What's On in Derbyshire in October?

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📢 Festivity, The Festival of Festivals, Returns in November!

⭐⭐⭐ After the success of Festivity Bolsover, Staveley, Ilkeston, Tapton Lock and Melbourne this year, we’re looking forward to keeping the party going in November ⭐⭐⭐

After a brilliant tour around the county over the summer, Arts Derbyshire’s Festivity is returning for the winter season, bringing its vibrancy and fun indoors to escape the British weather. Coming to Sharpe’s Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust Museum in Swadlincote on 22 November, we’ll be bringing a day of exciting free activities for all the family, with everything from powerful spoken word to engaging workshops.

We’re pleased to be welcoming back our friends from Adverse Camber, who will be curating a great storytelling line-up for the day. Derby Poetry Festival is also returning with a brand-new line-up for spoken word, and the amazing Paul Johnstone will be the featured artist for the day. We’re also bringing back local theatre company Hubbub Theatre, who will be providing inclusive, playful creative workshops for all.

❓Will you be joining us? We hope so!

And if you still can’t make it to any of our Festivity dates, you can still experience some of the fantastic art that the region has to offer from the comfort of your own home with the Festivity Digital Exhibition. Check it out right now on YouTube here!

Stay Tuned For The Next Meet Up In The New Horizons Programme

Sign up for your free place at our final New Horizons session of the year this month, where we pay a visit to the north of the county.

We’ll be exploring how cultural activity – festivals, heritage interpretation, walking experiences and arts trails – can deepen visitor engagement and contribute to the region’s identity and economy.

The session will be informal but purposeful, bringing together colleagues from across the arts, tourism and heritage sectors to share insights and shape future collaboration, with panel representation from Visit Peak District, Buxton Crecent, Chatsworth House and Destination Digital:
📅 10 October
⏰ 10am – 1pm
📌 Buxton, URC Church

The Arts Derbyshire AGM will take place online in November. Bookings are open for this now.
📅 12 November
⏰ 4 – 5pm
👛 Free
📌 Online

As a charity we ask that anyone who feels they can support us, please do! You can do so via Paypal or Give As You Live. All donations will be gratefully received.

Welcome to our New Artists, Arts Orgs & Venues!

At Arts Derbyshire, our sole purpose is to support and nourish the flame of creativity in Derbyshire, so to see so many new artists and venues sign up is incredible to see. As part of our thanks to all the new sign-ups, we have gathered eight of the artists and arts organisations who have recently registered, so you can all say hello, and welcome!

Dawn Turner Designs specialises in glass art, and can offer glass fusing workshops at her studios in Ilkeston, as well as Glass On The Go, where she can bring creativity to you.
Caroline Lowe is a multidisciplinary artist born in the West Midlands and now living and working in South Derbyshire. Her portfolio includes painting, installation and digital works.
Antoinette Burchill is an artist, writer, performer and self-described provocateur. Inspired by the fool, she makes playful mischief through pranks and performances.
Alison Daykin, AKA Hayloft Studio Designs, is an award-winning hand woven textile designer. Her art is inspired by the Derbyshire landscape and her frequent trips to Scotland.
Nicki Dennett is primarily a printmaker, but after gaining a master’s degree in textiles she has also begun to experiment with integrating textiles with her printmaking.
Lucie Maycock is a freelance and community artist with over 14 years’ experience working within the arts sector, drawing on a broad range of experience and artistic skills.
The Bash Street Band plays traditional dance music – mostly Celtic style – for ceilidhs at weddings, parties, universities, schools, fundraisers and more.
Rare Occasion delivers traditional and contemporary songs with harmonies, many a good chorus, and some beautiful instrumental pieces.

Do you want to join our community?
✍️ Register for your own free profile on the Arts Derbyshire website:
https://www.artsderbyshire.org.uk/register/
JOBS, TRAINING & OPPORTUNITIES

New Treasurer Opportunity with Arts Derbyshire
Arts Derbyshire is looking to recruit a new Board Trustee whose primary role will be to act as Treasurer. We welcome applications from all kinds of background and experience, and experience in the arts is not essential. The successful candidate should be able to take the lead on finance matters, have an oversight, and act as an interpreter in financial matters to trustees who may have less understanding of finance.

📅 Application deadline: 21 November
🔗 Read more on the website

Free Mental Health Training Workshops
Derbyshire County Council has commissioned Harmless to deliver half-day training in Mental Health Awareness and Suicide Awareness & Managing Mental Health Conversations, and is FREE for staff and volunteers who meet the criteria.

