Summer in Nottingham

Enjoy Nottingham this summer and discover one of the coolest cities in England, or take some time to relax in the serene setting of Sherwood Forest, The Dukeries and the Vale of Belvoir.

A truly spectacular range of exciting cultural summer events will be taking place across the region and with a selection of special offers available, now is a truly fantastic time to visit Nottinghamshire.

Outdoor cinema and theatre in Nottinghamshire

Outdoor theatre and cinema season is well under way in Nottinghamshire and will continue throughout July and August. You can catch some outstanding performances and screenings in the atmospheric attractions like Wollaton Park, Newstead Abbey, Southwell Minister to name a few. Click here to read more.

Summer of festivals in Nottingham

Get stuck into some festival fun at Nottingham Riverside Festival offering three days of family entertainment from Friday 2 - Sunday 4 September, or learn more about Nottingham’s most famous outlaw at the week-long Robin Hood Festival at the historic Sherwood Forest between Monday 5 - Sunday 11 August. Join the parade and dance along to festival tunes at Nottingham Carnival or check out the ever-popular, family-friendly Splendour Festival, where as well as live music from Manic Street Preachers, The Specials, Rag’n’Bone Man and All Saints, children can enjoy a funfair and special kids' area.

If on the other hand, you enjoy arts and crafts Patchings Festival of Art, Craft & Photography at the Patchings Art Centre in Calverton is a perfect choice for you. You’ll be able to enjoy an array of demonstrations, exhibitions and workshops with work produced in all painting mediums along with ceramics, textiles, precious metals and stone, wood, metal, clay and much, much more. Finally, if you love flowers we highly recommend you head to Belvoir Castle to take part in The Belvoir Flower & Garden Festival. Take in the breath-taking views of the castle and explore the gardens while meeting a variety of companies, schools and gardening societies showcasing their services and products.

For more festivals this summer please click here.

Family activities in Nottinghamshire this summer

Together with top performances and festivals in unique settings, we also have excellent family events taking place across the city and the country as well. The Nottingham Beach in Old Market Square will be back, welcoming people of all ages, and with the weather starting to improve, there’s nothing better than to head to the fantastic urban beach and enjoy the sun while your little ones run around and play in the water. New to the beach this year is the Playa Day Club and Restaurant - a brand new experience in the shape of a luxury beach club.

If you and your family like a challenge why not take a trip to Go Ape at Sherwood Pines, where you can take on Net Kingdom and its jumbo netted trampolines, bridges and walkways, or the Tree Top adventure with Trazan swings and epic zip wires! You could also make a short break of it and stay in a Forest Holidays or Sherwood Hideaway log cabin, in the heart of Sherwood Forest. If you're keen to enjoy the outdoors this summer, Thoresby Park has a number of great family events taking place, including their Rusticus Adventure: Wildlife Warning! Families with children of all ages will join a barmy butterfly collector on a misguided quest to add to his insect collection, and meet marvellous mini-beasts along the way.

There’s a host of family events happening throughout the summer months, click here to explore the full list.
*Photo credit Gerry Molumby

Summer of sport in Nottinghamshire

Enjoy being a spectator of sport? The Notts Outlaws will begin their T20 Blast season by hosting Worcestershire Rapids on Thursday 18 July. A range of family entertainment starts from gates opening at 5pm and will include a face painter and bouncy castle, with the match itself starting at 6.30pm. If you prefer participating, there are lots of sporting events and activites taking place. It's the third year of the Nottinghamshire Sports Day at Southwell Racecourse, where a variety of sporting games will be going on throughout the day all around the racecourse site, all suitable for families. On Saturday 13 July, the whole family can take part in the Big Fun Run Nottingham, at Victoria Embankment Park. Expect lots of fun at this untimed, relaxed event.

For more sporting events throughout the summer, please click here.

You don’t have to attend or take part in an event to do something new either. Discover charming scenery with a gentle stroll around beautiful towns and villages such as Southwell or Newark or learn more about the Nottingham’s famous rebel writer D.H. Lawrence in Eastwood.

If you like cycling, enjoy epic routes at Sherwood Pines and Clumber Park - once you’ve tried it you’ll soon be hooked and a great bike ride will be sure to make a memorable day out.

As well as lots of  exciting events and activities taking place this summer, Nottingham is also simply an awesome city in which to hang out. There's loads of unique places to enjoy amazing food and drink, such as Iberico World Tapas and Ye Olde to Jerusalem - you're sure to find something to suit all tastes and budgets.

If you haven’t found anything that tickled your fancy on this page, there’s a box below with all summer events happening across Nottinghamshire throughout summer.