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Festival Review: Dot To Dot 2026

One of the hottest weekends of the year – what could possibly make it better? I know – Dot to Dot Festival! Always one of the best days in the musical calendar, the sun was shining bright this May Bank Holiday for the annual, jam-packed day of venue-hopping, new music discovery and general good times with good friends. Immersing ourselves in the festival’s unrivalled party atmosphere, this is what we encountered at another incredible Dot to Dot in 2026…

Here's why you cannot miss Dot To Dot Festival in 2026

Dot to Dot is a very special sort of music festival. Held in Bristol and Nottingham over a single weekend, it brings together local scenes and underground darlings, the concrete and the extreme. This year’s lineup is especially strong, with its mix of sleazy electroclash, Irish alt-grunge, rough and tough punk, and Americana emo, all culminating in a once in a lifetime experience...

Comedy, music festivals and local talent: Here's what's on this week in Nottingham 18 -24 May

 This week in Notts! Enjoy local theatre performances and live comedy, or head to Dot to Dot music festival and dance the night away in various venues across Nottingham. Here's our top picks...

We chat to Death Of The High Street about life, music and taking things just seriously enough

Death Of The High Street are a force to be reckoned with: a hard grafting, guitar-based rock band with bags of energy, a distinct social conscience, and a desire to spread their message far and wide. We caught up with founding members Scott Baxter and Ash Simpson to talk about hard work, music with a message, and why they chose Nottingham for their album launch show…

Festival Review: Dot To Dot 2025

The Sunday of the late May Bank Holiday in Nottingham – often the greatest day of the year in our city. Why? Well, because of Dot To Dot of course! Arguably the greatest metropolitan festival in the country, it takes place in multiple venues throughout Bristol on Saturday and right here in Nottingham on Sunday. With the 2025 edition marking the festival’s 20th Anniversary, there was an even greater sense of occasion at this year's event. Heading out to take in the sights and scope out the very best emerging talent from the local scene, the UK and some artists from even further afield, here’s the LeftLion live report from Dot To Dot 2025…

We chat to Davoli about music, life and Dot To Dot

Dot To Dot Festival is almost upon us! One of the hundreds of musicians performing at the day-long musical extravaganza is local artist Davoli. We spoke to him about his brand new EP, his inspirations, and what DTD means to him...

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…

LeftLion Interviews Podcast #8: George Akins on Rock City, Beat The Streets, Thekla, Dot To Dot, Massive Attack and 30 years working in live music

A bonus eighth episode  talking with the most influential man in the Nottingham music scene, George Akins; owner of DHP Family, Rock City, Rescue Rooms, Bodega, Stealth, Splendour Festival, Dot To Dot and more...

We chat to Home Counties on the sidelines of Dot To Dot Festival

As Dot To Dot Festival raged around us, LeftLion caught up with Will Harrison and Bill Griffin of Home Counties, to talk about the band's debut album, their sound transformation, and vodka shots...

Five reasons to attend Dot To Dot Festival in 2024

For almost 20 years, Dot To Dot Festival has remained the standard bearer for all metropolitan festivals in the UK. Launched in Nottingham during the mid-00s indie boom, Dot To Dot has since become a staple of the late May Bank Holiday weekend, showcasing only the very best new music across an epic all-day event. With the 2024 edition boasting one of the best line-ups to date, we thought we’d dive into what makes Dot To Dot so special…

We Chat to Lizzie Esau About Her New Single, Working with Steve Grainger, and Dot to Dot

Lizzie Esau may hail from Newcastle, but her long-time working relationship with Notts-based producer Steve Grainger means that she is an honorary citizen. We chat to her all about her latest single Wait Too Late, her upcoming appearance at Dot to Dot, and her unofficially-announced upcoming sophomore EP...

From Zombie Life Drawing to a Poetry Festival, Here’s What’s on in Nottingham This Week

With three different festivals to choose from, you'll have to make a tough decision this week...

We Chat to Surf Pop Sextet Midnight Rodeo Before Their Dot To Dot Debut

Midnight Rodeo, Nottingham’s genre-bending, boundary-pushing “woozy surf pop sextet” (as they put it), are debuting Dot To Dot Festival as a band this year. We catch up with them ahead of their sure-to-be-a-sell-out show…

Festival Preview: Dot To Dot 2023

Heading to Dot To Dot at the end of this month? Here's our handy guide of artists you should check out...

Review: Dot To Dot Festival 2022

Nottingham's famous city centre festival Dot to Dot returned last weekend and it brought a range of phenomenal up and coming local and national artists...

5 Fun Things to Do in Nottingham This Week: Dot to Dot Festival, the Great British Cheese Club and More

Years & Years, Alfie Templeman and Bob Vylan are all coming to Notts...

Review: Dot to Dot Festival 2021

The city-spanning Dot to Dot returned to Nottingham after a year out, and it was back with a bang...

Live Music Review: Dot To Dot Festival 2019

Through sunshine, showers, sweat and serious sprinting across Notts, our Dot To Dot team caught some absolutely smashing sets at this year's festival, which ended up a testament to Notts musicians reigning supreme. Have a gander at their highlights...

14 Unmissable Acts at This Year's Dot To Dot Festival

With almost 30 venues and over 100 acts set to grace stages across Notts at this year's Dot To Dot Festival, we’re here to help you avoid the inevitable set-clash heartache and venue-hopping sweat. Here’s who we’re champing at the bit to see...

What Went Down at Dot to Dot 2018?

Twelve solid hours of live music, beers and burgers, scattered around the coolest and quirkiest corners of Nottingham? Yes, it’s Dot to Dot Festival. We got down to take a few snaps and write a few words about the festival that’s hosted in three different cities over three days…

10 Artists to Clock at Dot to Dot 2018

Who's worth getting ahead of the queues for at this year's Dot to Dot festival?

Interview with Twin Kidd ahead of their appearance at Dot To Dot Festival

We put some questions to the electro-pop three-piece who will be playing two sets on Sunday...

6 Acts To Watch At This Year's Dot To Dot Festival

The all-day new music blowout takes place this Sunday. We've gone through the line-up and picked out some recommendations for you...

Every Notts Act Playing This Year's Dot To Dot Festival

The definitive rundown of every local artist performing. Clue: It's long...