The NEC campus has welcomed its new summer feature for children and families with the opening of NEC Lakeside, a free outdoor space offering a cinema, play area, and activity trail. On Saturday, May 9, families flocked to enjoy the sunshine, picnics, and food stalls during the launch day.
First Look at NEC Lakeside
Located at the centre of the NEC site, this new outdoor space has been created to give families a place to relax and spend time together over the summer months. The event runs from May until the end of August and accompanies ticketed experiences such as Peppa Pig Space Adventure and the Gladiators Experience.
Sarah Harvey, deputy chief executive officer at the NEC, said: "This summer represents an exciting step in how we’re continuing to evolve the NEC experience. We are bringing together an incredible range of attractions for families and, as part of our NEC Built for your Summer programme, creating even more reasons to visit across the season. With the addition of NEC Lakeside, we’re also able to offer a free space where people can spend time together and make the most of their visit."
Free Outdoor Cinema Screenings
Although NEC Lakeside opened on May 9, film screenings will start on Saturday, May 23 and take place on selected dates. All films begin at 2pm, with CBeebies shown otherwise between 9.30am and 5pm. The full list of films and dates includes:
- Saturday, May 23 - Paddington
- Sunday, May 24 - Sing
- Monday, May 25 - The Croods
- Tuesday, May 26 - Frozen
- Friday, July 17 - Cars
- Saturday, July 18 - Zootopia
- Sunday, July 19 - Minecraft Movie
- Friday, July 24 - Finding Nemo
- Saturday, July 25 - Frozen 2
- Sunday, July 26 - Lion King
- Friday, July 31 - Beauty and the Beast
- Saturday, August 1 - Secret Life of Pets
- Sunday, August 2 - Lego Movie
- Thursday, August 6 - Kung Fu Panda
- Friday, August 7 - Lego Batman Movie
- Saturday, August 8 - The Little Mermaid
- Sunday, August 9 - Coco
- Thursday, August 13 - Angry Birds
- Friday, August 14 - Inside Out
- Saturday, August 15 - The Incredibles
- Sunday, August 16 - Cars
- Friday, August 21 - Monsters Inc
- Saturday, August 22 - Ratatouille
- Sunday, August 23 - Trolls
- Friday, August 28 - Madagascar
- Saturday, August 29 - Flushed Away
- Sunday, August 30 - Tangled
- Monday, August 31 - Wreckit Ralph
The new outdoor space is part of a huge spring and summer programme at the NEC, which includes Peppa Pig Space Adventure, iFLY, Gladiators Experience, Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition, Titanic Exhibition, and more. Families can visit NEC Lakeside for free during the school holidays or as an addition to other attractions.
