WonderGround: A week long celebration of culture and creativity in Lincoln.

Between May 21st and 27th 2026 Lincoln came together to dance, sing, perform music, tell stories and play.

6 DAYS

18 EVENTS

75 CREATIVE PEOPLE

“Lincoln already has a rich, diverse and sometimes messy creative cultural system.”

Born out of Lincoln’s community, and the early learnings of BIG UP Lincoln, WonderGround aims to celebrate cultural diversity, create opportunities for undiscovered talent and spark conversations through performance. Through a week long celebration in May 2026 it responded to the what creative people across the city were asking for, and continues to listen to, work with and respond to the creative and cultural landscape of the city.

WonderGround seeks to challenge established ways of working, bring alternative voices into design, decision-making and questions whose cultural stories are being told. Inviting us to look beyond familiar venues and organisations to discover the creativity already flourishing across our city.

THE ARTISTS MAKING WORK ON THEIR BEDROOM FLOOR

In the year leading up to WonderGround’s week-long celebration I met with people across Lincoln. I wanted to know about their creativity, so I skipped the small talk of ‘What do you do for work?’ and asked instead about the things that bring joy: “What creative things do you do when you’re not doing the thing that pays your bills?” I found creative people with a range of disciplines, people who wouldn't call themselves artists, who didn't feel like they fit in with the visible creative scene in the city.

My next question was what did they need to support their creativity?

I heard from musicians who were struggling to break out of the open mic scene. Makers who were looking for opportunities to try selling their work, but couldn't justify renting a stall at a market. Creative people who wanted to put on their own events but didn't know where to start.

From this, we collaboratively built a programme that showcased some of what is already happening underneath the grass roots scene in Lincoln.

THE PROGRAMME

The programme of activities was a collaboration with creative people across Lincoln who wanted a platform to showcase their creativity, showcasing their craft alongside the work of organisations who wanted to support the creation of accessible touch points for creativity, reframing creativity as everyday moments of playfulness.

THURSDAY 21ST MAY

WonderGround Opening Event

FRIDAY 22ND MAY

Live Music on City Square

Live music from a range of Lincoln based musicians, in collaboration with Gas Station and Guild Sessions, with an evening Noise Academy takeover!

Cawte In The Act - SpeakEasy Slam Poetry Event

SpeakEasy’s new Slam Poetry Night! In Memory of The Late, Great Steve Cawte.

GAS Station, Live Friday

Affordable Live Music Night, featuring Stonecold Sweethearts and support act.

SATURDAY 23RD MAY

Emerging Creatives Makers Market

Shop a range of products from emerging Lincoln based creatives, from paintings and pottery, to keyrings and pins.

Countryside Chorus

Countryside Chorus is a friendly and fun loving choir that originated in conjunction with Lincolnshire rural and agricultural chaplaincy and initial seed funding from SoundLINCs.

Live Music on City Square

Live music from a range of Lincoln based musicians, in collaboration with Gas Station and Guild Sessions, with an evening Noise Academy takeover!

Pop up Dance Performances

Pop up dance performances from a range of cultural dance groups.

ARTchitecture

An exploration of architecture and neurodiversity, through an exhibition and workshop.

SUNDAY 24TH MAY

Creative Wellbeing Day

A day of creative wellbeing and nature connectedness, in collaboration with Liquorice Park. Includes pop up art exhibitions, workshops, meditation and grounding exercises.

Pop up DJ workshop with Noise Academy

Join Noise Academy for a pop up workshop on CornHill, discover the power of music for unlocking creativity and building confidence.

TUESDAY 26TH MAY

Parkour on Cornhill

Pop up parkour workshops, and choreographed performances by the team at YMCA.

East Alive Presents: Nature Prints Cyanotypes

A historic photographic technique activated by sunlight to create nature inspired prints,

“Campfire” Circle

A cozy evening of storytelling around the "campfire".

Sunset Boogie, Ecstatic Dance.

Connect with nature, ourselves and each other. Explore movement as a pathway to joy, presence and personal transformation.

Wednesday 27th May

Moorland Makers

Join a group of makers, crafters and creative friendly faces to work on your own projects, have a go at something new and make friends.

Macramé workshops

Come along with your child for a mini me workshop where you’ll each make a key ring in your choice of colour. Or come along independently to create a small wall hanging from a choice of 3 colours.

Closing event

Join us to think about the future of WonderGround, what would you like to see evolve out of this week long celebration?