There's a wide range of cultural experiences on offer in the Peak District and Derbyshire, from music, theatre and museums to antiques, arts, crafts and much more.
Following increasingly successful events in 2007 and 2008, Derby Festé is becoming a central event in Derby’s cultural calendar, bringing the whole city out on the streets for three days of fantastic events. Festé is produced by Arts Agenda and several of Derby’s key arts organisations: Déda, QUAD and Derby LIVE, with sinfonia ViVA and Derby Jazz.
Live music also takes over the tiny hamlet of Stainsby for the two day Stainsby Festival, while Derbyshire Open Arts is a free arts and crafts open studio event that takes place across the county, with artists and craftspeople opening their workshops and studios to the public over the spring bank holiday weekend.
Each summer, Buxton Opera House is home to the Buxton Festival, Buxton Festival Fringe and the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival. The Opera House also presents its own annual live music festival plus a programme of dance, comedy, music, opera, drama and children's shows. The annual Wirksworth Festival features 16 days of contemporary visual art and performance and a wealth of great art in unexpected places.
Other leading arts venues in the region include the Derby Playhouse, one of the leading repertory theatres in the country, and the stunning Grade II listed Victorian Pomegranate Theatre in Chesterfield.
If you're an art or antiques lover, the Peak District and Derbyshire offers a range of delights from the world's largest collection of Joseph Wright paintings at the Derby Museum and Art Gallery, to period collectables and up-to-the-minute craftwork from local artists.
Take a stroll through the inviting shops in Melbourne, Ashbourne, Bakewell and Leek, or visit the regular fairs at Buxton's Pavilion Gardens.
