Derby Folk Festival

Name: Derby Folk Festival
Address: Derby LIVE Box Office, Chapel Street Arts Centre, Derby, DE13GU, GB
Telephone: +441332255800
Price range: $$

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Derby Folk Festival

Lots of activity over the whole weekend with concerts, workshops, dance and fun! Welcome to Derby Folk Festival's page.

Derby Folk Festival will run from Friday 9th to Sunday 11th October 2026 - with concerts in Derby Museums' Wardwick, The Old Bell Hotel and Chapel Street Arts Centre. The festival is held right in the City Centre - a great location, and a fabulously friendly welcome awaits! Concerts and workshops take place in various venues - Derby Cathedral, The Old Bell Hotel, QUAD, and more...

It's a fantasti

c mix of concerts, ceilidhs, workshops, sessions, dance displays, craft fairs, music and dance fringe events and, of course, a great time! Past headliners have included Waterson:Carthy, Bellowhead, Edward II, Oysterband, Show of Hands, Seth Lakeman, Lau, Kate Rusby and Steeleye Span.

14/05/2026

We had a "team outing" to see Kate Rusby last night - and what a gorgeous night it was!

Kate and the band were, of course, sounding fabulous - both in song, and in the warm chat in between. 🤩

Big thanks to Vaillant Live and all of the team for making us feel so welcome throughout 🤝

And, thanks to all of the lovely folks we chatted to about the festival - a real mix of old friends, regular visitors, and those we met for the first time. 🙏

12/05/2026

You've still got time to grab tickets to see Kate Rusby at Vaillant Live in Derby tomorrow (Wed) evening...

The festival team are really looking forward to the gig, and to seeing you / having a chat / handing you a festival flyer! We'll be there from when the doors open, so please do say hello... come and tell us who you're looking forward to seeing, whether it's a long-standing favourite, or someone you'll be seeing for the first time.

Visit Derby

11/05/2026

A new venue for the 2026 fringe festival - please welcome !
Just a few doors down from The Old Bell Hotel Derby on Sadlergate, Mr Shaw's is a fantastic supporter of Derby's music scene (as well as being a cool bar, coffee shop and more!)

We'll have a range of performances on Saturday and Sunday, including artists performing elsewhere at the festival, as well as some who are dropping in specially.
We're really pleased to add Rosie Faith music, Arbrevyn and Matt McGuinness to the list of wonderful performers...

We'll also have a special show in partnership with Mr Shaw's on Friday evening, featuring a folk/alt-rock band from thew Czech Republic - Ida The Young! More about that soon 🎶❤

The fringe events are Free to access, but if you're able to help support the events by making a donation it would really help! There will be more fringe music events in Chapel Street Arts Centre Café, as well as (of course!) The Old Bell's Tudor Bar.

09/05/2026

Do you love to dance? We do!
This year, we're putting movement into Derby Market Hall, with displays from traditional dance teams, May(Octo!)Pole, and, a fantastic ceilidh...

Bellamira are an exciting new four-piece ceilidh band based in Sheffield, with a driving, joyous energy that grew out of the legendary Sheffield University Ceilidh Society.

Robyn’s squeeze-box is punchy and exuberant. Josie layers ferocious fiddle harmonies, and her singing is powerful and unaffected. Paddy channels the energy of the sea shanty in his guitar and singing. Mina’s drums lift the dancing and sparkle with atmosphere and joy.

You can come along and dance for free (or, with a donation if you're able), and we'll have the fabulous Phil Preen calling the dances, to keep you in line (or circle/square, as appropriate!)

08/05/2026

We really would love you to be with us for the full weekend - from Friday 9th to Sunday 11th October - but if you can't make it for the whole event, we have day passes available...

And, we've now put all of the individual concerts on sale, so if you just want to see one thing, or make your own festival to suit your plans, you can!

You'll find all of the options for passes and individual concerts at https://www.derbylive.co.uk/whats-on/derby-folk/

22/04/2026

At this hour (well, it was 7pm when we posted!) in 3 weeks time (Wed 13 May) Kate Rusby will be taking the stage at Vaillant Live - right here in Derby - and we're really looking forward to it!

As we said the other week, we'll be there with flyers (and as fans of Kate's, obviously!) and we'd love to say hello.

We'll put a link for those all essential entry tokens in the comments 🎶❤

Here's Kate in a specially recorded video, giving you an intro... great stuff!

Visit Derby

21/04/2026

Hurrah for the festival flyers!
The courier delivered them today, so we'll start getting them out and about from tomorrow!

