Things to do this week: Old Town Festival, Japan Fest, Plus a Sea Glass Workshop at The Guildhall!

Morning! Big one this Saturday. The Old Town Festival takes over the city centre for free, Vikings, battle re-enactments, a fire-breathing dragon, and an artisan market all in one day. Then Sunday, Japan Fest lands at the Tigers stadium with taiko drumming, J-Pop, sake tasting, a cosplay parade, and street food that alone justifies the trip.

Also this week, Derren Brown is at De Montfort Hall all week if you fancy something that'll mess with your head, and the Sea Glass Workshop at The Guildhall on Sunday is worth a look if you want a quieter kind of Sunday.

Local Scoop Leicester

WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEK?

🏰 - Old Town Festival - Free Family Festival with Battle Re-enactments, a Fire-breathing Dragon, and an Artisan Market.
📍 - City Centre
📅 - Saturday 25th April
⏰ - All Day
🎟️ - Free
📷 - @visitleicester

The Old Town Festival takes over the city centre this Saturday with battle re-enactments, Viking encampments, ancient crafts, an artisan market, and old English storytelling inspired by Beowulf. There is a fire-breathing dragon. That is not a metaphor.

Free entry all day across Jewry Wall, The Guildhall, Leicester Cathedral, the King Richard III Visitor Centre, and more. The juggling jester circus school is also happening, which is either a highlight or a warning depending on your tolerance for jugglers.

MONDAY:

Pop Up Retro Jewellery Shop - De Montfort Student's Union
10:00 AM | More Info

Art Play For Toddlers - Linwood Centre & Workshops
11:00 AM | More Info

Silent Disco Fitness - TT Fitness
7:30 PM | More Info

TUESDAY

Metal Detecting Finds Up Close - Jewry Wall Museum
10:00 AM | More Info

Resting in Peace Talk - Guildhall
2:00 PM | More Info

Bachata Tuesdays - Braunstone Frith Recreation Centre
7:00 PM | More Info

Movies In a Warehouse Donnie Darko - Fibre Studio
7:00 PM | More Info

Derren Brown Only Human (All Week) - De Montfort Hall
7:30 PM | More Info

Vinyl Club - Knighton & Clarendon Park Club
8:00 PM | More Info

THURSDAY:

Kizomba Beginners Class - The Cricketers
7:00 PM | More Info

FRIDAY:

Dreams and Surprises - Leicester Gallery
6:00 PM | More Info

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels The Musical - The Little Theatre
7:30 PM | More Info

SATURDAY:

Library Festival - Groby Library
10:00 AM | More Info

Car Boot Sale - West Gate School
10:00 AM | More Info

May The Toys Be With You Exhibition - Leicester Museum
10:00 AM | More Info

R&B vs Reggae Bottomless Brunch - 3 Little Birds
12:00 PM | More Info

The Archaeology of Tudor and Stuart - Guildhall
2:00 PM | More Info

China Crisis - 02 Academy
7:00 PM | More Info

Mehfil-E-Bahaar by Priti Kaur - Palmer Tomkinson Theatre
7:30 PM | More Info

La Gozadera Latin Party - Bar Dos Hermanos
8:00 PM | More Info

SUNDAY:

Big Record Fair - Aylestone Leisure Centre
9:00 AM | More Info

Quilters Spring Exhibition - Thorpe Astley Community Centre
10:00 AM | More Info

Children and Baby Sale - Groby Village Hall
11:30 AM | More Info

Festival2Funky - High Cross Shopping Centre
2:30 PM | More Info

The Heatwaves Soul & Motown Live - Spencers
4:00 PM | More Info

Pierre Novellie Live - The Y Theatre
7:30 PM | More Info

SCRUMPTIOUS SCOOP

🥩 - Sonrisa - Argentinian Steaks, Empanadas, Grilled Octopus, and a Sticky Toffee Pudding Done the Buenos Aires Way.
📍 - 4 St Martin's
⏰ - Mon to Thu, 12:00 PM to 11:00 PM
⏰ - Fri and Sat, 12:00 PM to 12:00 AM
⏰ - Sun, 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM
📷 - @sonrisa_restaurant

Sonrisa pulls off Argentine cooking in a way that makes you want to cancel your evening plans and stay for another round. Start with the mojo pork empanada, slow-cooked pork with charred citrus and parrilla spices wrapped in pastry, or the grilled octopus on a fire-roasted pepper risotto that has no right to be that good.

Then the steaks arrive. Flat iron, sirloin, ribeye, or if you've genuinely committed, a 1.1kg Porterhouse on the bone. Finish on the sticky toffee pudding done Buenos Aires-style with warming spices and toffee sauce, and you'll understand why people come back.

ACTIVITY ALLEY

🎌 - Japan Fest - Cosplay, Taiko, Sake, and Street Food. Someone's been practising their bow.
📍 - Leicester Tigers Welford Road Stadium
📅 - Sunday 26th April
⏰ - 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM
🎟️ - From £11
📷 - @japanfest_uk

Japan Fest is a full day of Japanese culture and it has committed entirely. Taiko drumming sets the tone early, there's live J-Pop, koto music, and a cosplay parade that will have people stopping in their tracks. Sake tasting and kimono try-ons are both happening, which is either a brilliant afternoon or a cautionary tale depending on the order you do them in.

The street food alone is worth showing up for. Takoyaki, yakisoba, gyoza, Japanese curry, onigiri, and bubble tea. There's also a voice actor appearance, bonsai displays, and a natto feature for anyone feeling genuinely brave.

FRESH EXPERIENCES

🌊 - Sea Glass Workshop - Sea Glass, Driftwood, and Paint. The Sea did the Work.📍- Leicester Guildhall
📅 - Sunday 26th April
⏰ - 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
🎟️ - £30.00
📷 - @leicestermuseums @shore_things_by_karen

Shore Things by Karen sets you up with sea glass, driftwood, and pottery shards and tells you to make framed art. No experience needed, which is the most reassuring and alarming sentence in equal measure.

Two hours, all materials included. You will leave with something on a wall and a story about how you made it.

LIVE MUSIC

FRIDAY:

• Burning Circus Live - Metal Monocle - 7:00 PM

• Oil Mellor Acoustic Night - The Dove - 8:00 PM

• Jersey Budd Live - Firebug - 8:00 PM

• Jake Jones - Black Horse - 9:00 PM

• Echoes of Obsidian - Metal Monocle - 9:00 PM

SATURDAY:

• The Bridge & Friends - Duffy's Bar - 4:00 PM

• Sam's Spring Ting - EDEN Venue - 6:00 PM

• Lees Memorial Charity Day - Metal Monocle - 7:30 PM

• Sophie Rose-Dickinson Live - Keepers Lodge - 9:00 PM

• Yasha Vibrations Sound System - Faircharm Industrial Estate - 9:00 PM

• Bollywood vs Old Skool - 2Funky Complex - 9:00 PM

• Rock Night - Duffy's Bar - 10:00 PM

THANKS!

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