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.

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! 

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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…

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.