The absolutely wonderful Derbyarts will be distributing around the County, so look out for them in Arts Info boxes in literally hundreds of places. We'll also get them to our venue partners Derby LIVE, The Old Bell Hotel Derby and Derby Museums as well as friends around the city...

We'll then be out and about at various festivals and events from now, through the summer, so please do grab a flyer, and say hello!

19/04/2026

Derby Folk Festival is back (for the 20th edition!) in the heart of Derby, running from Fri 9th to Sun 11th October.

Ticketed concerts take place in Derby Museums' Wardwick, The Old Bell Hotel Derby's Ballroom and Derby LIVE's Chapel Street Arts Centre Auditorium. Weekend Passes give access to all of the concerts from Friday to Sunday, and Day Passes give the same access on each individual day. If you can't make the full weekend, or a full day, you can pick and choose your own festival line up by coming along to individual concerts (limited numbers available, so be quick!)

Festival favourites such as Bob Fox, Jackie Oates & Belinda O'Hooley, Sam Carter and the Charlotte Carrivick Band sit alongside performances from Sherburn Bartley Sanders, Holly Clarke, Steve Turner, Katie Spencer and many more. You'll find familiar names, and new discoveries in each venue, with a wide mix of folk and roots genres and styles.

As well as the concerts, there's so much more taking place, across a range of spaces in the city centre. We'll have a fringe programme (free/donation entry) with:
Music performances in Chapel Street Arts Centre Cafe (Sat-Sun) and Mr Shaw's House on Sadlergate (Fri-Sun);
Music sessions in The Old Bell's Tudor Bar (Sat-Sun);
The Derby Song Maker Competition in Derby Museum's Coffee House (Sun- 1.45pm);
Dance performances through Cathedral Quarter Derby's streets (Sat-Sun);
Dance performances, May(Octo!)Pole, Ceilidhs (sat-Sun) and a fab Artisan Market (Fri-Sun) - as well as food, drink, and seating space throughout the weekend in Derby Market Hall

We'd love to see you - whether you're a regular visitor, or popping along to check it out... you'll find a warm welcome, and a great atmosphere.

All passes are available from:
www.derbylive.co.uk/whats-on/derby-folk-festival-2026

16/04/2026

SUNDAY PASS...

All of the artists and shows booked for Sunday are included - starting at 11.30am in Chapel Street Arts Centre, through to the concert in the Wardwick ending at 9pm.

You can catch:
Geoff Noble (Burton Folk Club) - Old Bell Hotel (and more!)
Sherburn Bartley Sanders - Old Bell Hotel & Chapel Street Arts Centre
The Rye Sisters - Old Bell Hotel & Chapel Street Arts Centre
Rob Stamper - Old Bell Hotel (and more!)
Steve & Julie Wigley - Old Bell Hotel (and more!)
Becky Foord Music - Chapel Street Arts Centre
Poke O'Swedgers - Chapel Street Arts Centre
Carl North - Chapel Street Arts Centre & Wardwick
Charlotte Carrivick Band - Wardwick
Lucy Ward - Wardwick
Narthen - Wardwick

We'd love to see you for the whole weekend, but if you can only make part of the festival, limited numbers of passes are available - Sunday is £35 (inc booking fee!)

https://www.derbylive.co.uk/whats-on/buy-tickets?instance=755497

15/04/2026

SATURDAY PASS...

All of the artists and shows booked for Saturday are included - starting at 11.15am in Chapel Street Arts Centre, through to the concert in the Wardwick ending at 10.30pm.

You can catch:
Simon Clements - Old Bell
Paul Walker & Karen Pfeiffer - Old Bell
Carrie Martin - Old Bell & Chapel Street Arts Centre
Winter Wilson - Old Bell (and more...)
Steve Turner - Chapel Street & Wardwick
Holly Clarke - Chapel Street Arts Centre
Sticky Bones Jones - Chapel Street Arts Centre
Oli Matthews Band - Chapel Street Arts Centre
Romy RoSong Music - Wardwick
Jackie Oates & Belinda O'Hooley - Wardwick
Katie Spencer - Wardwick
Sam Carter - Wardwick

We'd love to see you for the whole weekend, but if you can only make part of the festival, limited numbers of passes are available - Saturday is £40 (inc booking fee!)

https://www.derbylive.co.uk/whats-on/buy-tickets?instance=755297

Address

Derby LIVE Box Office, Chapel Street Arts Centre
Derby
DE13GU

Telephone

+441332255800

Website

http://www.derbyfolkfestival.co.uk/

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