorious reputation for the best comedy line ups in the country… you can be sure you are getting one of the best nights in town…
We bring you four different acts at every Standard Saturday show including some of the best up & coming comperes and headliners from the UK & abroad. We open from 8pm so you can have a pre show chat and grab some drinks from the bar. Our show starts at 9pm, so you get your laughs in then make further plans for the night. Or catch the Early shoes from 6pm.