Here’s our pick of the best events coming in February across the destinations and attractions we work with. Most events require booking in advance. As ever, please check individual websites for the latest updates.
HULL
The Hull Vigil
Queens Gardens,
Until 3 May 2022
www.thehullvigil.co.uk/blog/
On 3 May 2021, a year-long vigil began in Hull with the UK premiere of a monumental performance telling the story of a city coming back to life. Every day for a year, at sunrise and sunset, a vigil will keep watch over Hull from a bespoke structure located on top of the Hull College building. Over the course of one year, 730 people will contribute to the collective vigil – a 365 day silent and peaceful performance – to watch over the city. While places are now fully booked, there’s a chance to share in the excitement, and the experience, on the Vigil blog.
Worlds Apart, Aristotle Roufanis
87 Gallery
Until 26 March 2022
Free, but must be booked in advance
https://87gallery.co.uk
87 Gallery, which supports artists to explore, make and show new work, has brought an immersive new media exhibition entitled ‘Worlds Apart’ by artist Aristotle Roufanis to Hull. Visual artist Roufanis, based between Athens and London, focuses on patterns, textures and human interactions defined by the condition of urban life and architecture. Relying heavily on his knowledge of emergent digital processes and engineering, the installation responds to aspects of real time, such as daily weather conditions and news headlines, making each day of the exhibition a unique experience.
Extinction – The history of life on Earth
The Deep
12 – 27 February 2022
Admission: £13 – £16.50, must be pre booked
Dive in deeper this half term and explore ‘Extinction’ and the history of life on Earth. Take a trip down the timeline and take a closer look at the history and development of life in the oceans within the Awakening Seas. Among treats are opportunities to hatch dinosaur eggs; use palaeontology skills to identify species; and witness the eruption of a Volcano with the use of some clever science.
Trinity Live
Trinity Market
24 February 2022
Free
Located in Hull’s Old Town, Trinity Market is home to Hull’s thriving street food scene housed in an indoor market hall dating back more than a century. As well as stalls and popular foodie spots, Trinity Market also hosts regular daytime and nighttime events, including live music and pop-up markets. Trinity Live is back each Thursday evening, featuring live music provided by up-and-coming acts.
EAST YORKSHIRE
The Odyssey’: Chapter One: ‘The Gathering Storm’
Bridlington
Free to access
A free to access geolocation trail telling the first chapter of a newly reimagined version of Homer’s classic tales of the Trojan Wars, set across the Yorkshire coastline. This version of the story leads you on a gentle walk past points of interest in Bridlington’s and the audio trail features the voices of performers, and original works by composers, from along the Yorkshire Coast. The first episode – ‘The Gathering Storm’ tells of how the Trojan wars began and introduces many of the major characters in the tale. There are also trails covering Hornsea and Withernsea.
Stage 4 Beverley’s Winter Festival
Beverley
13 – 20 February 2022
Various prices, see website for details
https://stage4beverley.com
The Stage 4 Festival, now in its 6th year, returns to its home at East Riding Theatre with a full programme of events including folk music, workshops, spoken word and poetry, some taking place at the Monk’s Walk Pub in Highgate and Cafe Velo in North Bar Within. This year’s Festival kicks off with a poetry workshop and the Festival Curtain Raiser at Cafe Velo and then includes readings from Poet Laureate Simon Armitage and Andy Blackford, music from Jon Boden, Siobham Miller, the New York Brass Band, while the ever-popular Late Night Festival Clubs throughout the week.
Fantastic Beasts
RSPB Bempton Cliffs
12-27 February 2022
https://events.rspb.org.uk/bemptoncliffs
Bempton Cliffs, on the spectacular East Yorkshire coast, is home to one of the UK’s top wildlife spectacles when around half a million seabirds gather there between March and October to raise a family on towering chalk cliffs, but there is plenty more to see the rest of the year too. And for February half term, beasts of a very different nature are taking over the reserve. A hoard of magical beasts has escaped and are hiding in with the wild creatures of Bempton Cliffs. Solve all the puzzles to find all eight magical creatures
DERBY
Future Focus
Derby QUAD & Cinema
Until 27th February 2022
Free
The Future Focus programme, launched in 2001, supports early career artists and this year’s programme is aimed at graduates from UK based BA Degree courses who graduated during the Covid-19 pandemic, but were limited in opportunities to show their work. Twenty five artists were selected for the final shortlist, seven will have their work exhibited in QUAD Gallery, while the remaining 18 artists, all highly commended, will have their work shown on the QUAD Resource Area Big Screen.
