Duchess Theatre, Derbyshire, NG10 1EF

Follow Alice down the rabbit hole, chase White Rabbits, converse with Cheshire Cats and join the Mad Hatter and the March Hare for tea. Rescue the White Queen and the Tweedle’s from their magical mishaps and face off in a croquet game against the Horrid Queen of Hearts and attend the trial of the missing tarts can we save the day before everyone loses their heads as well as their minds?

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Nottingham Playhouse

First Year Juniors, Long Eaton, 1987. Kylie’s about to hit number one, and Jess meets Billy for the first time.

There’s conflict, competition and mutual intrigue, but they quickly become inseparable: Proper soulmates – the kind who finish each other’s sentences and overshare about first kisses.

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Various Libraries, Nottingham

Celebrated writer, poet, and TV producer Henry Normal brings his sharp wit and gentle wisdom to Nottingham City Libraries as part of his Nottingham Library Tour. Henry will perform a captivating set at Libraries across the city, blending humorous observations with poignant reflections on family, mental health, and everyday life.

Supported by a range of fantastic talent throughout his tour, these events are not to be missed!

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Theatre Royal, Nottingham

Welcome to THE CHOIR OF MAN, the best pub in the world… Come ready to drink in the excitement!

Brimming with hits from artists such as Queen, Luther Vandross, Sia, Paul Simon, Adele, Guns & Roses, Avicii and Katy Perry to name but a few, this is a pub like no other!

A wildly talented group of incredible instrumentalists, world-class wordsmiths, and sensational singers, this cast of nine (extra)ordinary guys serve it all… live!

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Broadway Cinema, Nottingham Cara Thompson, Nottingham’s Nature Poet Laureate, has written a beautiful poem to be screened at Broadway Cinema in celebration of this year’s Nottingham Poetry Festival.

If you’re heading to the cinema, keep an eye out for the short film, which will be shown before selected screenings, 2nd – 14th June.

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Various Venues, Nottingham This year, Nottingham Poetry Festival celebrates local, national and internationally acclaimed artists that align with our community values. We warmly invite you to join us for the array of performances, workshops, debates, and all the other poetry-related activity we’ve proudly programmed together with the local creative community.

Nottingham Poetry Festival

Five Leaves Bookshop Five Leave’s respected series of poetry pamphlets provides an outlet for East Midlands based poets who have yet to be published in book or pamphlet form, recognising the abundant talent in our region.

Following our successful opens submissions window in 2024 we will again open a submissions window this year for under-represented debut poets.

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University of Nottingham Museum, Lakeside Arts, Nottingham

The cemetery discovered at Broughton Lodge, Willoughby-on-the-Wolds, in Nottinghamshire was a pioneering community archaeology excavation of the 1960s.

Since that time the remains, held in partnership between Nottingham City Museums and the University of Nottingham Museum, have never been displayed together until now. This exhibition reinterprets the evidence from the cemetery creating a picture of a Nottinghamshire community with pan-European connections in the sixth century AD.

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Angear Visitor Centre, Lakeside Arts, Nottingham

Fleur Patrick presents a series of oil paintings that reimagine found images in unexpected ways.

Exploring memory, identity, and what it means to feel displaced, her works are built from layers of translucent glazes – some added, some wiped away to reveal what lies beneath. The result is a subtle tension between presence and absence. The images feel both familiar and elusive, inviting visitors into an open field for reflection.

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Djanogly Gallery, Lakeside Arts, Nottingham

Penny McCarthy spent months studying Titian’s rarely displayed woodcut The Submersion of the Pharaoh’s Army in the Red Sea (c.1549) from Sheffield Museums’ collection.

Through redrawing and creating new works that explore its themes of submersion, travel, time and the cosmos, she uses drawing as a tool to re-evaluate art history and the passing of time.

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Weston Gallery, Lakeside Arts, Nottingham

The United States of America was founded upon an idea of freedom. As a place of refuge from religious persecution and the birthplace of a new political system, the American colonists who rebelled against British rule saw themselves as the founders of a new nation.

