Nottingham never really goes quiet. Whether it is frost on the Old Market Square or a warm evening spilling out of the Lace Market, there is always something on and always a reason to get out of the house. The trick is knowing what is worth your time, and who you want beside you when you do it.

Here is your month by month guide to making the most of a year in Nottingham, with a few suggestions to get you started and a little help from the people you have not met yet.

January: Start the year with something in the diary

January has a reputation for being flat, and it earns it if you let it. The antidote is simple: put something on the calendar before the tree comes down. A cosy games night, a low key dinner, a walk that ends in a good pub. The events themselves do not need to be big. They just need to exist, so that the first week back has a bit of warmth to it.

Worth doing: Wrap up warm for a winter walk around Wollaton Hall and Park, keep an eye out for the charity music festival Beat The Streets at the end of the month, or beat the cold indoors with bottomless brunch at Das Kino.

February: Lean into the long evenings

February is made for indoors done well. Think vinyl and a decent glass of red, a comedy night, or a table booked at one of the city’s independent restaurants. It is also quietly one of the best months to meet people, because everyone is craving company and nobody is pretending to be busy.

Worth doing: Catch the city lit up after dark at Nottingham Light Night, then settle in for tapas and a glass of Rioja at Bar Iberico in Hockley.

March: The city wakes up

As the days stretch out, Nottingham starts to shift outdoors again. Craft beer crawls through the city’s growing taproom scene come into their own, and the first proper walks of the year feel like a small celebration. March is about momentum. Say yes to a couple of things and the rest of spring tends to fill itself in.

Worth doing: Book something at the Nottingham Playhouse, or browse street food and independent traders at one of the pop up markets on the Old Market Square.

April: Culture and colour

Spring brings the arts out to play. There is always something on at the Theatre Royal or the Playhouse, and the galleries around the Lace Market are worth a slow afternoon. Pair a matinee with a long lunch and you have the kind of day that reminds you why you live here.

Worth doing: Sample local ales at the Nottingham Independents’ Castle Beer Festival, then explore the grounds and galleries at Nottingham Castle.

May: Get outside properly

May is the month the city genuinely relaxes. Wollaton Park and the trails around the county are at their best, and a group walk followed by a Sunday roast is hard to beat. Bank holidays give you the excuse and the weather usually plays along. This is prime season for the kind of easy, unhurried socialising that builds real friendships.

Worth doing: Discover new bands across the city at Dot to Dot Festival, or make a day of it at the Sausage and Cider Festival at Wollaton Hall.

June: Long days, longer nights

Midsummer in Nottingham means beer gardens until late and a general reluctance to go home. It is the ideal month for something a bit more adventurous: a themed night, a party, or an event that gets people talking to strangers. Warm evenings do half the work of breaking the ice for you.

Worth doing: Head to Sneinton Market for the Nottingham Craft Beer Festival, or catch world class tennis in the sunshine at the Nottingham Open before it gets too busy.

July: Festival season

Summer proper. The city fills with markets, outdoor events and pop ups, and there is a lovely holiday energy to everyone. July rewards spontaneity, so keep a couple of evenings free and see where they take you. A restaurant dinner with good company on a warm night is one of life’s simple wins.

Worth doing: Spend the weekend at Splendour Festival at Wollaton Park, catch a big touring show at the Theatre Royal, or lace up your boots for the Affinity Lady Bay Walk and lunch.

August: Slow down and savour it

August is unhurried by design. Half the city is away, which makes the ones who stay feel like a bit of a club of their own. It is a great time for smaller gatherings, relaxed dinners and the sort of long conversations that only happen when nobody is rushing off. Enjoy the quiet before autumn picks the pace back up.

Worth doing: Feel the colour and music of the Nottingham Carnival, take the family out to Gloworm Festival at Thoresby Park, or join the Affinity Canalside Summer Bar Hop to kick off the month.

September: The reset

September is the real new year for a lot of us. The diaries fill, the evenings turn crisp, and there is a fresh appetite for getting out and meeting people. If January is about surviving, September is about starting properly. New clubs, new plans, new faces. Ride the wave while everyone else is feeling it too.

Worth doing: Explore the city’s hidden history for free during Heritage Open Days, eat your way around the Festival of Food and Drink at Thoresby Park, or swap the city for the hills on the Affinity Peak District Walk and Sunday Lunch.

October: Cosy season begins

The clocks are about to change and the pubs start to feel like a refuge again. October is board games nights, vinyl evenings and the first proper reason to stay in the warm with good company. There is something about the darker nights that makes company feel more valuable, not less.

Worth doing: Ride the waltzers at the historic Goose Fair, hop between venues for the all day Hockley Hustle, or grab a stein and raise a glass at Affinity’s Oktoberfest at Binks Yard.

November: Make the dark nights count

November is when the fun really matters. It is easy to hibernate, and far better not to. Murder mystery nights, big dinners and a bit of theatre give the month some shape and keep the winter blues at bay. The people who keep showing up in November are the ones you will be glad you know come December.

Worth doing: Laugh yourself silly at the Nottingham Comedy Festival, wrap up for the opening of Winter Wonderland on the Old Market Square, or see what the members are up to over on the Affinity events page.

December: Do the party season differently

Everyone does Christmas. The question is who with. The best Decembers are not the ones spent at forced work dos, but the ones spent with people you actually chose. A proper festive night out, a dinner with real conversation, a party where you know you will laugh. End the year the way you want to start the next one, surrounded by people who get you.

Worth doing: Skate and sip mulled wine at Winter Wonderland, browse the Christmas Market at Nottingham Castle, or end the year in style at the Affinity Christmas Party.

The thread that runs through it all

Look back over the year and the pattern is obvious. The months you remember are not the ones with the best weather. They are the ones with the best company. Nottingham gives you the backdrop. The rest is about who you share it with.

That is exactly what Affinity is for. Curated events, meaningful connections and real people, all year round, so you never have to face a flat January or an empty diary alone.

Ready to fill your calendar with the good stuff? Explore what is coming up at affinity-club.co.uk/events and find your Affinity.