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Lola Young, Day Fever and the Festival of Food and Drink: Here's what's on in Notts this week 15-21 September 2025

Nottingham is hosting a diverse range of events this week, from back-to-back musical performances arranged by Rough Trade to a majestic murder mystery dinner night and a 2000s emo festival. Be it enjoying comedic nostalgia with Friends on stage or witnessing an epic confrontation between local poets, there is something for everyone and this week's top picks from our city are...

Beyond the Wall: the New Art Exchange team talk telling stories with street art in Hyson Green and Morocco

In recent years, the New Art Exchange gallery in Hyson Green has sought to firmly centre their ambitions in serving the local community – placing the cultural needs of the neighbourhood first. A big part of that has been their street art and murals project: Beyond the Wall, which via lots of ambition and creativity has spanned both Hyson Green and Marrakesh, Morocco. We spoke about the project with NAE CEO Saad Eddine Said and artist Laura Decorum – whose work has been vital to Beyond the Wall…

Follow the stickers: Notts filmmaker Matt Watts on the stories behind sticker art on the streets

Hidden amongst the barrage of commercial advertisements and billboards that dominate our city landscape, the more curious among us may be drawn to some unusual markings; the plethora of quirky stickers plastered on lampposts, signs and electrical boxes. Follow the Stickers is a short film by Nottingham-based documentary filmmaker Matt Watts. Here he shares his journey of tangents, discovering artists, events and more obscure messages of the underground sticker world, and telling us why we should keep an eye out for them too… 

Theatre review: Momentos de la Vida at Squire Performing Arts Centre

The Robin Hood Improv Festival is in full swing in Notts. Our reviewer Sam Harvey went along to check out Momentos de la Vida, a deceptively simple concept inspired by black-and-white photography...

Greening the streets: street artist Anna Wheelhouse on community and big canvases

Anna Wheelhouse is one of Nottingham’s most well-known street artists, with her signature, verdant nature-themed murals enlivening buildings and walls around the city, from pubs to parks to back gardens. We talked to her about her lifelong passion for the arts, and the benefits of working on a larger canvas. 

Festival review: Foolhardy Folk Festival 2025

Feeling supersonic: how Sonic Boom Festival is boosting the arts in Burton-on-Trent

Sonic Boom Festival might only be in its second year, but it’s already made a mighty bang in the nearby Burton-on-Trent — and if founders and organisers Chris Baldwin and Andi Jepson have anything to do with it, the aftershocks are just getting started.

Gloworm Festival Review

Gloworm Festival made its vibrant return from 8–10 August at its beloved home, Thoresby Park! Our very own Natalie took her family along to dive into the fun and experience all the magical moments the weekend had to offer…

Festival review: LeftLion at Y Not Festival 2025

This year, the turnout for Y Not Festival was unmatched and another big musical step forward for Nottingham artists. Along with huge bands including The Prodigy, Courteeners, Franz Ferdinand, The Last Dinner Party, Sigrid, and Madness, the festival audience from all over the country witnessed many of our own city's top bands in a diverse, friendly and passionately musical environment. LeftLion was there to sample as much of the local action as possible...

UK Women’s March Nottingham 2025

Coming up on the 9 August, The UK Women’s March aims to show in solidarity with women and girls around the world – to demand safety, equity and justice for women, girls and gender-diverse people everywhere. We caught up with Amy, the appointed City Lead for UK Nottingham Women’s March, to find out what's in store...

The Thompsons on Splendour Festival, street names, and the Major Oak

Here's what Nottingham's most opinionated grocers had to say about this month's topics in LeftLion...

Festival review: Sunday at Splendour 2025 in Wollaton Park

Film Review: Jurassic World Rebirth

“It’s a bird, it’s a plane…no, it’s another Jurassic World movie.” Join us as we review Jurassic World: Rebirth to see if it was worth making… 

Festival review: Saturday at Splendour 2025 in Wollaton Park

After a year away, the biggest weekend in the Nottingham musical calendar returned – Splendour Festival. With a stellar line-up of indie legends, pop icons, local heroes and the very best emerging talent from the Midlands and beyond, we headed down to Wollaton Hall to catch all the Saturday action…

Festival review: Nottingham Chamber Music Festival – Tunnel Vision

The Nottingham Chamber Music Festival is an annual series of concerts put together by a team of dedicated volunteers, bringing classical music artists to some of our city’s most beautiful and historical spaces. For the closing concert of the 2025 edition, the festival worked with the Nottingham Park Residents Association to host string quartet, The Le Page Ensemble, in the stunning surroundings of the Park Tunnel. A special one-of-a-kind concert not to be missed, we went along to experience this cave-dwelling performance first-hand…

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...

Musicals, festivals, and local legends: Here's what's on in Nottingham this week, 14 -21 July

From a musical about the life of a music legend, to the long-awaited return of a local one, if you're stuck for things to fill the coming week in Nottingham then you're certainly in the right place. Here are our picks...

The Sneinton Dragon: delving into local myths and legends ahead of the Sneinton Festival

Ahead of the Sneinton Festival this weekend, organiser Kathryn Cooper delves into local myth, the story of the Sneinton Dragon and our collective unconscious, with resident and local historian, Tom Huggon...

Interview : Film and Play Director Atticus Orsborn

He may be directing films and plays in New York now, but Atticus Orsborn grew up in Nottingham. Fiercely proud of his roots, he shares the journey with Left Lion...  

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.

Review: Gate To Southwell Festival's 18th Birthday 2025

The charming Gate To Southwell Festival has become a LeftLion summer favourite: a vibrant, family-friendly event pushing the boundaries of roots and folk music, and only a few miles from Nottingham. We visited the festival's green fields on Saturday to help celebrate its 18th birthday...

Festival frenzy: Here's what's on this week in Nottingham, 7 July -13 July

This week in Nottingham, we find ourselves well-and-truly in festival season, as big music, art, and culture events take over the city centre and suburbs further afield. Meanwhile, there'll be some bluesy riffs blaring out of The Bodega on Friday night, while from Thursday to Saturday two Nottingham legends bid goodbye to their legendary, career-long partnership...

We Review Nottingham Poetry Festival 2025

Callum Minford reflects on this year's Nottingham Poetry Festival and what it reveals to us about Nottingham's writing scene. 

We chat to Set In Motion about what drives them, Splendour Festival, and their playlists...

Set in Motion are one of the Nottingham music scene’s most promising bands. Noted for catchy indie hooks, powerful songs and incredible live performances, over the last two years they’ve made a name for themselves as a guitar music powerhouse act. We caught up with vocalist and guitarist Alfie Wallace, guitarist Dillan Telford, bassist Niall Hopkins and drummer Joe Carnell - outside the Fox and Grapes - to discuss their imminent Splendour Festival set, their future plans and what they’re listening to at the minute...

Film Review: F1

Join us as we review F1, is this Brad Pitt blockbuster well crafted and nuanced, or does it follow the same old formula?