Drawing on a wide range of manuscripts and printed collections, this exhibition commemorates the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence. It explores the issues at stake in the Wars of Independence and considers some of the complex problems which faced the United States as it fought to win, and realise, its new-found freedom.

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The Barrel Drop, 7 Hurts Yard, Nottingham

The second instalment of our Nottingham Poetry Festival events, Mic Drop! At The Barrel Drop, is back. Hosted by Davina Songbird, we welcome an open mic night of poetry, of every genre, style and theme. Pop in early to sign up, and share your words in a cosy pub.

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The King Billy, 6 Eyre Street, Nottingham

Free Minds is a space to express all those thoughts, feelings and worries that have been zipping around your head to a room of like-minded individuals.

Almost at 3-years strong, Free Minds is a staple of Nottingham’s poetic tapestry. A space for poets (and listeners) of all skill levels, we just want to free our minds.

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Nottingham Central Library

A relaxed creative writing session inspired by the outdoors – whether it is a grass verge by the roadside, weeds in pavements, your local park, gardens, walks by the river or wilderness adventures. Come to a friendly, informal workshop to write, share, connect.

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Bonington Theatre, Arnold, Nottingham

It’s “Dad’s Army meets The Vicar of Dibley!” – London Metro

Set during the Second World War, George Crocker is keen to liven up his dull life so he decides to join the village Drama Club. What happens then turns his world upside down!

A heart-warming drama of love, war and odd jobs, this wonderful comedy is written and performed by Mark Carey!

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Nottingham Playhouse

Tilting at Windmills is the brand-new stand-up show from Taskmaster alumni and double Edinburgh Comedy Award Winner, John Kearns.

A fragmented, digressing portrayal of a 38-year-old man’s life, alluding to books he hasn’t read, touching on the modern condition. Plus VAT! More allusive and bleak as ever, it is unreal the comedian you become. And for who? Decent craic with the right crowd. A show for those who have read about but not committed to the Guinness Nitrosurge.

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Nottingham Central Library

Expect wit, warmth, laughter and tears. Festival founder and all round top gent Henry Normal treats us to an evening of story telling and poetry, accompanied by his friend, poet and sculptor Pete Ramskill.

Back once again for another tour of Nottingham Libraries, Henry Normal and friends treat us to a tour of the book palaces of our city.

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Sherwood Methodist Church, Devon Dr, Sherwood, Nottingham NG5 2EN

This is a relaxed, fun and supportive adult drama class for people to explore all kinds of aspects to drama, from script work, to voice techniques, characterisation and improvisation.

All in a supportive and kind approach, building a person centred class which gives you the freedom to choose what area of drama you would like to explore.

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Lakeside Arts, Nottingham

Yomi Ṣode is a multi-award-winning Nigerian-British writer who recently performed at the BBC Proms 2025. His debut collection, Manorism, was shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize.

For this performance Yomi will offer a rare exploration of the third section of Manorism, following the staggeringly emotional glimpse audiences witnessed at his last Nottingham performance. This work delves into the guilt, shame, and acts of remembrance that can surface in the wake of losing a loved one. Yomi will collaborate with the formidably talented DJ and producer Rewyld, who will bring the poetry to life through immersive soundscapes, music, and a touch of creative genius.

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Spoken word @ Sherwood Art Week

This is a pay-what-you-can-bring-a-bottle event.
12th June

The Place Activity Centre
2A Melrose St, Sherwood, Nottingham NG5 2JP

Join us for a night of tall tales, flash fiction, poems and micro fringe theatre.

Bring your yarns to share on the open mic...
a bottle of something special...
or just yourself and your good humour!

Tickets From the venue, eventbrite or on the door

There are 10 minute and 5 minute slots available for those with stories, poems or micro fringe theatre. Interested in booking a slot? Then let us know. info@hothousetheatre.com

Unfortunately, the venue has access issues. If you have particular access needs, feel free to get in touch.

Nottingham Playhouse

Shoot From The Hip bring their award-winning, TikTok-viral improvised comedy to Nottingham Playhouse!

