A pulsating second half in a game that saw all that is best in the first division ended with both sides happy with a point apiece.
Wigan took the lead in the first half when Nathan Ellington pounced for his eighth goal of the season when he blasted home a low drive into the bottom corner and at half time the home side were well worth their advantage.
But it was a different story after the break as Forest drew level thanks to some shoddy Wigan defending.
They failed to clear a corner and, after Gareth Taylor had seen his header brilliantly saved by Wigan keeper John Filan and Marlon Harewood had hit the follow up against the bar it was left to John Thompson to scramble the ball home.
The first ever meeting between these two clubs was providing everything in the way of excitement and it was no surprise when Forest went in front after 66 minutes.
After the home side had failed to deal with a corner, Taylor's header was only half cleared and in the ensuing scramble the ball fell to Harewood who hooked it home.
Full-back Leighton Baines came to Wigan's rescue moments later when he cleared Taylor's header off the line but then the Latics drew level in dramatic fashion after 70 minutes.
A flick header from Geoff Horsfield found Andy Liddell on the edge of the box and his first-time drive flew past the stranded Darren Ward.
Wigan had a golden chance to win it moments later when a superb Jimmy Bullard pass found Baines but he wanted too much time and the Forest defence scrambled the ball clear.
At the other end, Filan made a brilliant save to deny Harewood as the Wigan defence appealed for offside while Ward produced a tremendous save to tip an Ellington drive over the crossbar.