Monthly round up: 30 things to see and do this May

From a man-eating plant to a tequila festival and a whole lot more, here’s our round-up of what’s happening this May.

THEATRE

Little Shop Of Horrors, Northern Stage, Newcastle upon Tyne
8 – 23 May, tickets from £12
Feed me! You wouldn’t want a plant like Seymour’s on your kitchen windowsill. Enjoy songs, silliness and a dash of horror with this deliciously dark and delightfully tongue-in-cheek musical that’s charmed audiences for over 40 years.

Noughts & Crosses, Hackney Empire, London
13 – 14 May, tickets from £18
Sephy and Callum are in love, but their families and society won’t accept it. This gripping Romeo and Juliet story is a captivating drama of love, revolution and what it means to grow up in a divided world.

Double Double, The Barn Theatre, Cirencester
Now – 30 May, tickets from £19
Get set for a dose of doubles, deceit and destiny. Coronation Street stars Daniel Brocklebank and Faye Brookes star in this story of power, love, and illusion. You’ll be kept guessing until the very last line.

The Marquise, Theatre Royal Windsor
27 May – 6 June, tickets from £23.50
Noël Coward’s comedy is transported back to the 1930s in this glamorous revival. Passion and unpredictability come together as a widowed count attempts to marry his daughter to the son of his old friend. But they’ve other ideas.

Toto the Ninja Cat and the Great Snake Escape, Little Angel Studios, London
16 May – 19 July, tickets from £8.50
Cuddly cat and ninja to boot! Join Toto and her brother on their adventures as they track down an escaped King Cobra. Adapted from Dermot O’Leary’s bestselling book.

FOOD & DRINK

Field to Fork, Whitebottom Farm, Greater Manchester
2 – 3 May, day tickets from £35; weekend tickets from £66.50
It’s a celebration of all things food, from the people who produce it to the chefs who cook it. Discover new dishes and flavours, watch demos by Michelin-star chefs, then listen to live music and chill.

Newcastle Food Festival 2026: A Bank Holiday Feast, Exhibition Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
2 – 4 May, tickets from £11.95
Artisan markets, live music, crafts, family fun and of course, food and drink – including Viking cooking techniques – for a weekend celebration in the heart of Newcastle. Remember your deckchair!

Tequila & Mezcal Show, Glaziers Hall, London
15 – 16 May, tickets from £45
Discover more than 250 agave spirits during two days of tastings, masterclasses and live music. Organisers say it’s the biggest mezcal and tequila tasting event in the UK!

Gin School for Two, Gordon Castle, Fochabers, Scotland
23 May, £170 for two people sharing a still
Learn the art of distilling and make your own gin with botanicals you gather from the walled garden. At the end of the 3.5-hour event, take home your creation to enjoy at your leisure.

St Albans Foodies Festival, Oaklands College, St Albans
29 – 31 May, family tickets for two adults and two children from £55
A feast for the senses as well as the palette. Sample street food, wine, beer and Champagne in tutored tasting sessions. Watch local and celebrity chefs at work an learn how to cook. Plus there’s live music from Symphonic Ibiza, Boyzlife and Scouting for Girls.

FAMILY ATTRACTIONS

Bewilderwood, Cheshire
May weekends, bank holiday and half-term, tickets from £24.50
Bewilderwood Cheshire is celebrating its fifth birthday ,and as a gift to fans tickets are buy one ticket, get one free on selected dates. It’s the perfect opportunity for kids to discover this magical adventure park.

Crayola World of Creativity, Oxo Gallery, London
2 – 4 May
Little ones can express their artistic talents in this free event. From colouring and drawing to arts and crafts, it’s an opportunity to get hands on. You can also help colour-in a bespoke artwork from best-selling children’s author and illustrator Rob Biddulph.

World of PAW Patrol, Chessington World of Adventures, Chessington
3 May, tickets from £32
Scamper down this bank holiday for the opening of the UK’s first PAW Patrol-themed land. Join the pups on four new ride, including ‘my first rollercoaster. There’s play areas, meet and greets, and even PAW Patrol-themed rooms to stay in. Pawsome!

The London Museum of Illusions, London
Opens 8 May, tickets from £24.50
This new attraction opens with interactive displays, exhibitions and puzzles that promise to intrigue both big and little kids. If you’ve ever wanted to climb the facade of a building or defy gravity, you’ll love it.

Mission Space at the National Space Centre, Leicester
23 – 30 May, tickets from £20
This is a week of exploration, science activities, talks and interactive workshops for budding astronauts. And don’t miss a trip on the Tharsis Spacecraft, which takes you on a simulated trip to Mars!

