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A Cup of Jim: 35 years of Lee & Fletcher coffee

After 35 years of roasting and supplying coffee to some of Nottingham’s best-loved independent businesses, there’s not much Jim Lee, owner of Lee & Fletcher, doesn’t know about a cup of joe. Lucy Campion finds out more about Jim’s journey in the world of java.

Night Creatures Podcast #3: Killer Jim from Out To Lunch on 25 years of Northern soul, jazz funk and jazz dance events in Nottingham

Night Creatures is a new LeftLion podcast, shining a light on the promoters of Nottingham. Your host and interviewer is Beane, co-founder of Nottingham’s beloved Soul Buggin’ night and he brings with him over twenty years of experience of putting on great parties in the city.

Nottingham celebrates ten years as a UNESCO City of Literature with a spectacular gala on 1 December

In 2025, Nottingham turns the page on a remarkable chapter; ten years as a UNESCO City of Literature and the charity is throwing a party worthy of Nottingham’s words!

Artworks: Anna Mylonas of Nine Two Five Silver

For this month’s Artworks, we hear from Anna Mylonas, a Notts-based silversmith who runs Nine Two Five Silver.

Instagram's The Nottingham Pint Guide on championing our city's independent boozers

Nottingham’s pub scene is up there with the best in the country, and nobody knows it better than Tom Head – or, as you probably know him, Nottingham Pint Guide. Chances are you’ve stumbled across his Instagram while scrolling your feed, so we met up with the Pintman himself to talk all things beer. Tom is Nottingham’s lager-loving, ale-guzzling champion of the city’s independent boozers. He also happens to be married to our Food Co-Editor…

Night Creatures Podcast #2: Laurence and Steve from Smokescreen Soundsystem on thirty years of club nights, free parties, police, gangsters and more

Night Creatures is a new LeftLion podcast, shining a light on the promoters of Nottingham. Your host and interviewer is Beane, co-founder of Nottingham’s beloved Soul Buggin’ night and he brings with him over twenty years of experience of putting on great parties in the city...

Gig review: Ellur at The Bodega, with Fright Years and Cara Flynn

In the middle of a breathless and busy UK tour, Yorkshire-based indie-pop purveyor Ellur stopped off at The Bodega, bringing happiness and a uniquely collective experience. With Fright Years as main support, the night also gave local songwriter Cara Flynn the chance to shine...

Robin Hood Beer and Cider Festival Returns to Trent Bridge, for it's fifth year in a row at the venue

The Robin Hood Beer and Cider Festival returns to Trent Bridge Cricket Ground from Wednesday 8 to Saturday 11 October 2025, bringing with it over 600 beers and 100 ciders and perries from some of the UK’s most celebrated breweries; including Nottinghamshire favourites like Castle Rock, Lincoln Green, Blue Monkey, Batemans, Lenton Lane, and Shipstones

Celebrating 160 years of the Theatre Royal

We look back on 160 years of Nottingham’s Theatre Royal and some of the famous productions and people it has brought to the city…

A tale of five cities: five things that make Nottingham culture unique

It’s September, the start of the academic year – and with an increased number of student eyes on this magazine, we thought we’d highlight five qualities that make Nottingham culture special: literature, rebels, sport, innovation, and caves. Whether you’re new to Notts or a long-established resident, we hope that these historical tid-bits remind you why it’s great.

Art is the heart: what to expect from year two of Art Fest in Notts

With its first year in 2024 bringing 34 new murals to Nottingham’s streets, Art Fest is back this month to splash more colour and creativity on walls throughout the city. Festival Director Benjamin Kay, who co-runs The Carousel in Hockley, tells us why he set up the festival and what to expect from this year…

By youth, for youth: Nottingham celebrates 25 years of International Youth Day

This year marked the 25th anniversary of International Youth Day; we headed down to the pop-up shop organised by Nottingham City of Literature’s Youth Board to join in with the celebrations...

The National Justice Museum Launches Annual Pass

The National Justice Museum in Nottingham has launched a new annual pass, giving visitors the chance to return to the iconic Nottingham attraction over and over again for free for an entire year...