Cabaret Mechanical Theatre
Museum of Making at Derby
Until 13th March 2022
Tickets: £4.50 adults, Under 16s free
www.derbymuseums.org
Since 1979 Cabaret Mechanical Theatre (CMT) has played an integral role in the revival of automata and supported a growing number of automata makers. Its visually stunning art, science and engineering exhibitions have been seen by millions of people worldwide. Now CMT has brought 30 automata from the collection to the Museum of Making, made by 12 contemporary artists. Marvel at the ingenious mechanisms, get inspired to make your own automata, and learn more about this art form.
Derby Vegan Market
Cathedral Green Derby
26th February 2022
The Derby Vegan Market is back and once again takes over Cathedral Green, in the heart of the city and right next to the Museum of Making. The event brings together a huge variety of vegan street food, artisan bakers, craft brewers, ethical jewellers, sustainable chandlers, local artists, zero-waste champions, and environmental charities.
Half Term Trail: Nature Champion
Derby Museum & Art Gallery
19 – 27 February 2022
£1 per child
This February half term find out about Pangolins to mark World Pangolin Day on Saturday 19 February. These beautiful creatures are the most trafficked mammals in the world. Use your expert skills of observation to find out more about these shy animals as you journey around the museum, writing down your observations as you go. Complete your field notes to become a nature champion and win a prize.
LEGO Mazes Half Term Drop In
Derby QUAD & Cinema
25 February 2022
Free
QUADs Digital Artist in residence, Soa Hwang, is a British-Korean transmedia artist based in London whose work utilises a video game engine as a hybrid tool to paint different perspectives on time, memory, and experience. In this drop-in session, visitors have the chance to try out some interactive mazes and have a first-ever test play of the artist’s work-in-progress and explore a 3D maze in a virtual world.
LINCOLNSHIRE
Luke Jerram’s Museum of the Moon
Lincoln Cathedral
7-27 February 2022
Admission: £9 adults, £4.80 children (5-16 years)
Experience the majesty of the moon, suspended beneath the central tower of Lincoln Cathedral. After travelling around the globe, The Museum of the Moon will be soaring into Lincoln Cathedral this February. The Cathedral will provide a spectacular backdrop for Luke Jerram’s stunning installation which measures seven metres in diameter and features 120dpi detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface. Visit the moon as part of the admission fee and look more special events are also planned, including talks, concerts, and educational activities.
Lincoln Family Festival of Fun
12-20 February 2022
Throughout the February half term, Lincoln will be hosting a fun-filled family festival with activities taking place across the city. Among highlights will be Anyone for tennis? (Saturday 12) which will see Wimbledon come to Lincoln with a tennis match with a difference, where audience members will get the chance to play the parts of the challenger, ball boys and girls, physiotherapists. Meanwhile, Liver Cottage (Sunday 13 February) has comedy chefs – Hugh Fearn and Lee Whittingstall – presenting a cookery demonstration like no other, with their mobile kitchen garden moving through the crowd.
Lambing Live
Rand Farm Park
12-20 February 2022
Admission: £12.95 adult, £12.95 child (2 & over)
https://randfarmpark.com/lambing-live/
After two years and several lockdowns… Lambing Season is returning to Rand Farm Park! Between the 12 – 20 February the team will be expecting their main flock of ewes from the farm to lamb. Each ewe will be closely monitored to watch for signs of labour and visitors are invited to join them!
Little Love Park Trail
Lincolnshire Wildlife Park
Near Boston
12-20 February 2022
Admission: £13.95 adult (16 – 59), £10.50 child (3-15 years), under 3 free,
Visit the award-winning Lincolnshire Wildlife Park during February half-term and join in the ‘Little Loves’ park trail. Love will be in the air with the trail’s Valentines theme, and the whole family can get involved to find clues around the park.
STAFFORDSHIRE
New Life on the Farm
National Forest Adventure Farm
19 – 27 February 2022
Admission: £13.99, must be pre-booked
This February half term meet the new arrivals at the Adventure Farm including piglets, chicks and goat kids. Also help bottle feed lambs and potentially see a lamb being born in the Lambing Live Tent. Also, help Farmer Fogg with a range of farm themed indoor activities including making a scarecrow, planting seeds, milking a cow, lambing a sheep, rebuilding the tractor and more! There are also indoor and outdoor play areas.
Castle Artisan Market
The Stones, High Street, Newcastle-Under-Lyme
20 Feb 2022
https://bit.ly/3H5cWy6
Artisan Markets are held on the third Sunday of each month in the historic market town of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire. Celebrating the best local makers, bakers and creators, plus a mix of live music and street food too.
February Half Term – Llama-rama
Museum of Cannock Chase
23 Feb 2022
Cost £5 per child
https://bit.ly/3AtxRZ6
It’s a llama-rama palaver at the Museum of Cannock Chase in Staffordshire, with the chance to make woolly llama inspired crafts this half term. Weave a woolly coat and decorate it with pom poms and make other llama themed crafts.