MUSIC

Mamma Mia! Extravaganza from Adventure Cinema, Cardiff Castle
9 May, tickets from £22.97
Dig out your gold flares and sky-high platforms – it’s time to make like a Dancing Queen! Watch the film on a giant open-air screen – singing along, of course – then show off your best moves at the Abba disco.

Orkney Folk Festival, Stromness, Scotland
21–24 May, ticket prices vary
Folk musicians from around the world including Ireland, Canada, Finland and the USA will be joining home-grown performers in the 43rd year of the Orkney Folk Festival. There’s a total of 52 acts to see, as well as workshops and family activities.

Line Dancing Night – Live Country Music Band, The Institute Braintree, Essex
29 May, tickets £17
Don your cowboy hat and don’t forget your Western boots! It’s time to step out in time to the beat of a live country band. Your toes will be tappin’ to all-time greats and contemporary country hits. Yeehaw!

Music in May, Folkestone Kent
Free and ticketed events
This month-long festival has music to suit all tastes, with concerts, workshops, talks, busking and jamming sessions at more than 25 venues. Listen to local musicians, rising stars and DJ sets, take part in The Big Buskout and discover the power of sound healing.

K-Pop Forever! Tribute Concert, Mercury Theatre, Colchester
30 May, tickets from £23.50
Ideal for K-Pop fans and those wondering what all the fuss is about. Expect music inspired by iconic animated film K-Pop Demon Hunters and featuring hits from Soda Pop, BTS, Golden, Blackpink and more.

CULTURE

Listening All Night To The Rain, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
16 May – 31 August, free
This exhibit is a series of video installations by British Artist Sir John Akomfrah, reflecting on colonial and post-colonial history, migration, injustice, memory and climate change. The blend of audio and video, old and new, invites us to look and listen as the artist creates connections across place and time.

Response to a Request (or spasm of the soul), Elizabeth Xi Bauer, Exmouth Market, London
1 May – 14 June
This brings together paintings, sculpture, words and drawings, to consider what happens when artistic production is shaped by pressures that are not always fully articulated, examining the space between instruction and impulse. See for yourself and all will be fully revealed.

Henry Moore: Monumental Nature, Kew Gardens, London
From 9 May, tickets from £11 for adults and £2 for children
The largest ever outdoor display of Moore’s work, there’s more than 30 sculptures positioned across 320 acres and 90 more in the Shirley Sherwood Gallery. “They’re purposefully placed to be in dialogue with Kew’s trees and historic landscapes,” explain the organisers.

London Craft Week
11 – 17 May
Discover the work of more than 1,000 designers and makers over the course of this one-week event. There’s exhibitions, tours, sales and workshops, including how to create a papercut lamp!

Chariots, Treasure and Power: Secrets of the Melsonby Hoard, Yorkshire Museum, York
From 15 May, tickets from £10 (valid for 12 months)
Learn more about Iron Age Britain through the Melsonby Hoard – more than 800 items unearthed in North Yorkshire in 2021. The hoard is the largest collection of metalwork from this period found in the UK and this is the first time the objects have been on display together.

FESTIVALS & SHOWS

RHS Malvern Spring Festival 2026, Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcestershire
7 – 10 May, tickets from £16
Special guests at this year’s festival include celebrity gardeners Monty Don and Alan Titchmarsh, national treasure Mary Berry and culinary legend Raymond Blanc. TV presenter Nicki Chapman’s also there to hosts four days of gardening advice, news, tips and conversation.

Keswick Mountain Festival, Lake District
15 – 17 May, tickets from £25
A mix of sport and entertainment for all ages, with a good helping of food and drink thrown in. There’s 16 activities to participate in, including open water swimming and trail running. Choose the festival (rather than the sports) ticket for a more relaxed pace and enjoy live music, speakers, street food and bars.

Hertfordshire County Show, Redbourn, Hertfordshire
23 – 24 May, tickets from £25 for adults and £12 for children
Celebrate rural life with showjumping to showing cattle, shire horses to sheepdog displays, vintage tractors, quad bike stunts and even dancing forklifts! There’s also live music, cookery displays and a vintage funfair to keep the whole family entertained.

Isle of Wight Spring Walking Festival
9 – 17 May
Whether you’re an avid walker, like a bit of a ramble or want to explore the island with the kids, this is the festival for you. Choose from short strolls to guided all-day island hikes, with distances to suit all abilities. Most walks are free.

The Big Retreat, Lawrenny, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Wales
22 – 25 May, tickets from £79
There’s more than 300 feel-good experiences to take part in during the festival, with talks and workshops, live music, DJs, yoga, wild swimming, meditation and dance. Relax in wood-fired saunas, go paddleboarding on the Cleddau estuary, or try your hand at comedy improv.