The Newport Nocturne, Shropshire’s annual floodlit cycle race, will take place on Saturday 18th August with winners rewarded in their weight in beer!
Archives for West Midlands
A free festival of brass at the Museum of Iron
The annual Ironbridge Gorge Brass Band Festival will take place on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd July, with oompah, brass and training bands playing live…
An open air performance of The Pirates of Penzance
Illyria’s 2018 outdoor theatre season is under way, so we headed to Storrs Hall Hotel in Windermere for a performance of The Pirates of Penzance…
An exhibition devoted to marvellous mechanical art
Roll up, roll up, for Compton Verney’s Marvellous Mechanical Museum, offering visitors an opportunity to see an exhibition devoted to kinetic art and automata!
Mortality and cancer are the unusual topics for art installation in Birmingham
Visual artist Charlotte Jarvis’ Et in Arcadia Ego, an unusual installation at Birmingham’s Ort Gallery, will open on Thursday 10th May, taking a look at how we view cancer and our own mortality…
A Pop-Up Opera, popping up in some unusual locations
Returning with a twist to their summer season, Pop-Up Opera will present a special Mozart double bill, popping up in unusual and unique spaces around the UK, including farms, museums, castles and festivals…
Forgotten heritage, pubs and mindfulness at Ironbridge Gorge Walking Festival
The Ironbridge Gorge Walking Festival, now in its 13th year, will take place from Saturday 5th to Sunday 13th May, with 53 walks taking in heritage, nature and pubs…
Watch the Green Man defeat the Frost Queen in Shropshire
The Clun Green Man Festival is a traditional annual event with music, drama and medieval merriment, celebrating the arrival of spring…
A story of teenage angst and survival with Yvette
China Plate presents Yvette, a one woman show about a stolen childhood and growing up with a secret, touring to Birmingham and London this May…
Celebrate the asparagus season with a festival of eccentric events
Vegetable lovers can celebrate the asparagus season with the British Asparagus Festival, running from 23rd April to 21st June in the Vale of Evesham…
Support your local indie shop on Record Store Day
This year’s Record Store Day will take place on Saturday 21st April with a whole host of events and special releases for music fans to enjoy…
Coconut puts intercultural relationships in the spotlight
Coconut, a new play based on writer Guleraana Mir’s real experience of interracial and intercultural relationships, will embark on a UK tour from this month…
Acrobats, animated sushi and a paper cinema at Flatpack 2018
A one-of-a-kind film fiesta, the critically acclaimed Flatpack Festival returns to Birmingham this spring, with everything from animated sushi and a Paper Cinema, to Swedish witchcraft and the Solihull underground…
The best Easter events for adults in 2018
That gloriously long Easter weekend is almost upon us and to help you prepare for some quirky fun, we at Contrary Life have put together a round-up of the more unusual events happening this year…
The best quirky Easter events for families
Looking for some inspiration on how to spend the Easter break? Contrary Life has compiled a round-up of alternative family friendly Easter events taking place this year, including a hunt with a difference, an inflatable park and a fun afternoon tea…