AGENDA

The AgendaFEBRUARY'S HOTTEST HAPPENINGS

FAMILY

Woodland Wonder

14-16 FEBRUARY, NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, TRING

Our woods are lively habitats and are home to all sorts of creatures. Join the team at the Natural History Museum, Tring, as they explore the animals, big and small, furry and feathery, that live in our woodlands, from night-time fl yers to daytime dwellers. Discover more about the wildlife in our woods and make your own woodland animal to take home.

EVENT Banff Mountain Film Festival

16 February ALBAN ARENA The Ban Mountain Film Festival joins the world’s best adventure fi lm-makers and explorers as they push themselves to the limits in the most remote and stunning corners of the globe. Witness epic human-powered feats, lifea rming challenges and mind-blowing cinematography – all on the big screen. alban-arena.co.uk

ARTS Big Makers Fair

25-26 February HERTS VISUAL ARTS An exhibition of art and making, covering sculpture, ceramics, textiles, jewellery, furniture, and glass. Artists from across Hertfordshire will show work in three dimensions, celebrating form, scale and texture. Buy art direct from the artists, and enjoy the visual surprise and delight of contemporary creativity. hvaf.org.uk

EVENT

Sounds of the 60s

16 February HODDESDON SPOTLIGHT Every week, listeners across the UK tune into BBC Radio 2 to hear the legendary Tony Blackburn play the greatest songs of the 60s. Now, the DJ will be taking his Sounds of the 60s show on the road, for a UK tour celebrating the music of this muchloved decade. The Sounds of the 60s All-Star Band and Singers will perform classic hits from the likes of Diana Ross & The Supremes, The Everly Brothers, Elvis, and The Beatles. thespotlightvenue.com

FILM ANT-MAN AND THE WASP

17 February ODEON HATFIELD Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) return to continue their adventures as Ant-Man and the Wasp. Here they fi nd themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with new creatures and taking a journey that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought possible. odeon.co.uk

This Month’s Must See MATILDA

11-18 FEBRUARY, ROALD DAHL MUSEUM

Head to the Roald Dahl Museum to celebrate all things Matilda this February half-term. Enjoy clay and junk modelling workshops with a Trunchbull twist, listen to Matilda storytelling or go on a Matilda trail around the galleries. Enjoy Crunchem Hall playground games in the courtyard or simply stu your face with pizza from pop-up experts Pizzafi cio. roalddahl.com/museum

MUSIC

OF LOVE

A special event on 5 February offers a classical take on LGBTQ+ History Month

This February the University of Hertfordshire’s resident orchestra, the de Havilland Philharmonic Orchestra (dHPO), will be celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month with a concert of works by esteemed composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893).

Performing work by Tchaikovsky, whose writings biographers believe reveal his homosexuality, during LGBTQ+ History Month gives the dHPO along with their audience the opportunity to remember, honour and celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history. The concert aims to promote equality and diversity through music and begins with the passionate romanticism of Romeo and Juliet, depicting the famous and tragic love a air from the famous Shakespeare

play. The Variations on a Rococo Theme feature cello soloist Bozidar Vukotic, who regularly performs at Purcell Room, Wigmore Hall and on BBC Radio 3. Consisting of an original theme in a rococo style with a set of eight variations, it is thought to be Tchaikovsky refl ecting on the more classical period of Mozart who he much admired. The second half of the concert includes the ever-popular Symphony No. 5 with the beautiful horn solo in the second movement, building into a triumphant march which will leave audiences invigorated.

The dHPO orchestra has enjoyed over 50 years of success and brings together over 80 classical musicians who perform a wide musical repertoire under the leadership of their dynamic conductor, Robin Browning. uharts.co.uk