Thousands of people came to Green Hustle in Nottingham taking home plenty of inspiration from the festival which aims to provide all the essentials for a free day out.
One of the star attractions saw the iconic Left Lion that sits proudly in front of the Council House in Old Market Square decked out in woven greenery for the day. There’s still a chance to see the newly famous Green Lion in Hockley and meet the textile artist April McCarthy behind the artpiece.
April, of Grievous Bodily Yarn, said:
“Knitting the Nottingham famous Left Lion was an amazing project, as well as being quite a big challenge. I made the lion look like a knitted / crochet topiary hedge version. It took about 6 weeks to make, but most of it was made in the last 2 weeks, when the sheer scale of the piece really hit home! (Btw, if you haven’t seen the lion, it’s massive).
“It was really fun to make because it was like a big crochet puzzle, and working it all out little by little to see it grow into something really cool. It was such a challenge, but so rewarding to see it finished. I actually didn’t even know what it was going to look like until the day of the festival. So many people came up to me to say how good it looked and were shocked that I just made it myself! All my friends and family have been so proud!
“The King of Nottingham (famous for sitting on the lion every day, dressed as royalty. Everyone in Nottingham knows him as the King) sat on it all day, and he approved of the makeover, so I was really happy about that too!”
It will be viewable from Saturday 20th June, for more info on the Hockley venue where it will be on show and access information follow @grievousbodilyyarn and @greenhustlefest (Instagram) where an announcement will be made shortly
The festival delivered a day of positive action and community inclusion with more than 110 organisations coming together to sow the seeds of living well.
More than 1,000 meals were served by Shifting Your Mindset at the ‘pay-what-you-can’ community kitchen, eaten together on the communal dining tables while 570 free books were given away at Experian’s Library of No Returns.
The 350 trees featured in the immersive Pop-up Forest have already been planted out at the Aspley People’s Forest project beside new log seating at King George V Playing Fields, adding to 10,000 planted across the city by Green Hustle CIC via local volunteers.
220 school students engaged in the Rooted poetry anthology project. The project also includes an open poetry competition for young people closing on July 31. The winning poem will be transformed into a mural in Nottingham city centre, adding to many created for the festival in collaboration with Art Fest Nottingham.
These were just some of the 110 activities ranging from sport tasters to live art, slow fashion catwalk, puppetry, city gardening, guided walks, creative streets, volunteering opportunities, help with literacy, money and home energy, and so much more.
Green Hustle sponsor and Savoy Systems owner Patrick Hort re-opened the small cinema (formerly Screen 22, and before that The Screen Room) in his Hockley office as ‘Mammoth – A Climate Action Cinema’ to help raise awareness and to use the story-telling power of film to inspire conversations and action.
Patrick said:
“The presence of Green Hustle in the square is instrumental in bringing everyday folk face-to-face with the opportunities that we have to forge a just, sustainable, community-led future here in Nottingham and beyond.”
Mammoth is showing a film every day followed by a discussion, for Great Big Green Week (6-14 June) with tickets available now.
Green Hustle organiser Adam Pickering said:
“We’re so pleased with how our ‘Sow Good’ themed 2026 festival blossomed. Many thousands if not millions of seeds, trees, ideas, and ‘oh wow!’ moments were sown – the Notts community came together and shone in the sun, a meadow of wonder and delight. We’re filled with hope and grateful for everyone who makes our festivals possible.”
Everything needed for a day out – food, water, all activities and entertainment – was all on offer for free – thanks to partnerships such as It’s in Nottingham, Experian, E.ON, Savoy Systems and Nottingham College, and in-kind contributions from Nottingham City Council, emergency services and universities.
Alex Flint, CEO It’s in Nottingham said:
“We’re very proud to have once again supported the Green Hustle event in Nottingham city centre, with members of the It’s in Nottingham team getting involved to share important environmental messages with the Hustle crew. This year’s event was bigger and better than ever, attracting visitors and residents, and bringing a positive community atmosphere into Nottingham’s Old Market Square and the Sussex Street area.”
Anyone inspired to get involved in helping to make Nottingham a greener and better place to live can get in touch at hello@greenhustle.co.uk
Follow @greenhustlefest
Posted on 08 June 2026