Featuring chaotic games, epic scenes, and ever-so-slightly unhinged performances, their Metro, Evening Standard, and Time Out-recommended shows are completely unscripted, unpredictable – and unforgettable.

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Rough Trade, Nottingham

In the run-up to NPF, we handpicked eight local poets in collaboration with BBC Upload and filmed exclusive performances with them. You’ll be able to watch these videos across BBC and NPF social channels.

Join us as we celebrate these incredible poets and their work at a special BBC Upload & NPF collaboration event, headlined by Leicester’s Poet Laureate, Mr Shay.

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West Bridgford Baptist Church, Nottingham

A Gala Concert to celebrate 80 years of The West Bridgford Operatic Society. The first half will be Gilbert and Sullivan, with a selection of numbers from most of the shows. The Second half will be a selection of numbers from most of the Musicals performed by the society.

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Nottingham Central Library

No pressure, no judging, no “right way” to write, alright. Just a chill space where people happen to be putting words on paper (or on a screen). Maybe you’re deep into a novel. Maybe you’re scribbling a poem on a napkin. Maybe it’s a journal entry, a letter you’ll never send, or the first sentence of something you don’t even have a name for yet.

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Djanogly Theatre, Lakeside Arts, Nottingham

Join us for an unforgettable evening celebrating 100 years of student theatre at the University of Nottingham.

This centenary gala showcases the theatre’s archives, unites current students with alumni, and looks to the future of the Nottingham New Theatre. Since 1926, generations have found community through their passion for the arts, building England’s only student-run theatre.

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The Duchess Theatre, Derbyshire,

Celebrating Ten Years of Our Signature Variety Showcase

This year marks a significant milestone as we celebrate ten years of The Impossible Dream – An Evening with Zak Scott & Friends, a showcase that has become a cherished highlight of our performance calendar.

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Rough Trade, Nottingham

In collaboration with We, The Poets, BBC Upload and Dean Jackson, join us for an afternoon of panel chats, podcasting, performance and jolly good fun.

BBC Upload is the BBC’s talent discovery platform for emerging creatives, offering poets and spoken word artists a route to share their work with a wider audience. By submitting recordings directly to their local BBC radio station, artists have the chance to be broadcast, featured, and supported by producers, helping amplify new voices and connect grassroots poetry scenes to national platforms. Come and meet the team and find out how to get your poetry broadcast on national radio!

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The Carousel, Nottingham

John Hegley, the star of radio, TV and school assemblies unleashes a wild alphabetic menagerie in a live show full of daft and deft wordplay, sing-along numbers and, against all advice, a selection of ‘drawings’. Inspired by his A-to-Z of creatures, people, pets and their peculiarities, this performance is packed with Hegley’s humour and warmth. From Alligator to Zombie – via dogs, deckchairs and guillemots – expect audio and visual stimulation, entertainment, and thought provocation.

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Nottingham Playhouse

Two days of superb entertainment, choreographed and produced by principal Tracy Quaife. Pupils of all ages will perform in dazzling costumes, to a wide range of musical styles, showcasing the many talents of Nottingham’s young stars of tomorrow.

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The Malt Cross, Nottingham

Poets Against Racism celebrates its 10th year by going back to its roots, challenging racism, bigotry and discrimination through the power of poetry. In 2016, Poets Against Racism held its first event in Nottingham, it’s aim was very clear from the start, form a collective of poets and performers to use their art to challenge racism.

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Titchfield Park, Mansfield

A family feud divides the community! Violence stalks the streets. Who can see beyond the hate and dare to follow their heart? A pair of star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet!

Oddsocks return with their new take on this well-loved classic, finding laughs and pathos in the most dramatic of tragedies. Will Romeo pull himself together to escape with Juliet? Will the Nurse think of a better plan than the Friar? Will the audience help the lovers elope? All will be revealed as Oddsocks create uplifting comedy from the depths of despair in a show that’s the perfect antidote to prejudice.

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The Cock and Hoop, Nottingham

Notts Poetry is currently working on a project to look at how people across the East Midlands feel about their local community and how it has changed over the past decade.

