Festival fun across our area this summer to suit all ages

Dot To Dot Festival returns to a number of music venues across Nottingham on May 25.

The Horrors, Fat Dog, Sprints, Kate Bollinger, Lapsley and more than 30 of the hottest emerging artists of the moment are all heading to Nottingham stages on May 25.

Following their hugely successful 2024 event, winning Best Metropolitan Festival at the 2023 Festival Awards, and receiving a nomination for the same award once again in 2024, the festival returns for its 20th year.

Other acts already revealed for Dot To Dot include Adore, Ain’t, Baobei, Basht, Bradley Marshall, Bruise Control, Cardinals, Daste, Dog Race, Etham Tasch, Girlband!, Good Health Good Wealth, Hello Mary, Holly Head, Jasmine.4.T, JD Cliffe Keo, and Ladylike.

You can also see appearances from Lunar Vacation, Lyam, Monster Florence, Nectar Woode, No Windows and Oreglo.

Venues involved in the festival include Rock City, Rescue Rooms, Metronome, Rough Trade and The Bodega.

For more on tickets for the Nottingham leg, go to www.alttickets.com

The Green Hustle festival will take over Old Market Square in Nottingham on Saturday, May 31, for a day of free summer fun that is open to all, under the theme of Growing Together.

Green Hustle will bring together thousands of people to enjoy live entertainment, workshops, a makers market and hands-on activities to inspire greener living.

This year, the festival is proudly headlined by It’s in Nottingham, the city’s Business Improvement District (BID), reaffirming its commitment to supporting initiatives that make Nottingham a greener, more vibrant place to live, study, work and play.

Already lined up for this year is live music and entertainment from Cultural Vibrations, dancers, circus acts and a makers market featuring local producers. A Community Garden showcase, an Action Cafe and new listening hub will provide inspiration along with the latest in Nottingham-led research on nature and environment.

‘Pay what you feel’ hot meals will return with Himmah Community Kitchen serving up 550 last year, along with other local food catering from Veggies and Abeyo Ethiopia. There will be plenty of ways people can get involved on the day, whether it's hands-on planting activities, creative fun or simply turning up to enjoy a hot meal.

Last year saw more than 10,000 people visit the free festival with 95 per cent of those surveyed saying they were inspired to make a change such as volunteering and planting or changing buying habits and supporting local independents.

Green Hustle is delivered with the help of more than 100 partners, community groups and organisations, with hundreds of volunteer hours given last year to help bring it to life.

To find out more, see www.greenhustle.co.uk

This year's Gate To Southwell Festival is to take place at Kirklington Lakes from July 3-6 and looks like being the most popular in the festival’s 18-year history.

This year’s offering will include a special Blues Day on Saturday, July 5.

Following headliners like ex-Bellowhead frontman Jon Boden & The Remnant Kings (Thursday) and legendary guitarist/songwriter/folk hero Richard Thompson on Friday, Alabama 3 Acoustic will headline the Saturday afternoon concert on the Lake Stage.

Globally famous for their Sopranos theme tune Woke Up This Morning, the South London roots-futurists will pay tribute to blues greats such as Howlin’ Wolf and John Lee Hooker.

Throughout the day, the Frontier Stage will play host to a variety of artists in a blues vein concluding with internationally-acclaimed rhythm & blues band The Cadillac Kings who’ve been described by The Times as “the UK’s premier blues and roots act”.

Before that there’s the cajun-meets-honky-tonk zydeco blues of Ruben Moreno from Houston Texas; Ruben and his band travel across musical genres from rock to blues to ska to swing in his bid to become “the first big Zydeco crossover artist”.

Hat Fitz & Cara make a welcome return from Australia, having supported Jools Holland & his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra. Hat Fitz is a veteran of the Aussie blues scene and Cara, originally from Northern Ireland, draws on her soul background (working with artists like Jamiroquai and Corinne Bailey Rae). Together they blend country and delta blues with Australian folk and traditional Celtic sounds.

Weekend, camping and day tickets are now available. For more information go to https://www.gtsf.uk

From 12noon to 10.30pm on July 5, Wonderland Festival will transform Newstead Abbey into a spellbinding dancefloor, offering a woodland oasis for music lovers to lose themselves in the rhythm of the music and the beauty of the setting.

