Expect the unexpected as Derby Festé returns for 2025!

Derby City Council are so excited to announce that Derby Festé is back for 2025! The city’s free outdoor arts festival returns on Saturday 27 September.

This vibrant event is proudly presented by Derby City Council with project grant support from Arts Council England National Lottery funding. Festé is delivered in partnership with FABRIC, the Midlands strategic dance development organisation, with additional support from Derby Museums and QUAD.

After a brief hiatus last year, the festival is back with a bang, promising an exciting and unforgettable experience for all.

Expect the unexpected as the streets burst into life with a spectacular mix of dance, theatre, circus, parkour, and aerial performance. It’s a full-on sensory adventure designed to spark your imagination and stir your soul.

This year’s programme is a tale for our times—celebrating the wonder of nature, confronting the challenges it faces, and exploring how we can come together to create change. From the magical and moving to the bold and hilarious, Derby Festé will once again captivate and delight audiences of all ages.

See it. Feel it. Be part of it. Join artist and cartoonist Scott Walker in a giant street-style doodle art piece, or take a trip to the beach under a giant spinning parasol! Keep an eye out for the mischievous Slinkies as Big Mob rolls through—audience participation optional (but encouraged!).

With plenty of family-friendly performances, many of which are non-verbal, Derby Festé is accessible to deaf audiences and those who don’t use English as a first language.

The festival will feature performances by a host of local artists, including Derby-based Maison Foo and Hubbub Theatre. The city’s cultural partners will also be creating a programme of fringe events, meaning the Festé fun will be going on into the evening!

So put the date in your diary and look out for more information about the programme, which will be coming soon!

Councillor Nadine Peatfield, Leader of Derby City Council and Cabinet Member for City Centre, Regeneration, Strategy and Policy, said:

“I’m thrilled that Derby Feste will return this September. The event is a celebration of our city that highlights the passion, energy and commitment of the people of Derby and we all missed its dynamic presence last year. It promises to be a day to remember!”

“Thank you to the Derby Live team and our cultural partners for supporting our vision to put culture at the heart of our city.”

Peter Knott, Midlands Area Director at Arts Council England, said:

“We’re delighted to be supporting Derby Festé 2025 with £47,000 of National Lottery Project Grants funding, and look forward to welcoming this much-loved event back to the city.

“Festé always brings a sense of excitement and exhilaration to Derby, as the community comes together to celebrate arts and culture. We’re already looking forward to this autumn’s edition of the festival.”