30 ways to get your culture fix this spring
22nd March 2026
Elizabeth Watts will perform with the Britten Sinfonia at the Norfolk & Norwich Festival on 20 May
From concerts and shows to creative workshops, festivals and exhibitions aplenty, Amanda Loose shares her round-up of some of the best ways to get your culture fix this season
Face the music
SPRING CONCERT SERIES
King’s Lynn Festival’s spring concerts at King’s Lynn Town Hall continue on 27 March, with a recital by Trio Havisham, who’ve recently appeared at Wigmore Hall. A duo of trios by Haydn and Schubert will be on the programme which begins at 11am. Next up, is the festival’s inaugural cocktail concert on 9 April at 6.30pm, with saxophonist Huw Wiggin and harpist Oliver Wass. The series will conclude with a Young Musicians’ Showcase at All Saints’ Church, King’s Lynn, on 19 April from 3pm.
HARMONY IN THE COTSWOLDS
This April marks the 150th anniversary of the death of composer and organist Samuel Sebastian Wesley. Sheringham & Cromer Choral Society’s 18 April concert at Cromer Parish Church will include anthems and other selected works by him, and Elgar’s The Music Makers. From 7pm. Tickets from www.sheringhamlittletheatre.com
www.sheringhamandcromerchoral.org.uk
LA PRIMAVERA SPRING CONCERT
Norfolk musical talent, bass-baritone Jacob Harrison will perform at the Church of St Peter & St Paul Heydon on 17 April (7.15pm), accompanied by Mark Jones on piano. The programme is inspired by Botticelli’s painting ‘La Primavera’ and will include works by Schubert, Wolf, Donizetti and Verdi. Proceeds will benefit the Norfolk Churches Trust and St Peter & St Paul Church, Heydon.
www.norfolkchurchestrust.org.uk
A NIGHT AT THE MOVIE MUSICALS
Head to Sheringham Little Theatre on 25 April for an evening of songs from some of the best loved movie musicals, including Dirty Dancing, Footloose and The Wizard of Oz, with Emma Riches and Josh Marlow from 7.30pm. Sing-along and look out for a few surprises along the way!
www.sheringhamlittletheatre.com
KISS ME, KATE
East Norfolk Operatic Society’s production of Kiss Me, Kate is coming to the Maddermarket Theatre from 6 to 9 May (7.30pm nightly, plus a Saturday matinee), a musical production of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Kiss Me, Kate brings together the irreverent humour of four brilliant writers: Sam and Bella Spewack, Cole Porter and William Shakespeare in this high energy classic show.
CELEBRATING THE MUSIC OF SIR KARL JENKINS
Internationally renowned classical musicians will gather at St Nicholas Chapel, King’s Lynn on 9 May from 7.30pm, to honour the music of composer Sir Karl Jenkins, who is due to attend. The British Sinfonietta, King’s Lynn Festival Chorus and Norwich School Choir will be accompanied by musicians including cellist Adrian Bradbury and violinists Benedict Holland and Joo Yeon Sir. Expect to hear some of Sir Karl’s most celebrated works such as Cantilena from Symphonic Adiemus, Benedictus from The Armed Man, and Cantata Memoria, which was written in commemoration of the Aberfan disaster. The concert, hosted by Music in the Burnhams, will raise funds for Norfolk and Waveney Mind.
MISS SAIGON
This new production of Boublil and Schönberg’s legendary musical – presented by Michael Harrison, in association with Cameron Mackintosh – is coming to Norwich Theatre Royal from 12 to 23 May, as part of a major UK and Ireland tour. Set during the last days of the Vietnam War, 17-year-old Kim is forced to work in a Saigon bar where she meets and falls in love with an American GI, but they are separated by the fall of the city.
CELEBRATION
The Norfolk Symphony Orchestra’s concert on 17 May will feature soloist Viv McLean performing the joyful Piano Concerto No.2 composed by Shostakovich as a gift for his son. Beethoven’s groundbreaking Symphony No.3 ‘Eroica’ will follow. King’s Lynn Corn Exchange, 3.30pm.
www.kingslynncornexchange.co.uk
Festival fever
MAYFEST
The 21st North Norfolk Music Festival opens on 13 May, with a return to Holkham’s Marble Hall and a performance by the Royal College of Music’s Archie Bonham, Scott Storey and Levi Andreassen, featuring new work by Simon Rowland-Jones for the viola, piano and double bass. Six concerts will follow at The Church of Our Lady St Mary in South Creake, including the Lodestar Trio on 16 May and the Fibonacci Quartet with Levi Andreassen on double bass on 17 May, rounding off the festival. There will also be talks at the Yorke Trust Chapel in South Creake by Hermione Lee on 15 May and Edward Seckerson who will speak on the life of Leonard Bernstein on 16 May.