Life, Clay and Everything by Keith Brymer Jones
Newcastle Common, Newcastle-under-Lyme
5 – 26 February 2022
Free
https://bit.ly/33RQl9N
Each Sunday the nation is glued to TV screens to see what new creation from budding potters will make Keith Brymer Jones cry on The Great Pottery Throw Down. Now the master potter’s works are set to make their own appearance in the Potteries as Life, Clay and Everything takes over Appetite’s Newcastle Common space throughout February. In his first exhibition of this kind, Keith Brymer Jones celebrates his life work in the exhibition, which will be open to visitors Tuesdays to Saturdays from 11am to 4pm.
STOKE-ON-TRENT
Roll Up! February Half Term Activities
Trentham Estate
19- 27 Feb 2022
Costs: Garden activities included in garden admission, check website for details
https://bit.ly/3o0JYaX
Roll up, roll up! Circus themed fun is coming to the Shopping Village and Gardens this February half term. Look out for circus performers in the Shopping Village (19 and 20) when the circus comes to town, while in the gardens join the Circus on the special garden trail (19-27 February). Put your performance skills to the test from adventure play challenges to spotting a fairy’s aerial skills, complete all the activities on the trail to collect a circus certificate at the end. There will be more fun, including plate spinning and juggling, at the circus skills workshop.
Trentham Makers Market
Trentham Estate
19 Feb 2022
Free
https://bit.ly/3AyTWFr
The Makers Market is back at Trentham Shopping Village showcasing award-winning local food & drink, art, craft producers, and vintage artisans. As well as being able to stroll around the market it will also give shoppers the opportunity to meet the makers and sample some of the delights on offer.
Titanic: Honour and Glory
Potteries Museum & Art Gallery
19 Feb – 1 May 2022
Tickets £5, Concessions £3, Friends and under 16’s free
https://bit.ly/32Gysu4
This poignant and emotive exhibition explores the legacy of the world’s most famous ship and includes genuine artefacts from the Titanic and her sister ships and memorabilia from the 1997 James Cameron movie. Objects include beautiful fine china dinner plates, personal belongings of Titanic’s passengers and crew and a recreation of a Third-Class cabin. The exhibition will also feature the accounts of Staffordshire personnel connected to the ill-fated liner, including Stoke-on-Trent born Captain Edward John Smith and Mr Leonard Hodgkinson, Senior 4th Engineer on board Titanic.
HAMPSHIRE
Chinese New Year Southampton 2022
Southampton Guildhall Square
6 Feb 2022
Chinese New Year celebrations return to Southampton’s city centre to usher in Chinese New Year 2022, Year of the Tiger. The CNY 2022 program invites one-and-all to rejuvenate and recharge their energies by celebrating wellness of mind, body, and spirit. There will be fun activities to promote mental health and wellbeing, colourful parades, and inspiring performances by dazzling artists.
Bushcraft: Pancake Cooking Around the Fire
Sir Harold Hillier Gardens
25 February 2022
Normal garden admission applies: £15 per session (1 adult & 1 child). Booking is essential
https://bit.ly/3nXqkwB
Come and celebrate pancake day by cooking your own tasty treats around the campfire. Suitable for accompanied children aged 4-12 years.
Winter Bulbs and Flowers
Sir Harold Hillier Gardens
26-27 February 2022
Free but garden admission fees apply, booking essential
https://bit.ly/3r1aLWI
A beautiful array of winter bulbs and flowers will be on display in all their glory, including a collection of rare Japanese Hepatica and Snowdrops (depending on flowering times).
Science Chefs
Winchester Science Centre
Weekends and school holidays throughout February
Admission: £12 adults and children (3-18 years old), 2 years and under free. Must be booked in advance
https://bit.ly/3FZVw4A
Winchester Science Centre and Planetarium is looking forward to celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2022 and will be taking its visitors on a trip down memory lane to enjoy some of its best show themes and demos – all with a retro twist. First up, it’s “Science Chefs”, and the explosive chemical reactions that they bring with them. Set to run through to 13 March, it will be followed by other retro events throughout the year ahead.
Owls By Moonlight
The Hawk Conservancy Trust
12, 19, 26 February 2022
Tickets: adults £35, children £21 (includes a 10% voluntary donation to the Trust
Step into the wonderful world of owls with the Hawk Conservancy Trust. Watch these mystical birds twist and turn through the night sky and make sure you duck as they skim silently over the top of your head. Starting with a hot supper served on covered seating, the special evening will include two different flying displays in the Woodland and Savannah arenas, plus a chance to explore parts of the grounds to meet some of the other owls and hear more about the conservation and research projects undertaken with British owls.
