The National Space Centre is turning up the glitter this summer with the launch of Cosmic Dancing Queens, a brand-new ABBA‑inspired party night and the latest instalment in its fast-growing after-hours live music series. Following the sell-out success of Cosmic Country and Cosmic Emo, this much-anticipated next chapter swaps cowboy boots and eyeliner for platform boots, sequins and disco anthems, promising a high-energy night of sing-alongs, dancing and pure feel good escapis

The National Space Centre will mark 20 years of its hugely popular Star Wars event with a spectacular weekend celebration on 4–5 July, welcoming more than 100 costumed characters each day from across the iconic franchise. First launched in 2006 after collaboration with the 501st UK Garrison, the event quickly became a standout in the fan calendar. Its inaugural year featured legendary actors Kenny Baker, Dave Prowse, and Jeremy Bulloch — the faces behind R2-D2, Darth Vader, a

Great Central Railway (GCR) is introducing a new programme of Relaxed Running Days, designed to provide a calmer, more accessible heritage railway experience for visitors with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), sensory sensitivities, anxiety, and other additional needs. Launching on Thursday 18 June, the initiative will take advantage of the railway’s quieter midweek operating days to create a more predictable and supportive environment for visitors and their

With the clock ticking on applications for one of the UK’s most talked-about creative development opportunities, Community Routes, Birmingham’s Punch Records invites young artists, performers and producers to SEEN – a one-day live creative gathering offering real access, real talk, and real opportunity. Taking place on Thursday 25th June - just days before the Community Routes 2026 deadline of 29th June - SEEN: Industry Day gives Birmingham and West Midlands-based creative

Glastonbury, Somerset | 29 August to 2 September 2026 As Men’s Health Week – 15-21 June - shines a spotlight on male wellbeing, new research commissioned by The Love Festival has revealed a growing crisis of connection among gay and bisexual men, with loneliness, body image pressures and dating app fatigue emerging as some of the community’s biggest challenges. The Love Festival comes to Glastonbury, Somerset, from 29 August to 2 September 2026 as a five-day residential, co

This weekend, Leicester’s skies will be transformed as the city hosts its first-ever Balloon Festival, one of a series of major family-friendly events expected to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors to Leicester and Leicestershire. From spectacular hot air balloon displays and Star Wars adventures to giant mazes, colourful cultural celebrations and extraordinary community art installations, the county is offering families a packed programme of unique experiences throu

A group of Leicestershire cyclists have embarked on a 220-mile challenge in the hope of securing national recognition for a new long-distance cycling route that would put the county on the map for ‘bikepacking’ adventure tourism. The proposed ‘King's End’ route will link key historic sites, countryside landscapes and independent cafés across Leicester and Leicestershire, with the hope that it will be included in Cycling UK's prestigious ‘Adventure Series’ - potentially making

The National Space Centre is inviting families to embrace the unexpected this summer with the launch of its brand-new Family Film Club Secret Screening being held in in the UK's largest planetarium on Sunday 28 June 2026. Designed to appeal to children and grown-ups alike, the special morning event offers visitors the chance to enjoy a family-friendly film on the big screen in the UK’s largest planetarium; the Sir Patrick Moore Planetarium – with one important twist: nobody k

Hot on the heels of Download - the UK's biggest rock festival of 2026 - Leicestershire is underway to one of its busiest summers on record welcoming visitors to a spectacular array of major events – from medieval battlefields, world-class motorsport to one of Britain's largest wartime re-enactments. 13 major events are expected to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city and county over the coming months, cementing Leicester and Leicestershire's reputation a

Leicester’s Museum Square will once again be transformed into a vibrant hub of Caribbean joy as the Windrush Tea Party returns for another amazing celebration on Saturday 20th June. Organised by Opal22, the event takes place from 12pm to 8pm at Museum Square, New Walk, Leicester, and invites families, friends, and communities of all backgrounds to come together for an unforgettable day honouring the legacy of the Windrush Generation. With entrance operating on a ‘pay-what-you