www.northnorfolkmusicfestival.com
NORFOLK & NORWICH FESTIVAL 2026
Over 17 days, the 2026 festival will buzz with theatre, dance, music, film, literature and visual arts. There’ll be more than 100 events, including premieres of plays and one-off concerts, world-famous orchestras and pop-ups – even the circus is coming to town in the form of Circa with their extraordinary show Wolf. Running this year from 8 to 24 May, the Norfolk & Norwich Festival was founded in 1772 and is one of the oldest arts festivals in England.
Curtain up
MATTHEW BOURNE’S THE RED SHOES
This double Olivier Award-winning ballet returns to Norwich Theatre Royal from 7 to 11 April, a captivating tale of one girl’s dream to become the greatest dancer in the world. It’s based on the film of the same name by Powell and Pressburger, and the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale, with music by Bernard Herrmann.
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
A sell-out on Broadway and in the West End, Aaron Sorkin’s award-winning stage adaptation of Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is now touring the UK and Ireland for the first time. Coming to Norwich Theatre Royal from 28 April to 2 May, this courtroom drama, set in 1930s Alabama, explores racial injustice and childhood innocence.
GOD OF CARNAGE
When two sets of parents meet to discuss a playground incident between their children, things soon unravel in this comedy of manners – and bad manners – by Yasmina Reza, at Westacre Theatre from 6 to 16 May, select dates. Directed by and starring Matt Grist with Kieran Gough, Sadie Grist and Tamsin Wheeler.
BEING MR WICKHAM
Written and performed by Adrian Lukis (who played Wickham in the BBC’s 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice), this one-hour, one-man play is coming to the Assembly Room in King’s Lynn Town Hall on 7 May at 7.30pm. Wickham is now 60 and looking back on his life. Presented by The West Norfolk Committee in aid of the King’s Trust. Tickets £45, from tracy.long@stephenson-smart.com
CLUB MISTERO
Silverstage Theatre Co are bringing this murder mystery play to Princess Theatre in Hunstanton on 8 May at 7.30pm. Set in 1920s New York, we meet a flighty barman, secretive showgirl, a neglected wife and more; all become suspects when someone is seemingly nowhere to be found. Expect glamour, glitz, suspense and a mystery worth solving.
THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS
This family-favourite rural romp is being given a modern twist and shift of setting to the North Norfolk coast. The Wind in the Willows is being adapted from the original 1908 children’s story set around the riverbanks near Toad Hall to an outdoor drama performed in the grounds of Sheringham Hall on 16 and 17 May (2pm and 5pm both days). It will see Mr Toad trying to sell off his hall and land to property developer weasels who want to turn it into a second home holiday resort.
The project – which explores the power of community and the importance of preserving nature – has been commissioned jointly by Sheringham Little Theatre and the Norfolk and Norwich Festival and has been written by playwright James McDermott.
www.sheringhamlittletheatre.com
Work it out
BOTANICAL MIXED MEDIA PRINTMAKING
Artist and printmaker Judith Handley is running this one-day experimental workshop at Norfolk Creative Arts in Grimston on 28 March, combining watercolour effects with hand-pressed linocut blocks.
A BEGINNERS’S GUIDE TO SOLVING CRYPTIC CROSSWORDS
Join Peter Moore Fuller (Bard from the Independent Crossword) at Wells Maltings on 15 April at 3pm, for the lowdown on crosswords; from different types, famous setters and how a cryptic crossword clue works to the sort of knowledge you need to solve them. Enjoy an afternoon tea, too.
FIGURING IT OUT
Norfolk-based portrait artist Rosie Phillips will be teaching a two-day portrait painting workshop at Norfolk Creative Arts on 16 and 17 May, offering an opportunity to learn Rosie’s contemporary twist on figure painting.