Leading the charge is Grammy-winning house music pioneer Roger Sanchez, whose iconic tracks and world-class DJing have defined generations of dance music lovers.

Joining him is the unmistakable voice of Heather Small, the powerhouse singer behind M People’s timeless anthems.

The groove continues with a lineup of genre-defining artists including Gok Wan, DJ and style icon, bringing his signature mix of uplifting house and fashion-forward flair, Trevor Nelson, the soul and R&B aficionado whose sets are as smooth as they are iconic, disco hitmakers The Shapeshifters, ensuring the dancefloor stays alive with their timeless tunes, and high-energy collective Melon Bomb.

For more information on the festival at the picturesque venue, go to https://newsteadabbey.org.uk/whats-on

Families will look forward to the return of Gloworm Festival at Thoresby Park on August 8 to 10.

The festival will deliver an unforgettable weekend brimming with entertainment, activities and magic for families with young children.

Known for its unique all-inclusive approach, Gloworm ensures that all entertainment and activities are included in the ticket price, making it easier for families to budget and fully immerse themselves in the experience.

The organisers have also taken the decision to reduce the price of the family tickets to £450 (down from £540) to keep the festival as affordable to as many families as possible. This price will be frozen for the 2025 edition.

The weekend experience has been further enhanced for 2025 with the legendary Paul Chuckle kicking off Friday’s entertainment with an epic DJ set exclusively for campers, glampers and park and pitch Glowormers.

On Saturday, The Killerz, the world’s leading tribute to The Killers, will deliver an electrifying performance.

Sunday’s headliners include Arctic Roll, performing hits by the Arctic Monkeys, alongside the iconic Dene Michael of Black Lace, who will have everyone singing and dancing along to timeless classics.

Other unmissable acts include Rozalla and Do It Like Dua.

Beloved characters Zippy & George and Bodger and Badger will also be on hand for meet-and-greets throughout the weekend, providing moments of nostalgia and joy for attendees of all ages.

CBeebies favourites Justin Fletcher and Andy and the Odd Socks are sure to be popular with all attendees, while the West End Kids will showcase their talents with a fantastic performance.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.glowormfestival.co.uk.

Finally, for something different, try Southwell Music Festival, taking place at venues across the town from August 22 to 25.

Now in its 11th year, the festival welcomes professional musicians and performers from across the UK and shines a spotlight on the best of Nottinghamshire’s home-grown talent.

Blending jazz with spiritual themes and featuring the sublime Festival Voices and Southwell Music Festival’s very first Big Band act, The Cottontail Orchestra, this Friday evening concert brings selections from Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concerts to the Southwell stage. Don't miss this unique opportunity to experience this groundbreaking work from one of the leading jazz pioneers in the atmospheric setting of Southwell Minster.

Folk music takes centre stage on Saturday night. Acclaimed folk artist Kathryn Tickell returns to Southwell Music Festival after a sell-out performance in 2023, this time alongside her band The Darkening. Composer, performer and the foremost exponent of the Northumbrian pipes, Kathryn’s music is deeply rooted in the landscape and people of Northumbria, with her twice winning the BBC Radio 2 Folk Award for Musician of the Year.

On Sunday evening, the Festival Voices and Baroque Sinfonia join forces to fill the Minster Nave with glorious sound with a performance of Bach’s majestic B Minor Mass, conducted by Artistic Director Marcus Farnsworth. Skilfully balancing choral, solo and orchestral parts, allowing for intricate counterpoint and harmony, this is one of Bach’s greatest ever works.

The Bach theme continues into Monday, with singers of all abilities invited to participate in the Festival’s annual Come and Sing. A morning rehearsal is followed by a performance, with singers performing alongside professional soloists, accompanied by the Festival Baroque Sinfonia. The accompanying Singing Day workshop will be held August 16 in Southwell Minster’s State Chamber

This year's new addition to the programme will be a Saturday afternoon Relaxed Concert. This short, friendly event will offer the opportunity to experience classical music in Southwell Minster without the traditional formality. All are welcome, including families with children, people with sensory and communication impairments or learning disabilities, and those who are neurodiverse.

And once again, the Festival Fringe returns with free performances in venues and outdoor locations across Southwell.

Local musicians, groups, and ensembles can apply to perform as part of the Fringe.

To keep up to date, visit southwellmusicfestival.com