We are running workshops in Nottingham, Lincoln and Northampton We want to know what makes your city special? We are looking for poems,short stories or artwork.

Our aim is to bring out a pamphlet for each county and a book which showcases the best (and worst?) of life in the East Midlands – estimated publication date Spring 2027

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Theatre Royal, Nottingham

As a society we love stuff, it’s a statement about who we are and who we want to be. But apparently, this message is at odds with the looming environmental crisis. We’re now struggling to balance these worlds, to focus on the things that bring us real connections and nourish the soul. Award-winning Comedian and Award-winning Product Designer, Scott Bennett is desperately trying to cleanse his life of stuff, but is this even possible anymore?

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Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham

Join Richard Dawkins for a ground-breaking exploration of the science of genetics and the story of evolution as you have never heard it before.

The creator of the word ‘meme’ and of the hugely influential ‘selfish gene’ model of evolution, Richard Dawkins is the epitome of the truly public intellectual—a scientist whose ideas have proven extraordinarily influential both within his own discipline and far beyond.

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Nottingham Playhouse

Nottingham Playhouse Schools Shakespeare Festival is a unique large-scale performance and CPD opportunity for schools to bring a class of Key-Stage 2 or 3 children to perform on the main stage at Nottingham Playhouse in front of a live audience of 770 people.

A class of up to 35 students from each school will work with their teacher, a Nottingham Playhouse director, and a movement director to prepare a scene from a famous Shakespearean play. This year, the production is A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Each school will work on their own section, which will all come together to make a full show, along with live piano, theatre lights, set and props.

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Online

Poetry Global Network invites you to join readers from TDS 2026 : Trump Derangement Syndrome Anthology and add your own political poems to the event during the international Open Mic at PGN’s politically themed Bottoms Up! event as part of Nottingham Poetry Festival.

I’m sure we all have views on the current political situations both at home and abroad. Bring your poems and register for one of the limited open mic slots at the event.

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Poppy and Pint, Pierrepont Rd, West Bridgford, Nottingham

We’re delighted to present this joint headline show, with support from the mighty GOBS Collective.

Vanessa Kisuule is a Bristol based writer, performer, and facilitator. A multi–award-winning slam poet, she has performed internationally and worked with organisations including the BBC, British Library, Tate, and Glastonbury Festival.

Cara Thompson is a Nottingham-based writer, performer, and interdisciplinary artist, currently serving as Nottingham’s Nature Poet Laureate and Wasafiri’s Writer in Residence.

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Robin Hood Theatre, Averham, Newark

A very sharp, comedic drama that revisits the infamous 2001 "coughing scandal" on the British TV show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? The play centers on Charles Ingram, a former army major who won the million-pound jackpot, only to be accused of cheating when suspicious coughs from the audience. Blending courtroom tension with game-show glitz, the story unfolds through the trial that gripped the nation, questioning guilt, innocence, and the blurred line between entertainment and justice.

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Nottingham Arts Theatre

Suria is on an out-of-season package holiday in Turkey, with her two teenage children, a 20-year-old travel guide, and an audiobook on grief. But not her husband, Dan. Because.

He’s dead.

She’s not ready to ‘move on’ (whatever that is). Can anything help her feel better?

An empathetic stranger? A fella from Frankley? Four shots of Bailey’s? Sausages? She might just settle for screaming into a pillow then throwing herself off a cliff.

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Nottingham Playhouse

The answers we are often looking for are waiting on the other side of discomfort, challenging norms and old stories from the past.

One Foot in the Dark is an exploration of our known and unknown experiences of identity, culture and change through text and movement.

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Theatre Royal, Nottingham

We all want to meet people from history. The trouble is everyone is dead!

So it’s time to prepare yourselves for two amazing shows with Horrible Histories live on stage! Using actors and eye-popping 3D special effects, these two astounding shows are guaranteed to thrill you and your children. Historical figures and events will come alive on stage and hover at your fingertips!

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Mansfield Palace Theatre

With over 45 years in the business and as the premier name in comedy, The Comedy Store is renowned as a breeding ground for new comedy talent, and remains the place to see tomorrow’s stars today...

