5 Things to Do in Nottingham This Weekend

This year marks the 70th anniversary of India’s independence and the creation of Pakistan and Bangladesh. The New Art Exchange is back again with another cracking event in celebration, and they’ve got an action packed few days for you and the family alike. The Nottingham Mela has been running since 1988 and has supported the local and ethnic communities in the city ever since. The festivities will span over three days with food, South Asian-inspired exhibitions, and family friendly activities at the NAE on the Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, Mela continues in the open air, in the majestic grounds of Nottingham Castle where the historic site will be filled with a colourful range of activities for the whole family to enjoy, including: a line-up of live music performances; sports; street-food stalls; art; and craft workshops. It’s free for you and the family all day, just be sure to click that web link below to check the starting times. You won’t want to miss a single moment.
Friday 8 - Sunday 10 September, free, New Art Exchange, event link

Fancy hearing some great talent from around the country whilst doing yer bit for a good cause as well? Then look no further and get down to the Rough Trade for some brilliant live music this Friday. The generous people at Musicians Against Homelessness set this up purely to raise funds for the homeless charity Crisis and provide gig opportunities for bands and artists across the country. And if they weren’t saints already, they’re taking donations on the door and 100% of proceeds will go to Crisis. Salute to you guys. Not forgetting, the line up on the night is an absolute corker. Nick Aslam, Scott Bugg & The Vital Few, Bobbie Peru, The Extons and The Flavells will all be making an appearance and showcasing their latest stuff. This is helping so many people across the board so show some love.
Friday 8 September, 7pm, free, Rough Trade, event link

Every single day, technology advances far beyond our wildest imagination and even us lot at the office struggle to get it to work in our favour. However, the great artist and legend in his own right, Smallkid, has decided to bridge the gap for us by giving the HTC Vive VR machine a whirl. He’ll be using it to create some virtual art from scratch in an application called Tilt Brush; a Google-developed app for painting in 3D space. The prolific Midlands-based artist has been painting graffiti for well over a decade. His unique and instantly recognisable bold style are prominent on the streets of the UK, and have been seen as far afield as Melbourne, Toronto and Barcelona. The whole event will be livestreamed and viewed on a screen in the Broadway Cinema mezzanine, so you can keep an eye on his progress from start to finish. You’ll also have the chance to “step inside” the artwork and have a go at creating yer own virtual masterpiece with guidance from VR developer, Jon Cooke. All this for free? Come and have a blast.
Saturday 9 September, 11am, free, Broadway Cinema, event link

Seems like good ol’ Rough Trade is the spot this weekend, ain’t it? Notts-based duo, Shelter Point, have hooked up with them to bring you all a night of live, up and coming electronic acts from across the nation. On the books the impressive Nottingham duo, Congi, will be blessing us with a live set, and Bone Cult are making an appearance with their “death-electronica” style in tow. Luke Peter Foster will showcase his unique alternative spoken word approach, and last but not least, the Shelter Point duo will take to the stage. Hit up the event link for tickets and more information. It’s such a diverse spread of music so there’s something here for everyone.
Saturday 9 September, 7pm, £5.90, Rough Trade, event link

“Re-wind my selector!” Another night of bass-driven madness is round the corner and with their third installment, it’s gonna be a proper stomper. 2Step is a relatively new night which is the brainchild of rising Nottingham DJ, Poach. With a heavy influence on UK garage and bassline, this night has shortly become an essential rave for fans of those genres and never fails to please. Headlining on the night will be the bass veteran himself, DJ Dibz. With a constant fresh roster of heavy wobblers in his arsenal every set, you’re sure to have a proper skank out and sweating buckets by the end of it. Supporting him will be local duo and actual brothers, Curtz & Jordz. With a great selection of old and new school bangers, Curtz will be laying down the bassweight and Jordz will be slaying the mic on hosting duties. Residents on the night are, Rubz, Jamson, Ali Mck and head honcho, Poach. In their own right, they’ve all been known to mash up a dancehall so let the good times roll.
Saturday 9 September, 9pm, free, Red Bar, event link