Simon Carter: From the Landscape

19 September 2026 - 17 January 2027

Lose yourself inside a giant painting as Simon Carter transforms our gallery into an immersive landscape inspired by the Essex coast.

Firstsite Fabulous Fridays

16 October 2026

Multiple times available

Immerse yourself in a world of unlimited creativity at our monthly Fabulous Fridays with unique workshops, art, tasty treats and great films!

Polly Braden: Against the Tide

10 October 2026 - 28 February 2027

From ambition and creativity to isolation and inequality, explore intimate photographs and first-hand accounts documenting what life is really like for young people growing up in coastal Britain.

Pressure

16 - 17 October 2026

Multiple times available

General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Captain James Stagg face an impossible choice – launch the largest and most dangerous invasion in history or risk losing the war altogether.

BSFF Halloween: A Ghost at Gilmore House

24 October 2026

10:15 am

A school project leads a teenage girl into a fifty-year-old murder mystery – and secrets that were never meant to be uncovered.

Paint Like…

16 October 2026

Multiple times available

Learn how to recreate iconic artworks in a supportive and guided environment with our Paint Like… workshop.

Mini Movers & Makers Toddler Group

05 November 2026

Multiple times available

Artist-led toddler group provides a fun environment for children to explore sensory storytelling and experiment with a range of art activities.

GIANT The Play

19 - 22 November 2026

Multiple times available

GIANT, the 5-star critically acclaimed play starring John Lithgow (Killers of the Flower Moon, TheCrown) as Roald Dahl, comes to the big screen.

Fallen Angels by Noël Coward

22 - 25 October 2026

Multiple times available

Sparkling, dizzying, and deliciously potent, Fallen Angels, Noël Coward’s champagne-fresh comedy of bad manners, shocked and delighted audiences at its 1925 premiere.

Simon Carter: From the Landscape Exhibition Events

10 October 2026 - 09 January 2027

Explore the world of Simon Carter: From the Landscape through a vibrant programme of exhibition tours, creative workshops, talks and conversations inspired by landscapes, place, observation and the ways artists interpret the world around us.

Duncan Grant: Worlds Through Desire: From Drawing to Cruising to DMs

11 July - 08 November 2026

Bringing together artworks, stories and poetry from three generations of voices, explore how LGBT+ people have sought desire, such as friendship, community, and intimacy, across changing times and technologies.

Life Drawing with Justine Moss – all levels

01 November 2026

Multiple times available

Whether you’re a beginner or experienced, gain confidence in drawing the figure, with these tutored life drawing sessions.

Boozy Brushes

16 October 2026

Multiple times available

Join Sirena Hart for Boozy Brushes at Firstsite – our New Multi-Art, Drag entertainment painting class extravaganza!

Royal Ballet Live: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

28 March 2027

1:45 pm - 4:50 pm

At a garden party on a sunny afternoon, Alice is surprised to see her parents’ friend Lewis Carroll transform into a white rabbit.

Build A Paper Animal Sculpture With Lino Printing (2-Part Workshop)

27 - 28 February 2027

10:30 am

Explore paper sculpture and lino printing in this two-part creative workshop inspired by vintage decorative art and handmade animal sculptures.

Watercolour Workshop

01 November 2026 - 07 February 2027

Multiple times available

Explore the materials, techniques and colour theory used to develop your watercolour paintings in this relaxed social session.

Make Your Own Willow Lantern

30 October 2026

5:30 pm - 9:30 pm

Create your own handcrafted willow lantern in this practical making workshop, where you’ll learn traditional willow construction techniques to design a unique lantern for your home or garden.

Comic Strip Presents… + Live Q&A

31 October 2026

6:30 pm - 9:50 pm

Comic Strip… showcases a selection of classic films and highlights from the iconic comedy series, followed by a live Q&A with special guests.

National Theatre Live: Golden Boy (Captioned)

20 November 2026

6:00 pm - 9:15 pm

Josh O’Connor (The Crown; Challengers) leads the cast in this searing revival of Clifford Odets’ knockout American classic.

Monoprint Day: Texture, Gesture & Etching Press

13 March 2027

10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Discover the expressive world of monoprinting in this hands-on creative session exploring texture, movement and abstraction through drawing and printmaking techniques.

Andre Rieu: Let It Snow

05 - 17 December 2026

Multiple times available

Joined by his world-famous Johann Strauss Orchestra, exceptional sopranos, and a powerful 120-voice male choir, André brings the spirit of Christmas to life in an unforgettable musical event.

Bad Apples

16 - 18 October 2026

Multiple times available

Maria, a primary school teacher doing her best to inspire a class of 10-year-olds, is stifled by one unruly and chaotic student.

Her Private Hell

30 October - 04 November 2026

Multiple times available

Revered filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive, Only God Forgives, The Neon Demon) returns to the silver screen with Her Private Hell.

