There's more content than you would believe. Hopefully this will make finding it a bit easier...
Art Fest 2026: what's happening this year?
Wed 16 Sept 2026After bringing over thirty murals to Nottingham in the past five years, Art Fest is doing things differently in 2026. Through exhibitions, street art tours, talks and workshops, this year’s programme celebrates Nottingham’s visual artists while opening conversations about what comes next…
Stage Interview: Dan Lewis on Tommy Cooper – Have I Got Time For More?
Mon 14 Sept 2026A new show celebrating comedy giant Tommy Cooper visits Nottingham this November. Director, actor and producer, Dan Lewis, sits down with Left Lion to share the importance of being Tommy. Just like that...
18 of the best independent places to eat in Nottingham on a Monday
Sun 13 Sept 2026Mondays in the city can be a bit of a culinary minefield. After a busy weekend, plenty of independent restaurants and cafés take the day off – and quite rightly so. But that doesn’t mean you have to resign yourself to a sad meal deal when the Monday hunger starts calling. Whether you’re starting the week with a catch-up over coffee, looking for a proper lunch, or fancy treating yourself to dinner, our Food Co-editor and Nottingham Food Guide founder Julia has rounded up eighteen of the best places to eat in Nottingham on a Monday.
Theatre Review: Grindr the Opera at the Nottingham Arts Theatre
Sat 12 Sept 2026If you’ve ever opened Grindr “just for a look” and somehow found yourself three hours later discussing your entire life with a stranger, then Grindr: The Opera might feel less like theatre and more like an intervention...
Undercover artist: Iulia Matei celebrates creative pastimes with our September 2026 cover
Sat 12 Sept 2026This month’s cover artist Iulia Matei talks comics, creativity and letting things figure themselves out.
What is Trentbelly? Inside the first river-focused episode of local podcast NottsPod
Wed 09 Sept 2026After one of his pupils caught a case of ‘Trentbelly’, the local nomenclature for illness caught from a polluted River Trent, secondary school teacher Tom Suchoruczka became curious about how the river got to the state it is now. This led Tom to team up with Notts historian and YouTuber Michael Krawec, and together they went down a research wormhole which culminated in Trentbelly – the first series of new podcast NottsPod. Here, by way of laying the groundwork for that, Michael talks us through the winding history of Nottingham’s modern day water system.
Left Brian Sept 2026 - Glasnerism
Tue 08 Sept 2026For fans of the red team it’s been quite the summer for upgrading to a new leader who seems to have genuine beliefs and a determination to implement them. For this edition of Left Brian, I’ll focus on the steady opening month for Oliver Glasner’s Nottingham Forest...
Stage Interview: Tracy Radford, artistic director at Unanima Youth Performance Academy
Tue 08 Sept 2026The Unanima Youth Performance Academy supports people with learning disabilities, developing theatrical skills and creating opportunities to perform. And they have just been awarded a grant to take their work to new levels. Tracy Radford, CEO and Artistic Director, shares the story of their success with Left Lion...
Mansfield Town Film Festival 2026: in conversation with director Jay Martin
Mon 07 Sept 2026Coming up later this month, Mansfield Town Film Festival provides a packed three day schedule of working-class voices, locally made films, live screenings, masterclasses, and Q&As. We spoke to festival director Jay Martin about representation, community and why Mansfield is putting the East Midlands firmly on the cinema map…
Stage Review: Robin Hood International Improv Festival at the Squire Performing Arts.
Sun 06 Sept 2026If you think improv is just a group of comedians shouting random words at each other until someone says something funny, then Nottingham’s Robin Hood International Improv Festival might just change your mind...
In photos: Foolhardy Folk Festival 2026 at The Arboretum
Sat 05 Sept 2026Skilfully curated by honorary Notts-man Beans on Toast, Foolhardy Folk Festival has become a hugely popular bank holiday event. With the bandstand as its focal point, this year's festival once again combined the best elements of nature and music. This year's lineup included Badly Drawn Boy, Skinny Lister, 3 Daft Monkeys, K.O.G and Beans on Toast himself...
LeftLion's Latest Listens #51: Notts music we're currently spinning
Fri 04 Sept 2026As autumn begins to take hold, with rain replacing the sun, the LeftLion music team are taking refuge in the best new local music. This week, the team reviews recent releases from Stone Black Witches, Amantes, People Laughing and Revenge of Calculon...
Night Creatures Podcast #9: Chloe Leak on the Nottingham scene, the challenges of working in the industry as a woman and promoting independent nights
Fri 04 Sept 2026Night Creatures is a LeftLion podcast, shining a light on the promoters of Nottingham. Your host and interviewer is Beane, co-founder of Nottingham’s beloved Soul Buggin’ night and he brings with him two decades of experience of putting on great parties in the city...
A Review of This Isn’t Italian Romance by Teo Eve
Fri 04 Sept 2026Sophie, an optimistic and carefree recent graduate, decides to sample the dolce vita by moving to Italy to teach English. In Teo Eve's debut novel This Isn't Italian Romance.
Left Magpie: September 2026 - Everything Flows
Thu 03 Sept 2026It's been an encouraging start to the season for the (at the time of writing unbeaten in the League) Notts County FC. To celebrate our columnist Julian McDougall has gone all Zen Buddhist on us...
We speak to Freya Ridings about songwriting, empowerment and Nottingham memories
Thu 03 Sept 2026Since breaking through with her top 10 single Lost Without You in 2017, Freya Ridings has established herself as one of the UK’s most impressive vocal talents, able to deliver tender balladry and euphoric moments of power with equal skill. Not content to rest on her laurels with the launch of her third album Mother Of Pearl, Ridings quickly launched into a huge UK and EU tour. We caught up with her ahead of the Nottingham date...
Overheard in Notts: August 2026
Mon 31 Aug 2026Karma and iPad watches feature in this month's Overheard in Notts...
Everything to know about The Garage: Chilwell's lively independent weekend market
Mon 31 Aug 2026At first the base of Nottingham bus operator Barton – in 1913 – and now the home of Nottingham’s largest independent market, The Garage in Chilwell has been a pillar of its local community since it began. Every weekend this family run business welcomes numerous traders and locals through its doors. From its most well known weekend markets to comedy and beer festivals, the success of The Garage is constantly evolving as a local favourite for Beeston and Notts residents alike. Here’s how they got to the point they’re at today…
The Thompsons on St Ann's Allotments, singing and summer 2026
Mon 31 Aug 2026Our latest chat with Nottingham's most opinionated grocers.
Forged in Mansfield: local playwright Beth Steel on her play Till the Stars Come Down and going international
Sat 29 Aug 2026Born and brought up in Warsop, playwright Beth Steel has seen her work performed in London, Tokyo, Mexico, Iceland, Peru and more. What’s particularly brilliant about this is that they’re usually set in her hometown of Mansfield. She tells us more about her fifth play Till the Stars Come Down, which is coming home to Nottingham Playhouse one week from now …
LeftLion Issue #199 September 2026
Fri 28 Aug 2026Featuring playwright Beth Steel, musician Jim Ghedi, photographer Alan Lodge, The Garage in Chilwell, hidden spots in Nottingham, creative opportunities, and more...