This week is centred around the Nottingham Puppet Festival, which takes place from 27 June to 5 July and includes a variety of events tailored to all demographics. On our list of things to look out for we've highlighted the return of a classic, Little Shop of Horrors, to the cinema, an enchanting children's musical, and a more comedic (and decidedly adult) sex-related show. Beyond the puppet festival, there's a walk down memory lane with events for music, film, and the sewing history in prisons.
When: Monday 29th, 7:45pm
Where: Broadway Cinema, Hockley
How much: £12 (concessions from £7)
This screening of the classic musical, directed by Frank Oz (The Muppet Movie), will be introduced by the producer of Nottingham’s Puppet Festival, David Longford, and also features a restoration of the original, more apocalyptic ending, which had been replaced with a happier one for many years. Little Shop of Horrors is a musical horror film, and also a stage production, which has delighted audiences for decades. It follows unrequited lovers, Seymour and Audrey, while they are endlessly harassed by a singing plant who hungers for the blood of man, and dreams of taking over the world.
Theatre: The Sex Lives of Puppets
When: Monday 29 June, 8pm
Where: Theatre Royal and Concert Hall
How much: £25.50 - £29.50
This intriguing and very funny show will be part of the Nottingham Puppet Festival 2026, and it comes to Notts fresh from two tours in the US and Denmark. Created by the Blind Summit Theatre, a London based company, the show is inspired by the National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles, and it uses puppetry to present some humorous, tender, and often very chaotic comedy sketches about modern intimacy, portraying the variety of quirks that we have in that less talked about part of our lives. It’s obviously 16+.
When: Tuesday 30 June, 7:30pm
Where: Theatre Royal and Concert Hall
How much: £15 - £62.50
This show tells the story of the band Franki Valli and the Four Seasons, who made their name in the 60s, and in 1990 joined the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. October last year also marked the 20th anniversary of this show’s first performance, so there’s never been a better time to see it than right now. This production features the songs the band are best known for, including Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, and December 1963 (Oh What A Night), plus a stellar cast including Luke Baker, who’s had leading roles in Everyone’s Talking About Jamie and Billy Elliot, plus Ellis Kirk, who starred in Dear Evan Hansen.
Roald Dahl’s The Enormous Crocodile, The Musical
When: 2 - 5 July
Where: Theatre Royal and Concert Hall
How much: £15 - £28
Roald Dahl’s beloved children’s story, The Enormous Crocodile, has been adapted into a stage musical by Suhayla El-Bushra - and is coming to Nottingham as part of the puppet festival. It is directed by Emily Lim, with music by Ahmed Gallab, and an array of delightful puppets designed by Toby Olie. The story is a simple one - a band of animals working together to thwart the evil crocodile’s mission to eat any child he can find - but the interactive singing and dancing makes the perfect show for small children, and adults wanting to reminisce on Roald Dahl nostalgia.
Whitework/Hard Labour Sewing Event
When: Friday 3 July, 10am
Where: National Justice Museum
How much: free
Sewing has been a surprisingly popular phenomenon in prisons throughout British history, the first sewing group appearing in 1819, continuing through the Edwardian era in the early 1900s, and still prevalent in more recent years. It was thought to give inmates valuable skills, an act of reformation for their life after release. In this event hosted by the National Justice Museum on Friday morning, attendants will get the chance to embroider white handkerchiefs with nature-related designs, harking back to old fine whitework traditions. Free to attend and suitable for beginners, this workshop is a chance to engage with history in a more physical and creative way!
Film Talk: The Bloody History of Hammer Horror
When: Saturday 4 July, 2pm
Where: Broadway Cinema
How much: £13 - £23
Production company Hammer is notorious in the horror film genre of Britain - beginning with its founding in 1934, but most memorable and culturally relevant in the 60s and 70s. Some notable films include The Bride of Frankenstein, Dracula, The Phantom of the Opera, Quatermass and the Pit, and Vampire Circus. Rife with graphic imagery, uncensored sex appeal, and gothic tropes, this segment of horror history is an intriguing avenue of study. Freelance writer and tutor Andrew Graves is holding a 3-hour session at the Broadway cinema in Hockley which covers the rise of Hammer in all its unquestionably-grotesque glory
Ballroom Event - Queerish: House of Hockley
When: Sunday 5 July, 8pm
Where: Movers - 15 Hockley, NG1 1FH
How much: £5.50
Queerish is a grassroots event company based in Notts, dedicated to creating fun and welcoming spaces for the LGBTQ+ community in the city, and at Movers in Hockley, on the 5th of July, they are hosting a Ballroom event, including a competition with applications open to all. If you don’t know, Ballroom culture within the LGBTQ+ sphere refers to an underground subculture founded by black and latin queer people, especially for trans individuals. Candidates ‘walk’ - competing in things such as dancing and lip-syncing. At the Hockley event, there are 5 categories: Lip-sync, Waacking, Femme, Vogue, Butch, and Bizarre. Applications are available through following the link in their instagram bio (all performers get a free ticket to the event). Queerish are planning all sorts of workshops, dance classes and more for Notts, so we’d recommend keeping updated on their events!
Make sure to have a look at our LeftLion events listings, and sister website notts.com, for more things to do in the coming week.
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