Nottingham – a Rock City
Nottingham has long been a thriving live events destination , bolstered by its many vibrant gig venues and its inhabitants ’ insatiable appetite for live music and sport . Access explores how the city is preparing to emerge from the pandemic .
Words : Joe Gallop
Prior to the pandemic , Nottingham ’ s events scene had been growing steadily and , as the impact of Covid-19 recedes , that expansion is expected to continue , as illustrated by the launch this summer of the Meadowlands Festival – a new event series at Victoria Embankment .
The East Midlands city , a hotbed of grassroots musical talent , offers a selection of outdoor spaces such as the spectacular home of Splendour Festival ( 25,000 ), Wollaton Park , along with legendary indoor venue Rock City ( 2,000 ) and Motorpoint Arena ( 10,000 ) – the largest indoor venue in the city , which is preparing to host major shows again in Q1 .
Key to the Nottingham events infrastructure are a handful of notable locally based promoters including DHP Family and the UK branch of Pan-European live events promoter FKP Scorpio , as well as ticketing companies See Tickets and Gigantic .
The city is also home to its fair share of sporting action . As well as boasting two of the oldest professional clubs in European football – Nottingham Forest and
Notts County , who play at the City Ground ( 30,000 ) and Meadow Lane ( 20,000 ) respectively , the city also has Trent Bridge cricket ground ( 17,500 ), two horse-racing tracks and Motorpoint ’ s adjoining arena , the National Ice Centre ( 7,500 ).
Promoters Festival operator , promoter and multi-venue owner DHP Family grew out of the acclaimed Rock City venue in the heart of the city centre . The venue , famed for hosting up-and-coming bands , student gigs and club nights , was founded in 1980 by George Akins senior – the father of DHP CEO George Akins . Forty years after the venue opened with an Undertones gig , the 2,000-capacity venue was supposed to celebrate its birthday in 2020 with shows and parties lined up , but these were sadly struck down by Covid . DHP director of live Anton Lockwood says there is plenty to look forward to this year with the promoter ’ s Splendour Festival , which was rolled over from 2021 and will take place at Wollaton Park in July . The festival was founded in 2008 by DHP in conjunction with the council with the aim of introducing an annual family friendly festival that would host high-profile acts , following years of memorable but “ inconsistent ” shows at the park .
Last year , DHP , which also owns three venues in London , received just under £ 1m through the Government ’ s Cultural Recovery Fund – a sum that Lockwood says “ disappeared almost instantly ” due to cancellations . While Splendour did not apply to be a test event like other festivals such as Tramlines , DHP introduced
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