On the walls
IN PROXIMITY: NORWICH CASTLE OPEN ART SHOW
One of the largest open art shows ever held at Norwich Castle, ‘In Proximity’ is showcasing the work of 87 artists working in East Anglia, including sculpture, paintings, ceramics, photography and film. Its theme is experiences of closeness, to places, objects, people and other life forms, with participating artists including Maria Pavledis, Tessa Newcomb and Tor Falcon. All the works on show are available for sale, with the proceeds going to the artists and towards East Anglia Art Fund’s support for exhibitions and art education in the region. The exhibition continues until 14 June.
www.norwichcastle.norfolk.gov.uk
‘CRABBERS & WHELKERS’
Cromer Artspace on the Prom is playing host to a solo exhibition by North Norfolk artist Chris Kirby, from 26 March to 6 April. Known for his paintings of old wooden crab and whelk boats, Chris works mainly in acrylics and occasionally oils. ‘I’ve been painting boats for many years,’ he tells me, ‘but became really interested in painting Norfolk’s traditional working boats since moving to Norfolk around 13 years ago. I just love their shape and the way they were hand-crafted by generations of boat builders. I’m a friend and volunteer at Rescue Wooden Boats based in Stiffkey that renovates and maintains these old fishing boats – and promotes their part in Norfolk’s rich maritime history.’
‘WILD GEESE AND HOLLYHOCKS’
Local artist and passionate birdwatcher John Hurst celebrates the essence of the Norfolk coast in his watercolours and prints. His second exhibition of the year at NWT Cley and Salthouse Marshes Visitor Centre will run from 8 to 21 April, 10am to 4pm daily. John first visited the area in 1972 as an art student and birdwatcher, composing his very early coastal watercolours in the figurative, evocative style which is still evident in his work today.
THE GRIMSTON CREATIVE ARTS OPEN EXHIBITION 2026
Norfolk Creative Arts in Grimston is hosting its annual exhibition from 28 April to 4 May, 10am to 4pm daily. It’s a great opportunity to view a diverse range of art, from paintings to sculpture, all by talented local artists, both amateur and professional alike. All the art is for sale and there’s a cafe, too.
ARTISTS AND CRAFTS MAKERS SHOW
This showcase of work by East Anglian artists and craftspeople will take place on 3 and 4 May (10am to 5pm) at Ranworth Village Hall, raising funds for the Wherry Maud Trust, the charity which maintains and operates Maud, a traditional black-sailed trading vessel. Expect to see work in watercolours, oils and acrylics, along with craft items including wood-turned pieces, studio pottery and stained glass. Maud will be available for viewing and will be moored at the Broadland Conservation Centre at Ranworth (Norfolk Wildlife Trust).
Talk the talk
HOW AMAZING MISS SAVIDGE MOVED HER HOUSE
May Savidge saved her ancient house by moving it brick by brick, 100 miles to Wells-next-the-Sea. This story – soon to be made into a film – will be told by her niece Christine Adams at The Friends of Binham Priory’s Spring Talk on 24 April at Binham Village Memorial Hall at 7.30pm. Book via www.wellsmaltings.org.uk
AN AFTERNOON WITH PAUL MARTIN
The presenter of BBC’s Flog It! is coming to Cromer Pier’s Pavilion Theatre on 6 May, where he’ll discuss his career in TV and antiques, as well as doing a q&a session and book signing. Audience members are welcome to bring their own hand-held objects into the Pavilion Bar at 1pm for valuation and potential auction, before the talk starts at 3pm.
Step back in time
THE HERITAGE CENTRE, AYLSHAM
The centre has recently reopened for 2026, with a new exhibition about the history of Aylsham Market Place, which has been home to many businesses and notable people, and the backdrop for major events. Open until the end of November, The Heritage Centre also runs an events programme including history walks and craft sessions.
CROMER WALKING TOURS
Join Paul Dickson’s ‘George Skipper in Cromer’ walking tour on 24 April at 10.30am, to learn more about the architect’s legacy in Cromer. Skipper worked on projects in the town from the late 1880s to the 1930s and designed seven hotels, notably the Hotel De Paris, The Cliftonville and Sandcliff.
Paul’s ‘The Birth of Poppyland’ walking tour on 30 May at 11am will look at the development of Cromer as a tourist destination from the 18th century, including the story of Clement Scott and other writers who discovered the area, Victorian hotels, the pier, promenading, the impact of the railways, and more.
Family fun
CLOWNING AROUND
Bippo’s Circus Adventure is coming to Princess Theatre Hunstanton on 2 May at 2.30pm, complete with stunts (think plate spinning, juggling and more), surprises and mischievous antics from Bippo, one of the UK’s top circus clowns.
GET CREATIVE
Norwich Theare is hosting a series of creative workshops during the Easter holidays. There are two ‘play in a day’ sessions on 1 April, one in the morning for seven to 10-year-olds, and one in the afternoon for ages 11 to 15 years. Children will explore everything from movement to directing, culminating in a short, original performance. Sensory Stories for SEND, on 8 April at 10.30am, will be accessible for non-verbal children. This hour-long journey of imagination and play for ages seven to 11 years, will offer a relaxed, supportive environment, using sensory materials and props.
Check websites for timings, prices and booking requirements
