Notts Going On — Light Post Farm and Sherwood Observatory's Planetarium
Illuminated trails, a stunning barn conversion, a star-studded new venue, and more...
Hello and welcome to Notts Going On — your weekly guide with events, property, news, and more.
I’ll admit it: I’m finally starting to get into the festive spirit. Putting together our mega 2024 gift guide and visiting Belvoir Castle (see both of these below!) have all helped with this. I’m also heading to It’s in Nottingham’s Christmas Market this weekend, which is going to be a real treat.
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Notts Going On
By Eve Smallman and Sam Swain
What’s On 🗓️
Light Post Farm 👨👩👧🎄
When: Until December 22
Where: White Post Farm, Farnsfield
How much: £13.20pp, £49.50pp for a family of four
Gloworm Festival has teamed up with White Post Farm to create this enchanting walk that the whole family will enjoy. With disco balls on duck ponds, gingerbread houses, and its very own rainbow racetrack, there will be plenty to ooh and ahh over. Once you’re done, you can wander around the mini market and grab a bite to eat or a cup of hot chocolate.
Do if: You’re missing a certain illuminated trail this year and are looking for a lovely alternative.
Grayson Perry: Man Hours 🖼️
When: Until January 5
Where: Lakeside Arts, Beeston
How much: Free entry
See prints of many remarkable artworks created by the renowned contemporary artist Grayson Perry during this colourful and bold exhibition. His works chronicle everyday life’s follies, excesses, and delusions, all with his wry observations, sense of humour, and compassion. The exhibition is completely free, and once you’re done you could always walk around Highfields Park — one of the best beauty spots in Nottingham.
Do if: You’re looking for an exciting excuse to get out of the busy city centre.
25 for 25 🎶
When: November 25
Where: The Bodega, Nottingham
How much: Free entry
The iconic venue is celebrating its 25th anniversary this week, and is kicking things off with a mega evening of music. From 6pm to 10pm 25 local artists will be playing one song each downstairs at The Bodega. We recommend heading down there for the start, as there’s happy hour at the bar until 7pm every day, including £2.50 pints and £5 cocktails. If you miss this, there are other gigs at The Bodega this week for the occasion, too.
Do if: You’d like to raise a glass to a really wonderful venue in style.
Wicked Wednesday 🍿
When: November 27
Where: Broadway Cinema, Hockley
How much: £12pp
Head down to Broadway for a magical evening watching the brand new Wicked film. There are two screenings — 5pm and 7.30pm — so you can choose whichever suits your schedule. You’ll also get a bag of sweets to enjoy. A portion of the ticket cost will go to Base 51, which is hosting the event and is a youth charity in Nottingham. It will have a stand at the bar on the night from 6.45pm, where you can learn more about what it does.
Do if: You’d like to mix up your midweek entertainment with a ticket to the hottest film of the year.
Nightmare Before Schrimmas 🛼
When: November 30
Where: Lee Westwood Sports Centre, Clifton
How much: £6.42pp
Get your skates on and head down to Nottingham Roller Derby’s ultimate showdown between Halloween and Christmas this Saturday. You can expect a full day full of roller derby fun, including a rookie match and two intense games. If you haven’t been to roller derby before, it’s a fast-paced, full-contact sport played on roller skates, where each team works to help their jammer score points. Expect hard hits, dazzling moves, and a buzzing atmosphere.
Do if: You’d like to try watching a different sport — this one is seriously action-packed.
More events:
Gift Guide 🎁
Festive Fun 🎄
Looking for somewhere magical to visit over the festive period? Belvoir Castle is a 40-minute drive away from Nottingham and has so many lovely Christmassy things to see and do. You can go shopping at The Retail Village, eat afternoon tea (which was invented there!), take part in festive workshops, and walk around the castle grounds. We were kindly invited to visit it and had a lovely time doing all of that — see what we got up to on our video on Instagram and TikTok.
Hot Property 🏡
Who knew that barns could look quite this beautiful? This four-bedroom conversion in Trowell is sleek and chic, with so many gorgeous contemporary features that contrast with the original ones perfectly. Downstairs there’s an entrance lobby with fitted cloaks, an open-plan living/dining kitchen, and a plant/utility room. Head upstairs and you’ll find three double bedrooms and a principal suite that’s so glamorous (go to picture 13!). The garden is also breathtaking, with an elevated decking area made for al fresco dining. The guide price is £1.1m and it’s marketed by Fine & Country. rightmove.co.uk
News 🗞️
⭐ Stars in their eyes: The Sherwood Observatory Science Discovery Centre’s brand new Planetarium is opening today (November 25), and it looks truly spectacular. The disused underground Victorian reservoir next to the centre has been transformed into a 59-seater venue, which will showcase journeys through space with immersive shows. Planetarium project manager Steve Wallace told the West Bridgford Wire: “Our fantastic new Planetarium and Science Centre, sitting alongside our original observatory, will be a huge draw to bring people to the area and to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.” westbridgfordwire.com
🗞️ Headline news: A couple of Notts' sporting stars featured in the national press over the last week. Nottingham Forest captain Ryan Yates was interviewed by The Guardian following his recent contract extension and Forest's impressive start to the season. We particularly enjoyed the idea of Yates, who has been with Forest since 2005, announcing his new contract by donning a snorkel and swimming in the Trent. 2024 British Superbike Champion Kyle Ryde also sat down for an extended interview with Motorcycle News, talking through the ups and downs of his career, that final lap at Brands Hatch and how — despite his success — he'll always be a Jacksdale lad. It's in physical copies of MCN until Wednesday, or you can catch it on Readly if you’re subscribed. theguardian.com / gb.readly.com
⚽ Scores on the doors: Nottingham Forest had a tough return to Premier League action after the international break, losing 3-0 away to Arsenal. Forest now sit 7th in the table, with Ipswich at home to come next weekend. A 1-0 defeat against Bristol Rovers dropped Mansfield Town to 10th in League Two — although, owing to international postponements, the Stags do have games in hand. Notts County struggled to break down Newport, with a 0-0 home draw leaving them 4th. Meanwhile in ice hockey, Nottingham Panthers returned to winning ways in the Elite League, with a 3-2 overtime win over Belfast Giants before a Mitch Fossier-inspired 4-1 win over Manchester Storm.
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It is a pity that Notts Edit ignores buses and gets locations wrong. To place White Post Farm in Newark is bananas! It is on the A614 between Nottingham and A1 and served by the Sherwood Arrow bus route (2 per hour), which runs between Nottingham Victoria Centre Bus Station and Retford (1ph)/Worksop (1ph).
White Post Farm is also a lot close to the east side of Mansfield. Two bus routes run from Mansfield, both via Rainworth and Blidworth, then to 28B goes to Farnsfield and to Eakring, whilst the 29 goes to Farnsfield, Southwell and Newark. For a real family day out get on a bus, take the kids upstairs. They will love it. My kids and grandchildren did.
It’s great that Notts Edit promotes places in the county and city to visit but please do not assume that all your readers have cars. Buses, trams and trains are what a most of us rely on. Please don’t forget that.
For more details visit the excellent bustimes.org website. See also beestondestinations.substack.com for local public transport maps covering all the places accessible to and from Beeston.🐰