We’re heading into some of the most busy months of the year and there is a ridiculous amount going on in Leicester and Leicestershire. Here we’re going to be telling you about some of the best things you can do over the next month or so. Make sure you keep an eye on our events calendar for the latest updates!


Marking our history

We start with the Great Central Railway, who are celebrating their 50th Anniversary as a heritage railway. Their special gala event is on 17 and 18 June and includes some rarely seen treats and surprises. Also on 17 June, the Vikings raid Bosworth Battlefield! Step back in time to an era when Vikings ruled in Leicestershire. Immerse yourself in the culture of the 11th century and learn how their influence impacted on the Midlands with the Vainburg Companye.

The 22 June is Windrush Day, and Serendipity are holding their annual Windrush Day lecture with journalist, broadcaster and academic Gary Younge. presenting insightful analysis into the construct of "Windrush" and the relationship between Britain and its colonial legacy with the Caribbean.

At Leicester Museum and Art Gallery from 30th June comes a new exhibition which tells the story of how migration and immigrants have helped to shape our NHS through photography, film, oral histories, singing and storytelling. Heart of the Nation runs from 30 June through to 29 October.


A summer of Shakespeare!

The Bard comes to Leicester with a number of different versions and retellings of his plays. First up is MacHamLear in Market Bosworth on 14th June. This outdoor production by Heartbreak Theatre as some of the finest actors (that they can afford!) make their case for why their tragedy should be performed that evening.

Another outdoor production and this time it’s the classic Romeo and Juliet being performed at Bradgate Park by the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. They invite you to experience this great play as Shakespeare first saw it, in the open air, with an all male case and Elizabethan costumes, music and dance.

At the Y Theatre from 3-8 July, the hit film Shakespeare in Love gets a full stage production. Living in the shadow of Christopher Marlowe, deserted by his muse and obstructed by writer's block, Will struggles to find the words he needs for his new epic. Can he find them?

And back to the greatest romantic tragedy, but this time with a twist. Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet is a masterful re-telling of this an ageless tale and it will be coming to the Curve Theatre, also from 3-8 July.


Family fun

It’s a circus, but not as we know it. Coming to Leicester in June is the Circus Cortex. An electric goose-bump-inducing hand clapping, foot stomping musical extravaganza. If you’re looking to relive the toys of yesteryear, then Newarke Houses Museum has just the thing. Play Time is their new exhibition and showcases the history of toys and their role in society. This is completely free and bound to send you down memory lane.

On Sunday 18 June, Leicester’s Clarendon Park hosts their annual Summer Fair on Queens Road. Running from 11am to 5pm this wonderful community fair offers more than 50 stalls selling unique gifts, art and crafts, delicious food with live entertainment throughout the day, and fairground rides for the kids.

Don’t forget that it’s Father’s Day on Sunday 18 June! The 1620s House are offering the chance to enjoy a relaxed Father’s Day picnic in the setting of their idyllic garden. There’ll be tasty sandwiches, cakes & scones plus fun garden games!

And now for something completely different, but no less fun! The 12th annual Hinckley Soapbox Derby takes place on the 9 July. This free events gives you the chance to see homemade soapbox carts steam down the 200m Castle Street hill cheered on by the crowds.


Coming soon on stage

Telling the story of 1930s burlesque star Gypsy Rose Moth, Gypsy at the Little Theatre has a fabulous score by Jules Style and lyrics from Stephen Sondheim. This fundraising production comes in collaboration with the Leicester Drama Society from 20-24 June. From the 1930s to the 1980s as The Wedding Present bring their indie rock stylings to the O2 Academy Leicester on the 23 June.

It’s time for the Edinburgh Festival, but as Leicester is one of the hotbeds of comedy there are a few comics bringing their previews and warmups to the city to test their material. Fatiha El-Ghorri, Peter Rethinasamy and Helen Bauer will be previewing their shows at the Big Difference venue on High Street on 29 June, Alex Hylton (Leicester Comedy Festival Best Show Winner) introduces a fantastic lineup of professional comedians at 45 West Comedy Club on 28 June, and out in Hinckley, Bond Street Distillery have their monthly Funhouse Comedy Club on the 28 June.

Following the success of last year's Sherlock Holmes show, 'The Casebook of Doctor Watson', Crooked Hand return with another comedic take on the Great Detective's adventures at the Guildhall from 6-8 July as they present Doctor Watson Follows Through.

Following a critically acclaimed, sell out run in London last year, RIDE launches at Curve Theatre. This multiple award-winning musical about the first woman to cycle round the world has been lauded by WhatsOnStage as a “pitch perfect production” and will be there from 7-15 July. Also at Curve and promising a different kind of fun…. Who lives in a pineapple under the sea and became the hottest star on Broadway? SpongeBob SquarePants! This is the UK premiere tour of this brilliant, bright, hilarious and brand-new musical production and is on from 11-15 July.


Festivals and food

There’s loads of festivals, including lots of foodie events happening this summer and with our new Taste the Place campaign of course we have to support them! On the 18th June, Market Harborough has a Vegan Market taking over The Square at the heart of the town with vegan street-food, artisan bakers, craft brewers, ethical jewellers, sustainable chandlers, zero-waste champions, environmental charities and more.

Also on 18 July is the Loughborough Car Show, a free event taking over the Town Centre with loads of vintage, classic and custom cars. On the 24 June is a regular new monthly event at The Gate Hangs Well in Syston, The Scoff Food Festival. Featuring local street-food vendors, delicious cocktails and The Gate Hangs Well bar. Plus kids’ rides, facepainting, stalls and DJs playing through the day.

Another new addition to the calendar is the Market Bosworth Food Festival on the 25 June which will run alongside the popular monthly farmers’ market in the nearby Market Square. There will also be a free lunchtime concert on the Parish Field in the centre of Market Bosworth. 

One of the highlights of Leicestershire’s summer calendar is The Timber Festival. Step into an incredible weekend festival of celebration, debate and reflection in the National Forest. There’s music from The Go! Team, Destroyers and Sister Wives... talks and readings from Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, writer Robin Walter and conservationist Catherine Edsell, and loads more!

From the 7-9 July it’s the Langton Brewery Summer Beer Festival, held at their premises. They promise a great beer line-up including traditional ales, lagers, modern craft beers and much more. There’s also camping available to book so you don’t have to worry about who the designated driver is.


And finally!

This one doesn’t really fit in any of our categories, but… Leicester Horror Con is coming to the Guildhall! On the 24 June they have the UK’s top horror traders in attendance, film screenings, special guests and talks from experts and stars of the genre. They’re running in collaboration with Firebug, who have an awesome range of cocktails for the event. Join the city's creepy community to meet fellow horror fans, buy merchandise and learn more about the genre we love.

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