Officials say a new event could include live music and ‘create something fresh and unique’ for the city
Nottingham was urged to come together for ‘one last hurrah’ as acts including Snow Patrol, Primal Scream and Craig David took to the stage(Image: Joseph Raynor/Reach PLC)
A new summer event could be on the cards for Nottingham in 2027 after the sudden end of the city’s flagship Splendour Festival.
Whilst it is unlikely it “would replicate” the Wollaton Park festival, Nottingham City Council says the new event could include live music.
The Labour-run authority says it is exploring options for a free or low-cost event to take place at the Victoria Embankment – the site of the Riverside Festival.
The free family event – previously billed the biggest of its kind in the East Midlands – was scaled back in 2024, cancelled in 2025 and did not go ahead at all in 2026, due to the council’s budget pressures.
Meanwhile, this year’s instalment of Splendour is said to be the last, marking the festival’s end after an 18-year run.
The city council has not said the proposed new event would be similar to the Wollaton Park festival, nor has it stated it would be a return of Riverside.
But with its format currently being considered, the authority says a new festival could “create something fresh and unique” for Nottingham.
Councillor David Mellen, whose brief at the council covers culture, said: “We are currently looking at the potential format for a future free or low-cost council commissioned event on Victoria Embankment for summer 2027.
“This is part of the £25 million investment funding announced earlier this year. Splendour Festival was a commercial music event produced and delivered by DHP.
“The role of the council is not to duplicate the commercial sector when commissioning events, so it is unlikely that any event would replicate Splendour.”
Cllr Mellen added that, were the festival to include live music, the council would look to promote local artists, alongside genres “that are not normally presented commercially in the city”.
Splendour started in Wollaton Park in 2008 as a one-day event but later grew into a weekend festival, with artists such as Noel Gallagher, Madness, Manic Street Preachers, Anne-Marie and Jess Glynne topping past line-ups.
Organisers DHP – which ran the iconic festival alongside Nottingham City Council since its creation in 2008 – said “poor support” from the authority was one of the main factors for the event’s cancellation.
Other factors included the struggle to increase ticket prices whilst keeping the event accessible and a saturation of “filler events” in Nottingham, the organisers said.
The city council, however, said it was committed to ensuring Splendour was held every year until 2028 and that the axing of the Wollaton Park festival was a “commercial decision” taken by DHP.
The annual Riverside Festival was also cancelled in 2025 after the council said it would not be providing its element of the event – including the popular fireworks display – due to budget pressures.
This then triggered the Mellors Group, which provides the funfair at the festival, to also pull out of the event.
The city council has said the Riverside Festival could return in 2027, and the Mellors Group has said it will work with the authority to bring the event back.
It is not yet clear if the council’s initial ideas for a new festival would result in an adapted version of Riverside, or if a new event would be created under a new name.
The council is also investing more than £1 million for civic pride events including a Robin Hood-themed festival.
The possibility of a new summer event in Nottingham was first raised in a council meeting in July by Nottingham Independents councillor Kevin Clarke.
He had asked “what scope there is for next year’s Riverside Festival to expand into the void that Splendour’s absence will leave”.
Cllr Mellen added: “The council remains committed to supporting a vibrant programme of cheap or free events and cultural activity across Nottingham that benefits residents, visitors and local businesses, and we will continue working with all partners to ensure the city remains a fantastic place to live, work and visit.”