The likes of Eddie Izzard, John Bishop, Jimmy Carr, Rhod Gilbert and Sarah Millican, have all cut their comedy teeth at The Comedy Store.

Join us as we bring you the best in stand up” from around the globe, showcasing the brightest names in comedy today.

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Nottingham Arts Theatre

Drag Pageant royalty and the Broadest Broad on Broad Street, Liv has summoned 9 of the regions fiercest competitors to take part in our first ever ALL STAR Drag Pageant.

Featuring previous finalists and fan favourites, our competitors will return with original drag performances, fierce fashion eleganzas and lip-sync their way to be crowned the first ever Nottingham Drag Pageant ALL STAR!

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Nottingham Playhouse

3 Migrant Women is a striking exploration of migration, memory, and the cost of leaving everything behind. Created and performed by the artists whose stories it tells, the production weaves movement, song, and storytelling to illuminate the reality of crossing borders, both physical and emotional.

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Nottingham Playhouse

Alex wakes one morning to a new message on Insta from his boyfriend Ben. But Ben died two years ago.

What appears to be an everyday hack soon turns into something else as Alex’s life spirals out of control.

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Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham

Bringing his successful sell out and highly praised show. Astronomer and author Adrian West (aka VirtualAstro) presents a glorious visual and thought-provoking experience for everyone that looks up and wonders.

The Universe has never been so much fun!

Using amazing big screen visual effects. The Night Sky Show will take you on a fantastic and epic journey across the cosmos from our celestial back yard.

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Bonington Theatre, Arnold, Nottingham

A cast of six bring a group of suspects and Sleuths together to discover whodunnit, and how… Except… four of the actors are stuck by the side of the motorway in the broken-down van, and only those two knights of the Theatre – Sir Gavin and Sir Nicholas – have managed to get to the venue… but ‘the show must go on’… Holmes and Watson, Poirot and Miss Marple join forces in a whirlwind of fast costume changes and misdirected acting hiccups. Even the set’s gone missing!

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Nottingham Arts Theatre

After the dynasty collapses, the princess is betrayed and forced into hiding, faking her death in a temple. Love brings her back, but her return leads to new traps and dangers. With her husband, she realises they cannot escape who they are - but together, they use their identities to play one final, daring game against the new dynasty. A story of love, betrayal, courage, and cunning, The Flower Princess is a timeless Hong Kong classic brought vividly to life on stage.

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Lacemarket Theatre, Nottingham

Welcome to the crazy world of Accidental Death of an Anarchist, where those in charge have completely lost the plot!

When a certified ‘Maniac’ (whose hobby is impersonating authority figures) arrives at a police station, it prompts an unscheduled investigation. The subject is the mysterious death of a man who left the building during an interrogation… via a top-floor window.

What follows is a whirlwind of re-enactments, cartoonish characters, and increasingly outrageous excuses, as the Maniac runs rings around the police officers and unravels their web of contradictions and cover-ups.

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Performing Arts Studio, Lakeside Arts, Nottingham

In this tale of friendship, love, and authenticity, four Chinese friends reunite at a hot pot restaurant after the Covid pandemic.

As they reminisce and boast of their achievements, idealism fades into pragmatism. Will their friendships endure? Can old flames reignite? Amidst a queer-unfriendly environment, will they find the courage to discuss gay sexuality openly?

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If you are having problems with the e-link to buy tickets you can purchase them over the phone using the Lakesdie box office number 0115 846 7777

MMC Venue, Loughborough

Join the raucous residents of the Rutledge Retirement Home for elderly actors, singers, musicians and disco divas as they get up to all sorts of mischief and reminisce about their antics on stage in their younger days. This regional premiere by The Spotlight Theatre Group is guaranteed to bring you big laughs and belting tunes! Filled with fantastic music including Leave Your Hat On, Sex Bomb, Barbie Girl, Hey Baby, I Got You Babe and Forever Young, this poignant, heartfelt and hilarious drama celebrates the lives of a group of elderly friends who, despite their age and frailty, still manage to have a great time when the nurse's back is turned!

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