Derby, the city at the heart of the country, with culture at its heart.
The people of Derby are its greatest cultural asset, with a diversity of backgrounds, knowledge and ideas, creating a rich cultural mix.
Our city and its communities are a physical expression of Derby’s history, heritage and culture.
Innovation and creativity have been shaping Derby from the birth of the industrial revolution and are informing our future ambition.
Culture will be a driver for place making, creating a vibrant city where people want to live, work, visit and invest.
“Derby and its people have a rich cultural heritage; we are a city of many voices and languages, with a desire to learn, create and celebrate.”
Culture is fundamental to Derby's ambition to create a confident, diverse economy, and a place of health and happiness.
"Derby is a city that has always had creativity and innovation at its heart but more importantly we believe that every resident and visitor should benefit from the power of arts and culture to make change for the better.
"Derby is a diverse, global city and our City of Culture bid will reflect both the unique qualities of the city and the unifying human qualities that bind us together."
Adam Buss, CEO, QUAD
Culture Strategy
The strategy presents our 10 year vision for culture in the city, building on our rich heritage and setting our ambition for the future.
Latest News
July 12, 2021
Work created by dozens of young Derby artists is taking centre stage in an innovative exhibition set to go live outside the city’s cathedral…
July 6, 2021
Derby, the birthplace of the industrial revolution, site of the world’s first factory, a leader of the English enlightenment, a city of innovation, and…
July 6, 2021
An exhibition celebrating illustrator Quentin Blake’s 50-year partnership with author John Yeoman is set to open at Derby Museums, just in time for the…
June 24, 2021
Derby’s innovative al fresco Market Place has been transformed for summer to create a new dining and live entertainment space at the heart of…
May 27, 2021
This Thursday 27th May, residents of Derby will wake up to a delightful sight as a flock of 30 colourful ram sculptures appear across…
May 21, 2021
Derby Silk Mill – widely regarded as the site of the world’s first modern factory – has been reborn as the new Museum of…
April 28, 2021
Following the successful 3D virtual presentation of FORMAT21 International Photography Festival, selected exhibitions from this year’s international photography festival will be shown in venues…
April 27, 2021
For the fourth year running, Mainframe highlighted Derby & Derbyshire’s digital and creative community in style with another visually stunning hybrid Awards event, live-streamed…
April 15, 2021
A special event celebrates the culmination of QUAD’s recent Creative ESOL project, which offered Derby people the chance to learn English through creative activities.…
Derby is a place where rivers meet; where the uplands of the Peaks meet the plain of the Trent.
This environment was a meeting place for people, traders and cultures, from the Saxons and the Danes of the 9th century to the multicultural city of today. Derby has commerce, making and looking outwards in its soul.
