Rave reviews on this years Hockley Hustle

This week we’re delighted to share a guest blog from one of the lucky prize-winners from our recent competition to win one of two Nottingham October breaks. Today, Erika tells us about her Hockley Hustle break which included tickets to the Hockley Hustle, a stay in the Mercure Hotel, lunch at Broadway Cinema and a meal at Annie's Burger Shack. My first visit to Nottingham was for the Hockley Hustle music festival, scattered around Nottingham's city centre. The festival provided a great opportunity to experience what Nottingham had to offer, if only we had more time! We arrived arround midday on the day of Hockley Hustle and it was quick, drop our bags off and hit the bars! The town centre was already full of atmosphere, the hardest part was deciding where to go first! We grabbed our Hockley Hustle wristbands and went for lunch at The Broadway. We both ordered pizzas which were delicious, a pleasant surprise as it was a small cafe. After our lunch we headed out for a little walk around the town and there was so much going on without us going into any venues. The streets were full of street artists, musicians, people performing football tricks, circus acts and much more. We just had to follow the crowds to find the entertainment. After a little walk we continued our bar crawl. Our wristbands granted us entry into all of the bars involved in the festival which all had different entertainment to suit everyone. Our favourites were the bars which had live music, especially acoustic acts. The bands we heard were amazing, we hope they all do well with their music careers!! We could easily have sat and listened to the bands all night but we had to rush off to our dinner reservation at Annies Burger Shack! We were booked in for an evening meal at Annies Burger Shack and it was a good job we booked! This place was packed! As this restaurant is slightly out of the hustle and bustle of the lively town centre we didn't expect the lively, fun atmosphere it had! As we arrived a little early, we were greeted by their lovely staff and were shown to the bar whilst we waited for our table to be made up. The bar man was really nice, welcoming and very friendly and made our time waiting at the bar pass very quickly. Although he and the other staff were incredibly busy and rushed off their feet, he found the time to talk to us as he made the drinks for other tables. We then sat down to enjoy the biggest most beautiful burgers! They have a huge range of burgers to choose from but you can practically make your own up with a large choice of toppings. We both really recommend Annie's Burger Shack! Definitely book before you go and make sure you have empty stomachs! Once we were defeated by our huge burgers, we headed back out to the festival for one last walk around the town. As it had gone dark, we stood and watched some street performers spinning fire around. It was amazing to watch and they had attracted quite a crowd. Although it was getting late, the streets were still brimming with atmosphere and everyone was really enjoying themselves! That night we stayed at the Mercure Hotel Nottingham. This hotel couldn't be more central! The staff were all lovely and the hotel had a really cosy feel to it. We enjoyed a beautiful full English breakfast the next morning as part of their extensive breakfast buffet. Our experience of Nottingham was amazing. I would definitely return with friends, and would recommend a weekend in Nottingham to anyone! I would love to return to the Hockley Hustle Festival next year! Lead image credit Mace Maclean