Exhibition on Screen: Renoir & Love

21 - 23 January 2027

Multiple times available

Be transported back to a Parisian summer of love through the eyes of a true visionary. An unmissable opportunity to fall in love with Renoir this winter.

Dreamlike Florals: Create a Still Life Painting Inspired by Odilon Redon

23 January 2027

10:00 am - 3:00 pm

Explore the dreamy possibilities of floral arrangements in this hands-on oil painting workshop inspired by the imaginative flower works of Odilon Redon.

Portfolio Surgery – Afternoon Sessions

14 November 2026

Multiple times available

Book a one-on-one session at our free Artist Portfolio Surgery, where an industry expert will provide professional guidance.

BSFF Halloween: The Alice Paradox

24 October 2026

12:45 pm

Physicist Alice travels through a wormhole into an alternate past, encountering different versions of herself and lab partner Bob in a collectivist Cold War world.

National Theatre Live: Golden Boy

05 - 13 November 2026

Multiple times available

Josh O’Connor (The Crown; Challengers) leads the cast in this searing revival of Clifford Odets’ knockout American classic.

Boorman And The Devil

30 October - 05 November 2026

Multiple times available

How Academy Award-nominated director John Boorman took on the massive 1977 sequel Exorcist II: The Heretic, that became one of Hollywood’s most famous box-office disasters.

Hadestown: The Musical

18 October 2026

Multiple times available

A genre-defying musical blending modern American folk music with New Orleans-inspired jazz to reimagine a sweeping ancient tale of two intertwining love stories, that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and King Hades and his wife Persephone.

Space: 1999 Double Bill (4K Restoration)

16 October 2026

2:00 pm - 3:57 pm

Witness the catastrophic chain of events that hurls the Moon out of Earth’s orbit in Breakaway, before embarking on a thrilling new chapter in Metamorph.

MET Opera Live: Macbeth

17 October 2026

5:45 pm

Two of opera’s most extraordinary artists return to The Met: Live in HD for Verdi’s thrilling take on the immortal Shakespearean tale of the scheming couple determined to seize power at any cost.

These Violent Delights + Q&A

23 - 29 October 2026

Multiple times available

Having established a name for creating innovative dance on stage, Scottish Ballet’s These Violent Delights is their first major feature-length film. 

Shaun The Sheep: The Beast Of Mossy Bottom

25 October 2026

11:00 am - 12:35 pm

Everyone is looking forward to Halloween on Mossy Bottom Farm – until the clumsy Farmer trashes the Flock’s beloved pumpkin patch!

Trust The Process: Observational Drawing

12 November - 17 December 2026

Multiple times available

Our four-part Trust the Process: Observational Drawing workshop invites you to explore the foundations of observational art.

Sense and Sensibility (Captioned)

01 November 2026

10:45 am - 1:11 pm

From Focus Features and Working Title comes an irresistible new take on Jane Austen’s iconic Sense and Sensibility: a charming, witty, and deeply relatable story of love.

Paint a Monochrome Still Life Inspired by Vanessa Bell

20 February 2027

10:00 am - 3:00 pm

Discover how light, dark and subtle changes in tone can transform a colourful painting in this hands-on oil painting workshop inspired by Vanessa Bell’s Still Life (c.1933).

Royal Ballet Live: Manon

01 November 2026

1:45 pm - 5:10 pm

A native of this hedonistic underworld, Manon is caught between twin desires when she falls in love with the student Des Grieux.

Jumbo: The White Elephant That Built the Modern State Talk with David Grocott

14 November 2026

11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Love it or loathe it, Jumbo has a story to tell. Discover how Colchester’s iconic water tower became the centre of a Victorian debate about public health, taxation and the role of local government with historian and researcher David Grocott.

Pressure (Parent & Baby)

05 November 2026

10:30 am - 12:25 pm

General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Captain James Stagg face an impossible choice – launch the largest and most dangerous invasion in history or risk losing the war altogether.

Make and Experiment with Natural Inks

13 November 2026

7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

Discover the fascinating world of natural inks! Explore how everyday natural materials can be transformed into inks with their own distinctive colours, textures and qualities.

Make a Wicker Star

29 November 2026

2:30 pm - 4:30 pm

’Tis the season to wicker! Get creative and make your own statement wicker star using natural materials.

Festive Family Lantern Making

14 November 2026

Join us for a fun, festive family workshop where you’ll design and decorate a lantern to take home and enjoy throughout the winter season.

Family Air Dry Clay Winter Decorations

29 November 2026

10:00 am - 11:00 am

Join us for a fun, hands-on family workshop where children can make their own decorations from air-dry clay.

Royal Ballet Live: The Nutcracker

13 - 27 December 2026

Multiple times available

At a cosy Christmas party, young Clara meets the mysterious magician Drosselmeyer, who gives her a nutcracker doll.