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In photos: Happy birthday to The Grove!

In just a year, The Grove has become one of Nottingham's success stories: a truly independent, DIY music space with an open, supportive and inclusive ethos. Run by Dan Cunningham and Cam Worne, this is a place of hard work, joy and community. We were there to capture the vibe of their first birthday bash...

Nottingham Arena Want Your Photos As Part of Their 25th Birthday Celebrations

As Nottingham’s biggest indoor music and entertainment venue continues to celebrate 25 years of unforgettable shows and memories, they are inviting you to be part of a special celebration…

Review: Gate To Southwell Festival's 18th Birthday 2025

The charming Gate To Southwell Festival has become a LeftLion summer favourite: a vibrant, family-friendly event pushing the boundaries of roots and folk music, and only a few miles from Nottingham. We visited the festival's green fields on Saturday to help celebrate its 18th birthday...

As Motorpoint Arena celebrates its 25th birthday, we look through the stories from 25 of their seminal gigs

From Beyonce to Bieber and Dolly Parton to the Dalai Lama, Nottingham Motorpoint Arena has brought some of the world’s most famous people into our city. As the Arena celebrates its 25th birthday, we look through the stories from 25 of their seminal gigs…

Gig review: Rough Trade's 10th Birthday

Rough Trade Nottingham is 10 years old! The beloved record shop and live music venue has played vital role in our city's music culture for a decade, so we were thrilled to join their party to celebrate...

In the Swing: We Catch up with Swing Dash on Their Second Birthday

We Speak to Neal Foster About Horrible Christmas, the Festive Horrible Histories Extravaganza at the Royal Concert Hall

The origins of all things festive, banning mince pies, saving Christmas during Covid, squirting Elton John and a surprising Nottingham connection… We found out all about these things and more, from Neal Foster, Actor-Director of Birmingham Stage Company, who are bringing their 2023 tour of Horrible Christmas to Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall this month…

We Catch Up With Peggy’s Skylight as They Celebrate Their 5th Birthday

Home of Nottingham’s jazz scene, Peggy’s Skylight is celebrating its fifth birthday! We caught up with one of its founders Rachel Foster to hear about its first five years and exciting future…

We Speak to the Founder of Five Leaves Bookshop as It Celebrates Its 10th Birthday

Tucked away in Swann’s Yard behind Primark, Five Leaves Bookshop has become a vital fixture in Nottingham’s literary scene, winning the British Book Awards’ Independent Bookshop of the Year in 2018. As it celebrates its tenth birthday, we had a chat with Five Leaves’ Scottish founder and manager, Ross Bradshaw...

Ahead of One Bc’s 25th Birthday, We Speak to Co-owners Tony and Reeta Brack

Making a name for itself with its creative designs, rock ‘n’ roll attitude and memorable fashion shows, Sneinton’s bespoke clothing company, One BC, has clothed some of the world’s legendary stars, from The Rolling Stones to Pamela Anderson. Ahead of the brand’s 25th anniversary, which takes place next month, we caught up with head designer and co-owner Tony Brack, his wife, co-owner and creative director Reeta Brack, and their two dogs Skull and Bindi, to hear more about the wild, and beautifully chaotic rollercoaster ride that has been the One BC journey so far…

We Chat to Blue Monkey Brewery as They Celebrate Their 15th Birthday

With a striking name that will not leave your mind even after downing a couple of their well-crafted beers, the Blue Monkey Brewery is celebrating their fifteenth birthday this year. We spoke to Laura Beavon-Lee, sales manager at the brewery, about the brand’s legacy, future aspirations and some of their most memorable moments over the years…

We Highlight 40 Stars of Television Workshop to Celebrate Its 40th Birthday

In crazy news, Nottingham institution The Television Workshop turned forty this year. A leading light in the screen industry, the award-winning drama group has produced everyone from The Last of Us’ Ellie Williams to Line of Duty’s Kate Fleming over the past four decades. But that’s just scratching the surface. So, to go very on-the-nose, we thought we’d create a handy little sheet of, you guessed it, forty big and small screen releases that have been improved by our very own Workshop talents. Track them down, tick them off, and enjoy them all…

We Discover the Roots of Nottingham Green Festival as They Celebrate Their 30th Birthday

Nottingham Green Festival are celebrating their thirtieth outing this year (they started in 1991, but it’s a big birthday of sorts). Patrick Smith AKA VeggiesPat and Moby Farrands have been involved respectively since before, and near to its 1991 beginnings. We find out the roots of this pioneering fiesta, and why it’s so perennially popular.

We Met up With Antonio Vendone to Talk All Things Suede’s 10th Birthday

With the pizzeria’s tenth birthday celebrations approaching, we met up with Antonio Vendone at Suede Bar to take a trip down memory lane and chat about all things pizza and Nottingham, with a touch of nostalgia…

The Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust Celebrates Its 60th Birthday

On a soggy summer morning, we trundled down to the Attenborough Nature Reserve and caught up with Erin McDaid of the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust. Sat in their cafe, in the middle of a flooded gravel pit, we chatted about what came first (the reserve or David Attenborough), beavers, and their sixtieth birthday…

The Lost City Adventure Golf’s Birthday Fiesta in a Rainforest

With LeftLion turning twenty next month, we've been on the hunt for other birthday celebrations going on in Notts. It turns out our pals at The Lost City Adventure Golf is turning ten years old on Saturday 26 August. To celebrate, they’re putting on a Birthday Fiesta in their stunning rainforest venue, right in the heart of Nottingham.

LeftLion To Put Readers On 20th Birthday Cover

To celebrate our 20th birthday we’re putting together a special anniversary issue and offering readers a chance to feature on the back cover...

LeftLion Goes Carbon Neutral for Our 20th Birthday, Reducing Direct Emissions 99%

We've got some exciting news on the sustainability front...

Brass Monkey Turns 20: Manager John McDermott Shares How…

We track down the general manager of the bar that’s open ‘till the early hours seven days a week, to learn why it hasn’t run out of steam, or rum, just yet…

JT Soar's Phil Booth: "The gigs aren't here to make money for the space."

Over the past decade, an angular building in Sneinton has grown into one of the UK’s most revered DIY music spaces. JT Soar, a fruit and potato warehouse turned studio, rehearsal space and gig venue, will celebrate its tenth birthday this month, with founder Phil Booth still very much at the helm. What began in 2010 as a recording studio has slowly but surely become a DIY exemplar, boosting our city’s street cred while simultaneously providing an all-embracing platform for artists from far and wide to flourish. We stopped by for a pre-birthday brew to find out more about JT Soar’s Midas touch…

The Bodega is Celebrating Its 20th Birthday

Get the party poppers out - one of our city’s most beloved music venues is celebrating the big 2-0 this month. For two decades, The Bodega has been hosting emerging and established musicians from across the globe, as well as serving as a damn good nightclub, and boasting one of the most stellar beer gardens in town.

With a knack for hosting massive acts before they strike the big time, The Bodega occupies a special place in the hearts of locals, students and music fans alike. To honour all that’s cracked off between those hallowed walls over the past twenty years, Promotions Manager Sam Keirl and Production Manager Maddy Chamberlain rounded up some highlights from across The Bodega family – from those who pull pints of Bodega lager, to those who book the bands.