Festivals are a chance to really see a city shine, and luckily for us Nottinghamshire has them by the bucketful. Whether it's feasting on fine food, fun days out with the family, tasting a plethora of ales, or dancing in the sunshine, there’s sure to be something to tickle your fancy in this rundown of festivals happening in 2025. This is the time to chill out, tune in and make some amazing memories.

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Music Festivals

Nottinghamshire’s acclaimed music scene has thrived in the past ten years. Along with some mighty fun music festivals taking place across the city's finest venues, you can also check out live music in more unique locations throughout Nottinghamshire.

Splendour Festival has just announced its widely anticipated return on Saturday 19th & Sunday 20th July 2025! The popular two-day festival will be back at its home in Wollaton Hall and Deer Park with a brand-new line-up to appeal across the generations, from long-term regulars to families and youngsters.

Beat the Streets is one of the biggest and most important music festivals in the calendar. The City's official carity festival aims to bring the community together to fight homelessness and raise vital funds for the charity Framework. Taking place in January each year across various venues in the city, with a stellar line up to boot, you won't want to miss this amazing festival.

The Nottingham Chamber Music Festival returns each year in June at various venues across Nottingham City Centre. Venues include Theatre Royal, Nottingham Contemporary, The Squire Perfroming Arts Centre, St Peter's Chuch and St Mary's in the Lace Market. Within these hertiage venues, they prepare to welcome musicians and composers of local and national renown to celebrate the joy that is live music.

The Woodland Disco Festival also comes to Nottingham in July 2025! Submerjed in the fairy tale setting of a majestic Woodland only 10 minutes from Nottingham City Centre, you can expect a fully immersive festival as they enhance the natural surroundings of Newstead Abbey with a vibrant production and dazzling visuals.

Newstead Abbey will also play host to Could be Real Tribute Festival 2024 on Friday the 5th of July. Set in a magical woodland oasis, this disco-inspired festival will be a day filled with infectious beats, iconic performances, and unforgettable vibes. Wonderland promises a lineup of legendary artists who’ll bring the groove to life. 

Since starting in Nottingham in 2005 Dot To Dot Festival has established itself as the UK’s premier festival for unearthing the hottest new talent around, alongside established acts from all over the globe. The festival takes place in Manchester, Bristol, and Nottingham and has put acts such as The 1975, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Mumford & Sons, Florence + The Machine, Ed Sheeran and The XX on the map. This year's festival takes place on Sunday 26th of May 2024 at various venues across the city.

Trance In The Woods brings some incredible music to Elvaston Castle Country Park in June 2025. Trance In The Woods guarantees to transport festival-goers on an unforgettable musical journey.

Returning for their 22nd edition, Download Festival have just announced headliners Green Day, Slep Token and Korn as well as more huge names. Download Festival takes place at the hallowed grounds of rock, Donington Park, next to East Midlands Airport. Taking place where the three counties of Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire meet, Liquid Death Presents Download Festival has excellent connections by road, rail, bus and plane.

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Family Festivals

Gloworm Festival returns to Nottinghamshire at Throesby Park in August 2025. A wonderful family event set in the beautiful Nottinghamshire countryside, it is a brilliant 2 day festival that has been especially created for grown ups and their little people. They invite festival goers to come and play in a warm, welcoming and creative environment, loose their inhibitions, let their hair down and have some fun.

Nottingham Green Festival takes over Nottingham Arboretum every year in September. This free event organised by volunteers and local community organisations. This fun-filled family-friendly event also has a serious intent - to share skills and knowledge to tackle the ongoing climate crisis, biodiversity loss and other environmental concerns. You can expect live music, vegan food stalls, craft stalls and online webinars.

The Robin Hood Festival runs each Summer in Sherwood Forest. Including outdoor cinema, jousting events, equine displays, a Viking invasion & much more, you don't want to miss it. The programme usually concludes on the Bank Holiday Weekend, with the Nottinghamshire Day Festival soon following. In addition to the main arena shows, there is usually music, magic, circus skills, historical re-enactments and so much more.

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Food & Drink Festivals

The Nottingham Sausage and Cider Festival is back for 2025 and will take place at Wollaton Hall and Deer Park on the 31st of May. A spectacular day of festival fun which brings together more than 30 flavours of cider and more than 20 different sausages, a number of outstanding tribute acts, as well as entertainment for children. Kick back and relax in the serene surrounds of Nottingham's iconic landmark at one of the region's favourite foodie festivals.

For those who are fond of a tipple from the grapevine, the Nottingham Wine Festival 2025 is a must visit. This is the 5th installment of the festival and will run over the afternoon of Saturday the 15th of February at St. Mary's Church in the city. This festival of independent wine merchants, retailers and more will be showcasing their finest wares to enjoy. This event is for over 18s only.

The Bramley Apple Festival takes place in Southwell each October, the home of the original Bramley Apple tree. Dozens of stallholders offer all manner of food and drink including pies, chocolates, jams, chutneys, pickles, sausages and much much more! They also host live cookery demonstrations and children's activities. 

The Festival of Food & Drink takes over Thoresby Park in September 2025. The festival boasts over 170 food and drink traders as well as bars and artisan producers. The family-friendly festival also offers a wide-range of have-a-go activities for visitors to take part in, from wine-tasting sessions and cocktail masterclasses, to a specialist Children’s Cookery School allowing younger visitors to make their very own tasty treats, which in previous years has included pasta, butter, gnocchi and ice cream. 

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Arts Festivals

Each summer at heritage sites across Nottinghamshire you can catch live theatre performances and film screenings in the great outdoors. Rally your friends, grab a picnic blanket and some snacks, and enjoy an evening under the stars in stunning locations. From classic Shakespeare and fun-filled children's theatre, to blockbuster movies and singalong musicals, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Click here for more details.

Like things a bit darker? The Mayhem Film Festival comes to Broadway Cinema each October, bringing an intense whirlwind of premieres, previews, special guests and midnight screenings with a horror twist. More information and announcements will be coming soon. 

Nottingham Poetry Festival takes over the city each summer, with a diverse programme of activities, performances and events from the vibrant homegrown poetry community. From word walks and performance masterclasses to urban haiku, writing workshops, open mics and poets against racism, there are many ways to experience the festival. 

The Nottingham Comedy Festival takes over the city each November. No doubt back for its 17th year in 2025, it will feature a wide variety of comedy including stand up, improv, sketch and more. Local, national and international artists will appear at a range of venues across Nottingham.

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Cultural Festivals

Returning to make the city sparkle, head to Nottingham city centre to celebrate Pride each July. Along with the colourful parade, street festivities continue throughout the day to celebrate the city’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and asexual (LGBTQIA+) culture.

The Nottingham Mela Festival comes to Nottingham each September for a weekend full of music, dance, poetry, family friendly events, storytelling, workshops, art, giant puppets and more at this amazing South Asian festival. As well as working with local schools, the event will showcase local creatives and talent. Whether you want a party atmosphere or to chill out with something more relaxing - there is something for everyone!

Stay tuned for Nottinghamshire's involvement in the 2025 Heritage Open Days events, which presents a wide range of free tours, events and activities which bring to life local history and culture. Heritage Open Days is England's largest festival of history and culture.

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While the finer details of many of these festivals are yet to be announced, we suggest you stick them in the calendar and keep checking back on our website for information on ticketing, line-ups and dates. There are more festivals throughout the county so have a look at the What’s On guide and don’t forget to share your photos of yourself enjoying Nottinghamshire’s fantastic culture - use the tag #LoveNotts throughout social media!