What's On in Nottingham This Weekend

Mania U18 x Shutdown: Nottingham Halloween W/ CHAD HARRISON — Halloween belongs to everyone, and Secret Vault Nottingham is making sure the under-18s get a proper night to remember. Chad Harrison headlines what promises to be a high-energy, fancy-dress-fuelled Halloween party in one of the city's most atmospheric underground venues. Doors open at 5:00pm, tickets are £12–£15, and it is the kind of event that will have teenagers talking about it for months.

Tim Burton's Universe by Mystery Ensemble — Imagine the swooping, gothic grandeur of Danny Elfman's most iconic film scores echoing around the soaring stonework of St Mary's Church — that is exactly what Mystery Ensemble are delivering tonight at 7:00pm. From Edward Scissorhands to Beetlejuice, this is a concert that wraps cinema, Halloween atmosphere, and live orchestral brilliance into one unforgettable package. Tickets are £22–£37, and honestly, there is no more perfect venue in Nottingham for a night like this.

Funhouse Comedy Club - Comedy Night — If you would rather spend Halloween crying with laughter than cowering in a corner, Funhouse Comedy Club at The Garage Chilwell has you covered. A reliable and beloved fixture on the East Midlands comedy circuit, Funhouse consistently delivers a cracking lineup of live stand-up in a venue where the atmosphere is genuinely warm and unpretentious. Kick off at 8:00pm for just £15 — it is one of the best value nights out the city has to offer.

The Jim Hammond Trio - Live @ Billy's — For those who want live music without the fanfare, Billy Bootleggers Nottingham is hosting the Jim Hammond Trio from 8:00pm for just £0–£2 on the door — as close to free as a Friday night gets. Expect jazz-inflected grooves in one of Nottingham's most characterful bars, the kind of intimate set where you can actually feel the music rather than just hear it. A hidden gem of an evening that rewards those willing to look beyond the obvious.

Square One Halloween: KANINE, DELTA HEAVY +more — The Nest is one of Nottingham's finest clubs, and for Halloween it is welcoming Delta Heavy and Kanine to deliver a bass-heavy, bone-rattling night that kicks off at 6:00pm and runs deep into the small hours. Delta Heavy are a genuine force in drum and bass, and catching them in a room this size is a rare treat. Tickets are £7–£24, so grab the early bird end if you can and make a full night of it.

Cirque Du Soul: Nottingham // Halloween Special — Cirque Du Soul has built a devoted following across the UK for blending house music, theatrical production, and pure dancefloor euphoria into something genuinely unlike your average club night. The Palais Nottingham opens its doors at 10:00pm for a Halloween Special that promises bold visuals, immaculate sound, and a crowd that comes dressed to impress. At £18–£20, it sits at the sweeter end of late-night pricing for an experience that consistently over-delivers.

Detonate Halloween: KINGS OF THE ROLLERS + More! — If drum and bass is your religion, Unit 13 is your church tonight. Kings of the Rollers — one of the most electrifying acts in the genre — headline what promises to be an absolutely ferocious Halloween rave starting at 4:00pm, giving you a gloriously long night of rolling basslines and sweat-drenched euphoria. At £15–£20, it is outrageously good value for a Detonate event, and this one will be talked about for months.

Red Dog's Bottomless Country Brunch — Kick off your Halloween Saturday with a stetson, a stack of Southern comfort food, and all the drinks you can handle at the Red Dog Saloon from 2:00pm. This bottomless country brunch is the kind of afternoon that turns into an evening before you even notice, set against the warm, wood-panelled atmosphere of one of Nottingham's most characterful venues. At £40–£46, it is a proper occasion — treat yourself, bring your best people, and let Nashville come to you.

Tharun Chelley and Hitz UnadkatHairy Indian Bikers Without Bikes — The title alone should be enough to get you through the door: two sharp, funny performers with a concept that sounds utterly ridiculous and probably brilliant, taking to the Canalhouse Bar stage at 12:45pm for just £7. Midday comedy on Halloween weekend is exactly the kind of left-field treat that makes a Saturday feel properly special, and the canal-side venue is one of the most relaxed spots in the city to settle in with a drink and let yourself laugh.

