Welcome to Firstsite!
See the world differently – experience the very best art and culture from around the world that inspires, empowers and opens your mind.
Enjoy our exhibitions, workshops, films and events. Relax in our colourful cafe with outdoor seating and find quirky products in our shop.
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Top picks
Exhibitions
Free
Into Abstraction: Modern British Art and the Landscape
18 October 2025 - 18 January 2026
Discover how some of Britain’s most influential artists, like Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, and L.S. Lowry, used colour, shape, and form to capture feelings, emotions, and experiences during a century of change.
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Urban Sketching and 3D Workshop with Nicola Burrell
07 November 2025 - 13 March 2026
Multiple times available
Join local artist Nicola Burrell for a fun and active full day creative experience in our Urban Sketching and 3D Workshop with Nicola Burrell!Â
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Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical
30 October - 02 November 2025
Multiple times available
Get ready for the ultimate rock experience as Bat Out of Hell – The Musical roars onto the big screen this Halloween!
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BSFF Halloween: He Kills at Night
01 November 2025
1:30 pm
On Christmas Eve, a mother desperate to reconnect with her estranged family is abducted by a Serial Killer in He Kills at Night.
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Free
Into the Orchard
04 October 2025 - 22 February 2026
Take a walk through the seasons at Crapes Fruit Farm in Essex in this immersive audio-visual exhibition by artists Hana Loftus and Maddie Persent.
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Life Drawing with Justine Moss – all levels
16 September 2023 - 14 February 2026
Multiple times available
Whether you’re a beginner or experienced, gain confidence in drawing the figure, with these tutored life drawing sessions.
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Free
Ghafar Tajmohammad: If you throw a stone in the crowd, someone’s going to get hurt
13 September 2025 - 11 January 2026
Explore Ghafar Tajmohammad’s thought-provoking collection of paintings and hand-woven rugs, called kilims, reflecting on conflict, home, and the search for hope and resilience.
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EcoArt Collage and Craft
12 September 2025 - 13 February 2026
Multiple times available
Join us for our EcoArt Collage and Craft workshop with Clare Sams where creativity meets sustainability in this unique group experience!
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Boozy Brushes – Paint Your Pal
27 June - 22 November 2025
Multiple times available
Join Sirena Hart at Firstsite for Boozy Brushes a multi-art, Drag entertainment painting class extravaganza where you can your pal!
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Radiohead X Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror
31 October 2025
8:00 pm
Pairing classic silent movies with epic rock music to bring a unique big screen experience with Radiohead X Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror!
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The Legend of Ochi (Relaxed)
31 October 2025
11:00 am
The Legend of Ochi follows Yuri on the hunts for the colourful, high-pitched creatures known as Ochi, until she finally meets one…
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The Royal Ballet: Cinderella
30 November 2025
2:00 pm
Cinderella’s dreary and dull life changes when she helps a mysterious woman out in The Royal Ballet: Cinderella!
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How to Paint with Tissue Paper
22 November 2025
10:00 am
Get creative in this hands-on How to Paint with Tissue Paper workshop! Led by Sue Gascoyne discover how to inject colour and tone to your art.
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National Theatre Live: The Fifth Step
27 - 29 November 2025
Multiple times available
After years in a 12-step programme of Alcoholics Anonymous, James becomes a sponsor to newcomer Luka in National Theatre Live: The Fifth Step.
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Collage Greeting Card Workshop
22 November 2025
Multiple times available
Add a personal touch to your festive greetings with your own handmade, eco-friendly collaged cards with Collage Greeting Card Workshop.
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Depeche Mode: M
06 - 14 November 2025
Multiple times available
Depeche Mode: M is a cinematic journey into the heart of Mexican culture’s relationship with death, framed by iconic performances.
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André Rieu’s 2025 Christmas Concert: Merry Christmas
06 - 07 December 2025
Multiple times available
This holiday season, the magic and joyful carols begin on the big screen with André Rieu’s 2025 Christmas Concert: Merry Christmas.
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The Royal Ballet: The Nutcracker
14 - 27 December 2025
Multiple times available
In The Royal Ballet: The Nutcracker, the magician Drosselmeyer needs to save his nephew. Hans-Peter has been transformed into a Nutcracker.
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Exhibition on Screen: Caravaggio
15 - 23 November 2025
Multiple times available
Mystery, intrigue, beauty, passion, murder – shine a new light on Caravaggio in this dramatic biography…Exhibition on Screen: Caravaggio
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Nutcracker Gingerbread Decorating
14 December 2025
Multiple times available
Bring your gingerbread Nutcracker to life with colourful icing in our Handmade Holidays: Nutcracker Gingerbread Decorating workshop!
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Wreath Making
06 December 2024 - 14 December 2025
Multiple times available
Join Firstsite this joyous season for a wreath making session where you will learn how to make an eco-friendly wreath for your front door.
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Colchester Art Society: Autumn Lecture with Barbara Nicholls – Sedimentary Flow
06 November 2025
6:30 pm
Colchester Art Society invites you to the Autumn Lecture at Firstsite, with guest speaker Barbara Nicholls.
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Dead of Winter
05 - 06 November 2025
Multiple times available
A woman, travelling alone through snowbound northern Minnesota, interrupts the kidnapping of a teenage girl in the Dead of Winter.
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Free
Holiday Fun: October 2025 – Canteen
28 October - 01 November 2025
Multiple times available
Enjoy freshly made hot meals for all the family at Firstsite’s Holiday Fun Canteen in Colchester town centre.
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Honey Don’t!
05 - 06 November 2025
Multiple times available
Coen’s Honey Don’t! continues his B-movie trilogy after Drive-Away Dolls with private investigator Honey O’Donohue facing complicated cases.
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MET Opera Live: La Bohème
08 November 2025
5:45 pm
With its enchanting setting and spellbinding score, the world’s most popular opera is timeless and heartbreaking in MET Opera Live: La Bohème.
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The Legend of Ochi (Captioned)
04 November 2025
2:00 pm
The Legend of Ochi follows Yuri on the hunts for the colourful, high-pitched creatures known as Ochi, until she finally meets one…
Read moreFestive Workshops
Air Dry Clay Decorations
06 December 2025
Multiple times available
Celebrate the festive season with our Air Dry Clay Decorations, fun and hands-on creative workshop with local clay artist Lizzie Croucher.
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Become a Mosaic Member today!
Enjoy a unlimited free access to our films and a whole host of special offers and generous discounts with a Firstsite Mosaic Membership.
As a treat for yourself – or a gift for someone else – being a Firstsite Mosaic Members provides a year of fantastic benefits, and helps to support art and creativity in East Anglia.
Join todayExplore our online shop
Featuring a range of design-led products and books inspired by our exhibition programme, events and community, our shop has something for everyone. All profits from your purchase raises funds to help us keep our exhibitions free and supports our community outreach activities.
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Latest news
We’re making changes to our cinema prices with new ways to save for our audiences.
29 October 2025
Flexible cinema ticket prices at Firstsite Colchester, with Peak or Off-Peak screenings and discounts for families, students, and groups.
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