Arboretum Sunsets kicked off with a weekend of folk punk headlined by Nottingham’s own Ferocious Dog on Saturday and New Model Army’s Justin Sullivan on Sunday.
The opening weekend of the intimate summer series was given a warm welcome by more than 1,000 people coming out to see some of the first live music taking place this year.
Audience member Lee said: “This gig has been absolutely amazing. I have been shielding for over a year now and this is my first time out back to gigs and I’m so emotional today and so so happy and the fact that Justin Sullivan is one of my all time favourite artists, and that this is my comeback to the gig scene, I think I’m just going to cry.”
Julian Sullivan, New Model Army, headlining Sun night, said about playing again: “You get used to things much faster than you thought you would. After the last few months, I think we’ll all be changed but we don’t quite know how yet but as for getting back to socialising and gigging and things like that, yeah, this feels normal enough to me.”
Audience member Julian said: “It’s great to be out seeing live music, the Arboretum is a great space anyway, it’s just great to be out.”
Almost 50 artists have been announced from music heroes Tony Hadley and Richard Thompson to an all-day folk event hosted by singer-songwriter Beans On Toast and Homegrown, the all dayer featuring the best of the local music scene.
As well as the music, there will be the Arboretum Beer Festival, street food festivals from Nottingham Diners Club, and regular Sunday yoga & wellness sessions presented by Sweaty Betty all taking place in the historic Arboretum Park around the natural amphitheatre surrounding the Victorian bandstand.
It comes as the 2020 Arboretum bandstand sessions were revealed to be in the running for a national Music WeekLive Music Innovation Of The Year Event/Series which the industry title launched this year to reflect and celebrate the creative breakthroughs made in live events.
The Event in Numbers
25 summer dates from 25 June to 5 September
More than 19,000 tickets up for grabs
47 playing artists made up of local and national touring acts
10 yoga events
2 comedy events
2 food festivals
1 beer festival
1 cider festival
1 bingo event
1 big music quiz
1 untold orchestra Disney event
Up to 10 new jobs
50 plus staff working at each event
Arboretum Sunsets Full Event Schedule
Friday 25th June – Opening Launch Party (free entry)
Saturday 26th June – Ferocious Dog (acoustic 4-piece)
Sunday 27th June – Justin Sullivan (New Model Army)
Friday 2nd July – Turin Brakes (acoustic)
Saturday 3rd July – Bingo Lingo
Sunday 4th July – Just The Tonic feat. Steve Royle & more
Friday 9th July – The Untold Orchestra – Disney: An Orchestral Rendition
Saturday 10th July – Eddi Reader 40th Anniversary Tour
Sunday 11th July – Arboretum Beer Festival
Friday 16th July – Sounds Familiar Music Quiz – Festival Special
Saturday 17th July – Grace Petrie
Sunday 18th July – Tony Hadley
Friday 30th July – Lucy Spraggan
Saturday 31st July – The Bootleg Beatles
Sunday 1st August – Nottingham Diners Club – The Street Food Social
Saturday 7th August – Beans on Toast’s Foolhardy Folk Festival
Sunday 8th August – Just The Tonic feat. Paul Sinha & more
Friday 13th August – Richard Thompson
Sunday 15th August – The Longest Johns
Sunday 22nd August – The Futureheads (Acoustic / A Cappella)
Friday 27th August – Kawala
Sunday 29th August – Nottingham Diners Club – The Street Food Social
Monday 30th August – Homegrown feat. Deco, Joel Baker, Catmilk + more tba
Saturday 4th December – A Cider Festival featuring Somerset scrumpy legends The Wurzels
Sunday 5th September – This Is The Kit New Kind Of Neighbourhood
+ MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED!
Photo by Michael Mills for NottinghamLIVE. See our gallery HERE