📅 Workshop dates: 3 October, 14 October and beyond
🔗 Read more on the website

The Mentoring Scheme 2025 Closes Soon
Writing East Midlands’ ever-popular, free writer craft and career development programme is still accepting applications from writers aged 18+ who are living, working or studying in the East Midlands. The scheme matches 8 emerging writers with experienced, professional writing mentors for a year of free, dedicated craft and career guidance while they work towards the publication of a specific writing project.

📅 Deadline: 9 October
🔗 Read more on the website

The Women’s Poetry Competition is Open for Submissions
The annual Women’s Poetry Competition celebrates the poetic voice of Black women during Black History Month. This year, the title of the competition is “Women Standing Firm in Power and Pride”. Shortlisted authors will be invited to read their poems at the Women’s Poetry Competition Presentation event.

📅 Event date: 11 October
🔗 Read more on the website

Meet With Other Businesses For This Networking Session In Bakewell
Hosted at the Peak District Business Hub at Peak District National Park’s headquarters in Bakewell, it’s an opportunity for you to find new clients, explore partnership opportunities or simply meet like-minded individuals.

📅 Event date: 15 October
🔗 Read more on the website

Online Masterclass Explores AI and Creativity
What If A Robot Wrote This? A Creative Exploration of AI, Culture, and Your Imagination with Jocelyn Burnham is an online masterclass by Beyond the Spectrum. This fast-paced and playful online session will introduce emerging AI concepts which explore emotion, creativity, copyright and innovation through the lens of arts and culture.

📅 Event date: 16 October
🔗 Read more on the website

How to Be Inclusive for Your Artists As Well As Your Audience
Are you a festival organiser, producer, events manager or programmer working in outdoor arts and live events? Do you collaborate with freelance artists, creatives and performers? This free online workshop is designed for you. Delivered by Head Over Wheels, an award-winning disabled-led circus company, the session explores how to build inclusivity into the heart of your work – not just for your audiences, but for the artists and freelancers you collaborate with.

📅 Event date: 23 October
🔗 Read more on the website

The Solstice Nature Prize for Young Writers 2025 is Open for Entries
This year, Writing East Midlands is seeking 500-word short stories, 500-word blogs or 40-line poems from young writers across the UK all on the theme of nature, the environment and issues related to climate change. The competition is open to writers aged 7-25, with four age categories to enter.

📅 Deadline: 31 October
🔗 Read more on the website

Keep an eye on new opportunities for creatives in the County on our website.

Beyond the Grantium Glitch
As many of you will know, the Arts Council England Grantium portal went down on the 23 July. For those of us navigating the already precarious terrain of arts funding, this technical failure has felt less like a glitch and more like a rupture. Click below for a few words from our Director, Stephen Munn, on the current climate of arts funding, and how this recent event has impacted both Arts Derbyshire and the sector as a whole.

🔗 Read more on the website

Have Your Say in the South Derbyshire District Council Arts Strategy
South Derbyshire District Council is currently developing an arts strategy to help them set out how they, as a council, support and develop arts and creativity across their communities. It helps them understand what’s already happening locally, what people value and where there are opportunities to grow and improve.

This strategy will be shaped by local voices and reflect the needs and ambitions of their communities. Whether you’re an artist, a resident or someone who enjoys creative experiences, they are keen to have your input!

🔗 Click here to take part in the survey

The FORMAT/QUAD Emerging Artist Residency Winners Have Been Announced
Midlands-based artists Jinni Sur and Tegen Kimbley have been selected by the QUAD/FORMAT Curatorial Team as the 2025/26 Artists in Residence. The artists will be supported by the team over the next year to receive mentorship, curatorial guidance and professional development as part of their new residency programme.

🔗 Read more on the website

Success with Create Growth Designer-Maker Bursary Scheme
In February, a funded product photography programme for Derbyshire businesses, delivered by Arts Derbyshire, was launched. With total funds of £13,000, the programme supported 14 Designer-Maker businesses and 7 Photographers in producing 100s of high quality product photographs. Find out more about the businesses who were successful in receiving funds to commission photographers from around the county.

🔗 Read more on the website

FESTIVALS DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Derbyshire is the county of festivals and reading our guide, you’ll be able to see that there’s always plenty to do around each corner of the county throughout the year. The following page on our website is one of the most often visited pages on the site, so if you have a festival, you need to be included!
👉 https://artsderbyshire.org.uk/festivals

For more festivals resources take a look at the Festivals development resources page on our website, or find out about the Arts Derbyshire Festivals support group Festivity.

Send Us Your Festival Info For Our 2025 Festivals Round Up
By far the most popular page on our website is the festivals round up page and we aim to be as comprehensive as possible when putting it together so we want to hear about all festival, big and small, new and long-established.

