5 Things to Do in Nottingham This Week

The city of Nottingham has been celebrating the legend of Robin Hood with this here festival for 33 solid years, this year. And the festival is showing no signs of stopping. The free festival (minus the fiver it’ll tek you to park) will see falcons swooping about the place in true medieval style, and a whole bunch of craft stalls and activities for the kids to get involved with. Sadly there’ll be no jousting at this years festival cos there’s building work going on in the usual arena, but there will be plenty of the good stuff for you to sample regardless. Get down to Sherwood Forest any day this week and take a nosey at The Major Oak, and see if you can spot that there Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men. Watch out for that miserly Sheriff, though...
Monday 31 July - Sunday 6 August, free entry, £5 car park charge, Sherwood Forest, event link

Independent designers are killin’ it these days in good ol’ Notts, and there's no exception when it comes to Namoki. Are you a fan of stylish ceramics and homeware? If so, Rough Trade is the joint for you pal. Being relatively new to the scene, it's the first ever pop up shop for the company that specialises in showcasing products from some of the finest designers across the UK and Ireland. The quality of the products are second to none and have all been sourced for their unique feel and design. Come down and have a browse, grab a drink or a bite to eat and show some love to a new addition to Nottingham’s creative sector.
Tuesday 1 August, 5pm, free entry, Rough Trade, event link

The summer holidays are finally upon us and we know mums and dads all over Hoodtown are tearing their hair out trying to find some sort of entertainment for the little’uns. Fear not. Thanks to the saviours that are Playworks Nottingham, The Arboretum is the only place to be this week. Join in with sports activities, circus skills, obstacle courses and even an under five’s play area for the proper mini nippers. The event ties in nicely with Playworks thirtieth birthday, a bleddy brilliant milestone if you ask us. For the last thirty-odd years, they’ve been providing the community with great events, so head down this week and wish the staff a big happy birthday.
Wednesday 2 August, 11am, free, The Arboretum, event link

We’re no stranger when it comes to the incredible art and illustrations by Emily Catherine. The decorated illustrator has been making big waves in Nottingham’s creative scene and is fully on top of her game right now. Join Ms Catherine as she demonstrates how to build more of an understanding of each other through portraiture and mark making. She’ll be attempting to represent a person beyond their appearance and will be encouraging all participants to see each others facial features differently. If you’re a beginner or even an experienced artist in your own right, our Emily will no doubt show you something unique to tek away with yer.
Thursday 3 August, 6.30pm, free but reserve place online, New Art Exchange, event link

There aren’t a lot of people who haven’t heard of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic novel The Lost World. Four explorers travel to an uncharted plateau and run into a number of undesirables such as; apemen, tribes and even dinosaurs. Flippin ‘eck. Not what you need when you’re on your jollys. Now, instead of getting your reading glasses out, you get to relive the story in the great outdoors with some top-dollar theatre. The great people of the Illyria Theatre company are renowned for their innovative adaptations and are the first to tackle a show in this genre and of this scope. Massive props to these guys. No doubt it’ll be a hair raising and larger than life performance from the get go.
Thursday 3 August, 6pm open, 7pm start time, £10/£15, Wollaton Hall, event link