The legend that is Queen will be blasting through the cosmos at the National Space Centre on the 29 May at Queen Heaven, an audiovisual planetarium experience dedicated to one of the most enduring bands of all time. Set beneath the vast dome of the UK’s largest planetarium, the show pairs Queen’s biggest anthems — including Bohemian Rhapsody and Who Wants To Live Forever — in a space designed to surround you with sound and atmosphere. A one-of-a-kind experience that celebrate

Grab yourself a GI and join us on the dancefloor for a jitterbug and jive, because this May the Great Central Railway is stepping straight back into the 1940s. Returning on 30–31 May 2026, the much-loved 1940s Weekend, A Celebration of Blighty, invites visitors to experience the sights, sounds and spirit of a post wartime Britain. Across the two-day event, the Great Central Railway’s period stations will be transformed into a tribute to the 1940s, with vintage trains, authent

Alex’s Wish has today unveiled the first of its showstopping vehicles set to appear at the 2026 Supercars event – led by the breathtaking LaFerrari Aperta, an ultra-rare hypercar valued at an estimated £12 million. Taking place on Sunday 31st May 2026 at Ratcliffe College (10am–3pm), the Alex’s Wish Supercars event is already shaping up to be its most spectacular yet, with the LaFerrari Aperta confirmed as the headline attraction. Launched in 2016 to celebrate Ferrari’s 70t

2Funky Arts is launching an exciting paid opportunity for artists of Black, African and Caribbean heritage to be part of their acclaimed, annual And Still I Rise Midlands tour - a production for Black History Month. Ten outstanding creatives will be selected to present powerful new work - celebrating the strength, spirit and vibrancy of Black culture. Each artist will develop an original 6–7-minute performance, exploring themes of identity, heritage and liberation. Inspired b

Leicester’s much-loved Spark Festival returns this May, transforming venues across the city into a nine-day celebration of creativity for children and families - and this year, children aren’t just taking part, they’re helping to lead the way. Running from Saturday 16 to Sunday 24 May 2026, the nine-day festival will transform schools, libraries, community spaces and venues across the city into a vibrant celebration of the arts for young people aged 0-13 with a packed program

May is shaping up to be a busy one at the National Space Centre - and not in a “quiet wander around the exhibits” kind of way. Think toddlers discovering space for the first time, sensory-friendly afternoons, pirates taking over the planetarium, a real-life astronaut and Queen blasting through the cosmos - all within a few short weeks. The month kicks off on 1 May with Small Space Days, a gentle introduction to space for the Centre’s youngest explorers. Designed for early yea

Glastonbury, Somerset | 29 August – 2 September 2026 A new chapter begins in one of Britain’s most mythical landscapes, as The Love Festival comes to Glastonbury in 2026 under the stewardship of leading tantra practitioners Richie Moore and Joey Tabone - reimagined as a powerful, consent-led retreat for connection, self-discovery and community among men who love men and rebranded as The Love Festival. Set within the ancient heartland of Avalon , where myth, ritual and lands

Experience the roar of classic diesel power at the Great Central Railway’s Spring Diesel Gala, taking place from Friday 24 to Sunday 26 April 2026. Running along the UK’s only preserved double-track main line, this three‑day celebration promises an intensive timetable of frequent services and a stunning line‑up of both home fleet and visiting diesel locomotives. Against the backdrop of the blossoming Charnwood countryside, visitors will see an impressive selection of diesel t

Experience the roar of classic diesel power at the Great Central Railway’s Spring Diesel Gala, taking place from Friday 24 to Sunday 26 April 2026. Running along the UK’s only preserved double-track main line, this three‑day celebration promises an intensive timetable of frequent services and a stunning line‑up of both home fleet and visiting diesel locomotives. Against the backdrop of the blossoming Charnwood countryside, visitors will see an impressive selection of diesel t

The Great Central Railway is inviting families to hop aboard this Easter for a weekend of heritage rail travel and seasonal fun, headlined by a railway-wide Easter Egg Hunt. The award-winning railway – recently named Best Day Out at the Leicestershire Tourism Awards – will host the Great Central Easter Egg Hunt from Saturday 4 to Monday 6 April , transforming the line’s four heritage stations into a colourful adventure trail for young explorers and their families. Visitors ca