Hockley Hustle 2026

Hockley Hustle returns to Nottingham on Sunday 25 October, running from 12:00 to 23:59 across various venues in the city's independent quarter, Hockley and Sneinton. This is the 20th edition of the street music festival, which has run every October since 2006. It's run by the charity LeftLion with the help of volunteers, and it's always been a fundraiser: £14 of every £20 wristband goes to local causes. Over the years it's raised £250,000 for 27 charities, from mental health and refugee support to hospices and youth services, and this year it's chasing a £20,000 milestone for six local charities.

The day draws on the city's live scene, with genres ranging from jazz and drum & bass to soul, house, folk, hip hop, reggae and funk, alongside poetry, magic, circus and graffiti, and acts from BBC Introducing. The 70-piece UFO Orchestra will play at St Mary's Church, and Step N Groove will lead an attempt at the world's biggest R&B line-dancing flashmob on Broad Street. There's the traditional Hockley Hustle parade with samba and stilts, a music film programme and exhibition at Broadway Cinema, and a silent disco. The whole thing is spread across the independent quarter, with St Mary's Church, Broadway Cinema and Emmanuel House Support Centre among the venues involved.

Reviewers have called it 'staggeringly impressive' and an 'absolute fixture in our diary'. It's a homegrown, independent Nottingham festival that's now celebrating its 20th year. Wristbands are £25 in advance and £25 on the day, and the music and performances run from midday until midnight.