Afta Dark (Nottingham) - Halloween w/ Mason Talbot & Emily Nash — Tucked inside the Secret Vault and kicking off at 10:30pm, Afta Dark is the kind of night that rewards those willing to venture somewhere a little unexpected. Mason Talbot and Emily Nash bring serious credibility to what should be a dark, immersive, and deeply groovy Halloween set in one of Nottingham's most atmospheric underground spaces. Entry is £8–£15, and that combination of price, setting, and quality lineup makes it one of the most compelling tickets of the evening.

White Beat - Live @ Billy's — For the early risers and the live music purists, White Beat take to the stage at Billy Bootleggers Nottingham from 2:00pm, and with entry costing just £0–£2, there is really no excuse not to pop in. Billy's has a fantastic reputation for giving live acts a genuinely warm and unpretentious home, and this is the kind of loose, lively afternoon gig where you show up for one song and stay for the whole set.

Armand Van Helden @ Rock City Nottingham - Sat 31st October — A genuine house music legend descends on Rock City at 1:00pm, and if you need reminding why Armand Van Helden matters, just play 'You Don't Know Me' and watch the room transform. Rock City is one of the UK's most iconic live music and club venues, and seeing a DJ of this calibre in that room on Halloween is a genuinely rare treat. Tickets run from £20–£40 — absolutely worth every penny for a name that has shaped dancefloors for over three decades.

Nottingham Comedy Festival Spotlight Showcase: LGBTQIA+ — Kick off your Sunday afternoon at Saltbox with this joyful, celebratory showcase shining a spotlight on LGBTQIA+ voices in comedy. Expect a lineup of sharp, personal, and genuinely funny perspectives that feel both timely and timeless — the kind of show that leaves you feeling warm as well as thoroughly entertained. At just £12 from 2:00pm, it's one of the most inviting ways to spend an early Sunday afternoon in the city.

Luke Harrower: An Asexual Guide On Love — For just £5 at 4:00pm in the Canalhouse Bar, Luke Harrower brings a fresh, funny, and genuinely rare perspective to the comedy stage — navigating love, connection, and identity from an asexual point of view. It's the kind of show that broadens your horizons while making you laugh out loud, and at that price it's practically a no-brainer. Grab a drink, pull up a stool, and let Luke make you see romance in a completely new light.

Chloe Petts: Work in Progress — Chloe Petts is one of the most exciting and distinctive voices in British comedy right now, and catching her in a work-in-progress setting at the Canalhouse Bar at 5:15pm means you're in on the ground floor of something special. These intimate WIP shows have a crackle and spontaneity that polished tours simply can't replicate — ideas tested live, tangents explored, and the audience genuinely part of the process. At £15, it's an evening you'll be telling people about.

Comedy Spotlight Showcase: Disability/Neurodiversity — Over at Saltbox at 7:00pm, this second Spotlight Showcase of the day hands the mic to comedians whose experiences of disability and neurodiversity are too rarely centred on the mainstream stage. It's bold, necessary, and — most importantly — brilliantly funny, because great comedy has always come from telling the truth about your own life. Tickets are £12 and the evening promises to be as thought-provoking as it is entertaining.

Kevin Bridges: Here If You Need Me — The big one. Kevin Bridges rolls into the Motorpoint Arena at 8:00pm with his headline tour, and if you've ever seen him live you already know this is an unmissable night — and if you haven't, now is absolutely the time. Bridges has a rare gift for finding the profound inside the hilarious, spinning everyday life into storytelling that fills arenas and still feels like he's talking directly to you. Check the website for tickets and do not sleep on this one.

BILLY'S SMASH HITS - Every Sunday Night — When the comedians have taken their bows and the night is still young enough to keep going, Billy Bootleggers on Nottingham's Lace Market strip throws open its doors at 11:00pm for its beloved weekly Smash Hits night. Think floor-filling anthems, a crowd that absolutely knows every word, and that glorious end-of-weekend energy where nobody wants Sunday to be over just yet. Check the website for entry details and bring your dancing shoes.