Some of the county’s  talented young artists are set to take to the stage for the first-ever Nottinghamshire Day festival on Saturday, 27th August, from 11am-8pm.

Continuing the celebrations for the second-ever Nottinghamshire Day on Thursday, 25th August – when there will be a civic event at Newark Castle –  the festival, led by Nottinghamshire County Council working with partners, will revel in all things Notts and take place near the Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre, Edwinstowe.

Hosted and headlined by local soul and R&B star Rob Green,  the line-up will include 15 acts – all hailing from Notts – featuring everything from indie music to Indian classical, from afro-pop to acoustic sets.

Rob, who also hosts his own show on BBC Radio Nottingham, said: “Every show I ever do I always make a point of letting people know I’m from Notts.

“I’m so proud to be from such a creative county. Spending an entire day celebrating the people who make it such a artistically rich place to live, hosting the stage and headlining the festival is such an honour.  I just know is going to be so inspiring for us all.

“It’s going to be so exciting to be able to get together and celebrate our community in all its diversity and creative richness. I am buzzing.!”

The free event will have plenty of family-friendly activities, including Robin Hood and Marian and their band of outlaws, who’ll do battle against the Sheriff and Prince John in a two-part combat show ‘Lionheart’.

There’ll also be a chance to experience their medieval camp and try out axe throwing, crossbow shooting and catapulting,  courtesy of the Sherwood Outlaws in partnership with the team from Notts Outdoors, the council’s outdoor and environmental education service.

Festival-goers will be greeted by two horses, Eclipse and Galahad. There’ll also be pony rides available, all courtesy  of the Sherwood Outlaws.

Football lovers will have  chance to have a selfie with the European Cup, which  Nottingham Forest famously lifted twice in 1979 and 1980. Members of the  Nottingham Forest Community Trust will also be on hand to talk about their work.

Robin Hood will also come  to life at the event as part of the world-first 5G Connected Forest research, which is led by the county council, working with academic researchers and local businesses to boost tourism and the environment.

Visitors will get a chance to try out one of the world’s first interactive holographic movies, starring the legend himself, using multi-media headsets.

The project also includes the UK’s first forest-protecting  robot dog, Gizmo, who will  also be on display.

Council leader Ben Bradley MP said: “We are very proud to be holding  the first-ever Nottinghamshire Day Festival to showcase some of the best things about our county. This includes great music,  fascinating history, world-famous legends, top sport teams  and a  reputation for being  pioneers in technology and science.

“Everyone is welcome and will be great way to kick-start the bank holiday weekend.

“Last year #NottsDay trended across social media  and we promised 2022’s celebrations would be bigger and better and form part of a milestone year of feel-good events.

“This has already included  the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations last month and we still have the Tour of Britain cycle race, the UK’s  biggest free-to-attend sporting event, coming  to the county on 8 September.”

Working with our partners RSPB, which manages the Sherwood Forest  National Nature Reserve  on behalf of the county council, this event coincides with the return of the much-loved Robin Hood Festival.

Nottinghamshire County Council is working with the Inspire Culture Learning and Libraries’ Youth Arts team to help bring this incredible musical line-up to the stage.

Inspire Youth Arts has worked with a number of the these artists as part of their record label eNGine Room, and on other projects, mentoring them with song writing, music production and recording, performance opportunities and promotional activities, to help them develop as professional artists within the industry.

Other festival highlights will include replica ice age artefacts from Creswell Crags and displays from the National Civil War Centre to showcase  the many aspects of the county’s history.

For the full line and more details go to: Nottinghamshire Day Festival | Nottinghamshire County Council