👀 We have now published the 2025 round up of confirmed festivals to date

FUNDING NEWS

Applications for The Help Musicians Fast Track Award Open Again Soon
Whether it’s a short course, investing in new software or taking opportunities to record, release or perform, the Help Musicians Fast Track Award is here to help you seize those opportunities. The award aims to be an investment to help you grow or sustain your income from music, or to help you take part in something that could enhance your career.

📅 Next application window: 13-31 October
ℹ️ Grants of up to £500
🔗 Read more on the website

PRS Foundation PPL Momentum Fund Open for UK-Based Artists/Bands
The PPL Momentum Music Fund offers grants of £5k-£15k for UK-based artists/bands to break through to the next level of their careers. Activities eligible for support include recording, touring and marketing.

📅 Deadline: 27 October
ℹ️ Grants of up to £15,000
🔗 Read more on the website

The PRS Foundation Early Career Promoter Fund is Open for Applications
The Early Career Promoter Fund recognises the vital role independent promoters play in supporting the talent pipeline across England, and offers grant funding and capacity building support with the aim of bolstering local, regional and national ecosystems.

📅 Deadline: 30 October (Round 4), rolling deadlines until February 2026
ℹ️ Grants of up to £3,500
🔗 Read more on the website

PRS Foundation Resonate Grants Support British Composers
Resonate aims to inspire more performances, recordings and broadcasts of outstanding contemporary repertoire. The PRS Foundation will offer financial support with grants of up to 15K to orchestras who commit to exploring a contemporary UK repertoire as part of a season/tour and longer term audience development programme.

📅 Deadline: 31 October
ℹ️ Grants of up to £15,000
🔗 Read more on the website

Grants for Organisations Which Provide Musical Activities for the Elderly
The Concertina Charitable Trust awards grants of up to £250 to small charitable organisations that provide musical activities for the elderly community in need. You need to provide details of your charities objects, its financial position, the sector of the elderly community which it benefits, amount sought and proposed cultural activities or related facilities it intends to provide.

📅 Deadline: 31 October
ℹ️ Grants of up to £250
🔗 Read more on the website

The Make/Shift Movers & Shakers Community Fund is Open for Applications
The Movers & Shakers Community Fund invites people from across Amber Valley to share imaginative ideas that they think will benefit the places they care about. Make/Shift will be giving out awards between £1-£1,000 to people and informal groups who want to bring people together, kick start an idea or try something new with their neighbours.

📅 Deadline: 16 November
ℹ️ Grants of up to £1,000
🔗 Read more on the website

Youth Music Trailblazer Fund Offers £2k–£30k for Music Projects
The Youth Music Trailblazer Fund offers grants of £2,000 to £30,000 to organisations in England to run projects for children and young people (25 or under) to make, learn and earn in music. The project should trial work or test a new way of working, sustain a grassroots programme or disrupt the status quo (or all three!).

📅 Deadline: 21 November (Round 11)
ℹ️ Grants of up to £30,000
🔗 Read more on the website

Keep an eye on our funding news section on the website.

FUNDING WITH NO DEADLINES

Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grants Scheme
ℹ️ Grants of up to £100,000
🔗 Read more on the website

The Dulverton Trust Grants for UK Charities
ℹ️ Grants of up to £40,000
🔗 Read more on the website

PCC Community Initiative Fund Grants
ℹ️ Grants of up to £2,500
🔗 Read more on the website

The Masonic Charitable Foundation – Dementia Grants
ℹ️ Grants of up to £60,000
🔗 Read more on the website

Albert Gubay Charitable Foundation Grants for In-Need Communities
ℹ️ Grants of up to £2million
🔗 Read more on the website

Amber Valley Public Health Partnership: Small Grants Scheme
ℹ️ Grants of up to £15,000
🔗 Read more on the website

Morrisons Foundation Grants
ℹ️ Grants of up to £10,000
🔗 Read more on the website

The Nicholas Boas Charitable Trust – Grants to Support Young Musicians
ℹ️ Grants of an unspecified amount
🔗 Read more on the website

GET INVOLVED

Do you have arts-related news items you’d like included on the website or our next newsletter? Send them to editor@artsderbyshire.org.uk

Are you running an event and want to see it included in the What’s On section?
Submit your own listings to our What’s On section by registering for an account right here: https://www.artsderbyshire.org.uk/register

Can you help us? Please donate!
Support us! Arts Derbyshire is the strategic arts charity for the county. We aim to enrich people’s lives through the arts. There are plenty of ways to help Arts Derbyshire raise money including signing up for Give As You Shop where fundraising for us won’t cost you a single penny. We’d really appreciate the help 🙏

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What’s On in Derbyshire in October?

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What’s On in Derbyshire in October?

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