We Chat To Wellington Films About Their 25th Anniversary

For 25 years, Wellington Films has been producing films in Nottingham’s Broadway Cinema. I caught up with Al Clark to hear what producing ten feature films and over forty short films has been like...

We built this city: celebrating twenty years of I'm Not From London with head promoter Will Robinson

Man about town, creature of the night, gig aficionado, and master of mayhem Will Robinson has been keeping Nottingham’s music scene alive and kicking for twenty years with promotion company I’m Not From London. As the fifteenth Waterfront Festival draws close on Saturday 2 August at the Canalhouse, anniversary celebrations in the works and a great roster of gigs coming up, we caught up with Will to hear some highlights from two decades of gigs.

Ten reasons not to miss the return of Splendour Festival this year

After a brief hiatus, Nottingham’s much-loved Splendour Festival is back and ready to reclaim its place in the East Midlands’ cultural calendar. On Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 July, the two-day music extravaganza returns to its original home in Nottingham, Wollaton Park. With expanded stages, some very well-known names in UK music, and plenty of surprises in store, Splendour 2025 is more than just a returning festival — it’s a celebration of live music, community, and Nottingham culture. 

Whether you’re planning to go for the sing-alongs, the new discoveries, or just a great pint with friends in the sun, this one’s not to be missed. To help get you hyped, here are ten very good reasons why you should mark your calendar now.

We speak to this year's eight Future Sound of Nottingham finalists

The Future Sound of Nottingham returns to the Rock City main stage this Sunday 6th July. Eight Nottingham artists, living their dream and playing the most iconic stage in the city... plus there are two slots on the Splendour Festival main stage up for grabs! We had a chinwag with the eight finalists so you can get to know them a little better. Read on to hear from No Cash Refunds, Emily Alice, Megs, Molly in the Metro, Louie Walsh, Benji Romeo, Archy & The Astronauts and Saffron Gray...

We celebrate one year of The Grove with the team that have made it a creative hub for local music

Proving that you don’t need a big budget to make a big impact, The Grove is built by gig-goers, run by musicians, and powered by the scene. It may be small in size, but Talia Robinson discovers that it’s massive in heart, helping local artists record, perform, and find their place in Nottingham’s ever-growing music family... 

Review: 28 Years Later

We review the sequel to Danny Boyle's classic, 28 Weeks Later. We ask ourselves, 'What if zombies, but pretentious..?'

We chat to filmmaking duo Bird Bros about their new film Lazar

Travel back in time with us to the 17th century as we hear all about Lazar, the fantastical odyssey set in an ancient Sherwood forest which follows a bard, an outlaw and oh, there are some nymphs of course...

These streets are ours: Sherwood's Haydn Road

Boasting independent bars and restaurants, plus a great selection of charity shops for the thrift-lovers among us, the Nottingham suburb of Sherwood has been a popular destination for a leisurely afternoon for many years now. But just off the high street, Haydn Road offers a surprising selection of local staples. In this new regular feature - celebrating lesser-known but much-loved areas of Nottinghamshire, Sophie Gargett meets the traders of Haydn Road and muses on the merits of local shopping.

The Young Creative Awards Celebrate a Bumper Year

Connecting the Dots: Celebrating 20 years of Dot2Dot Festival

From intimate beginnings to sprawling across iconic venues in Nottingham and Bristol, Dot to Dot has become a cornerstone of the UK’s festival calendar. Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2025, the festival has been championing emerging artists since the mid-00s indie boom, many of which have risen to international acclaim. 

With this in mind, we decided to take a look back at the festival’s history, speaking to the team behind the UK’s best metropolitan festival and explore the global superstars that have emerged from Dot To Dot over the last two decades…

93-year-old Edna Owen recounts meeting her husband at The Palais in 1950

This month's cover, illustrated by our designer Natalie Owen, draws inspiration from the generations of dance at The Palais. Adding a personal touch, Natalie spoke to her grandma, Edna Owen, about how her grandparents first met there.

Big bands, Bingo and Bali Hai: A 100-year history of The Palais de Danse Nottingham

From a prison to PRYZM, we take a look through a century of dancing, drinking, entertainment and glamour at Nottingham’s The Palais de Danse…