FREE WORLD-CLASS ARTS TAKE OVER DERBY CITY CENTRE
DERBY FESTÉ IS BACK!
FREE WORLD-CLASS ARTS TAKE OVER DERBY CITY CENTRE
Saturday 26 September 2026 | From 11:30am | FREE
Get ready for an incredible day of free family entertainment, spectacular circus, dance and street theatre as Derby Festé 2026 takes over Derby city centre on Saturday 26 September!
With performances happening across Derby Market Place, Cathedral Green, Derby Market Hall, The Spot and Osnabruck Square, there will be something exciting to discover around almost every corner.
And the best bit? It's completely FREE! 
DON'T MISS THESE HIGHLIGHTS
- Gorilla Circus – A.I.Thentic: a thrilling, 20-metre-high aerial spectacle blending circus, dance, and drama to question society's evolving relationship with artificial intelligence
- Linden Dance Company – CAGED: Co-presented with Fabric, this explosive outdoor dance spectacle takes place inside, around, and above a towering 3m birdcage. Visceral and visually arresting, CAGED explores the search for human connection in an increasingly disconnected world.
- 2Faced Dance Company – Before It's Gone: Co-presented with Fabric, this playful, high-energy dance piece invites audiences to rethink their relationship with the natural world through themes of creativity, hope, and climate action.
- Shyam Dattani and Mira Salat – Garbh: Garbh (womb) is an innovative, in-the-round, outdoor dance work that reimagines ancient Gujarati Folk Dance 'Garba', giving voice to this underrepresented ancestral form through contemporary choreography.
- Wild Giants – Big Dog Buddy: Don't miss Buddy, the loveable puppy who just wants to play and maybe cause a little mischief, whose cheerful owner, Granny Bea, is doing her best to take Buddy for a walk!
AND THERE'S EVEN MORE!
The fun doesn't stop with the headline performances.
Look out for sky-high trumpet players, majestic peacocks, dancing hippos and plenty of surprises appearing throughout the city centre!
There will also be exhibitions, workshops and activities taking place at venues including Artcore, Museum of Making, Derby Museum and Art Gallery, Pickford's House and QUAD.
Over at Derby Market Hall, Banks Mill will be taking over with local artists and makers, alongside hands-on creative workshops.
FESTÉ AFTER DARK
The entertainment continues into the evening!
After a full day of free performances, Gorilla Circus returns to Cathedral Green at 7:30pm for Festé After Dark – promising a spectacular finale beneath the night sky. 
ACCESSIBLE FOR EVERYONE
Derby Festé has been designed to be accessible to audiences with additional needs, with many performances being non-verbal and British Sign Language interpreters available throughout the day.
All main performance locations are wheelchair accessible, and a Changing Places toilet is available inside Derby Market Hall.
DERBY FESTÉ 2026
Derby City Centre
Saturday 26 September
From 11:30am
FREE
Whether you're looking for a great family day out, incredible live entertainment or simply something different to do in Derby, Derby Festé is one to put in the diary!
Find the full programme, timings and locations on the official Derby Festé website.
See you in Derby! 
Derby Festé is presented by Derby City Council with project grant support from Arts Council England National Lottery funding, and supported by Fabric, Without Walls, Cathedral Quarter Derby and Derby Theatre.
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