Live

Peterborough is a city of energy, alive with culture, colour and community, with so much to discover. Whether you decide to explore our historical and cosmopolitan city through food, music, heritage or retail, you’ll be pleased with what you find.

Going out
Planning an enjoyable evening out is easy in Peterborough, with a range of stylish bars, clubs and local pubs all within close reach of each other, right in the heart of the city centre. Finding a dish to suit your palate won’t be difficult either, as the city has a great choice of restaurants offering a range of cuisines such as, world buffet Jimmy’s Spices, north Indian eatery The Banyan Tree and bistro inspired Jim’s Beehive.

The Key Theatre, situated by the river in the city centre, is the perfect choice for family entertainment offering a range of shows including dance, live bands, community productions and Christmas pantomimes. The vast green spaces close to the theatre also host concerts, festivals and the UK’s largest beer festival outside London.

Shopping
For those who enjoy shopping, Peterborough’s award-winning Queensgate Centre has over 90 stores, including John Lewis, Topshop, Pandora and HMV and exciting plans for a 10,000 ft² extension to the shopping centre have been approved, which will see the addition of discount fashion retailer, Primark by 2013.

Queensgate is complimented by independent outlets in Westgate Arcade, as well as regular specialist farmers’ and continental markets and a longstanding lively covered market in the city centre, which reflects our multicultural population,

Outside the city centre, there are also a number of retail offerings including Peterborough Garden Park, which was awarded the best out of town retail development 2011 by the British Council of Shopping Centres (BCSC). The garden park is anchored by Van Hage, which is home to a range of shops including Van Hage, Le Creuset and HobbyCraft.

Serpentine Green located in the Hampton Township to the south of Peterborough, widens the retail choice in the city, with stores including H&M, Outfit and 90,000sqft Tesco’s Extra, which stocks clothes and homeware, as well as groceries.

Family fun
Prefer spending time outdoors?  Sacrewell Farm and Country Centre  located on the outskirts of Peterborough offers plenty of activities to keep the family busy, from feeding the animals to workshops and camping. With an onsite restaurant, serving freshly prepared food, using some locally sourced ingredients, Sacrewell Farm makes for the perfect escape from city life.

With 2000 acres of green space, stretching out 11 km from the city centre, Nene Park Trust is a great place to burn off some energy with the family. Whether it’s water sports, horse riding, or golf that tickles your fancy, there’s plenty to keep you and your family busy and located less than three miles outside of the city centre, it’s well linked to Peterborough and the surrounding countryside.

Green space doesn’t stop there; plenty of parks dotted around the city provide natural open spaces to explore, including the Victorian Central Park, which is just a 10 minute walk from the city centre and features tennis courts, a bowls green and an aviary . Bretton Park, one of the council’s largest green spaces includes tennis courts, a BMX track and football pitches.

For would-be Lewis Hamiltons, a new state-of-the-art Go-Karting circuit has recently opened in the city, which boasts the fastest indoor karts in the UK. Not only is it great for families and children’s parties, it’s also perfect for corporate away days.

Human settlement in Peterborough dates back to the Bronze Age, providing the city with rich history and culture to explore at sites such as Flag Fen, the most important Bronze Age archaeological site in Europe. To learn more about heritage in Peterborough, click here.