Wirksworth Festival

17/10/2025

Did you enjoy the Wirksworth Arts Festival this year?

We are hugely grateful for all of you who made it a success. In addition to our visitors, we would like to thank the many artists, hosts, volunteers, sponsors and partners who gave their time, talent and venues. We also want to thank our friends and partners who fill the week with incredible activities.

Among these we are grateful to the Town Hall Events, Gig on the Roof, Musicwirks, Haarlem Artspace, Star-Disco, Lockstock, Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, local retailers and cafes and Haarlem Mill. We are also grateful for the many caterers who contributed to our ‘Food Hall’. It takes a community to make the Festival great, and we are grateful to you all.

- Wirksworth Festival Trustees.

09/09/2025

Check out this year's full events programme and start planning your visit at the Wirksworth Festival : https://wirksworthfestival.co.uk/events/

08/09/2025

Find all your bus and train information for the trail weekend on our website at : wirksworthfestival.co.uk/art-trail/

07/09/2025

Make sure to purchase your wristband for free access to the shuttle bus and be mindful of where to park during the Trail Weekend! 🌷

Find car parks and further information at : wirksworthfestival.co.uk/art-trail/

06/09/2025

Get your Wristbands for the Trail Weekend!

Purchase your wristband for the Art & Architecture Trail, on the 13th & 14th September to enjoy unlimited access to all venues, a free guide, and shuttle bus ride! You can find them at the following locations:

- Town Hall
- Memorial Hall
- Haarlem Mill

More information at : wirksworthfestival.co.uk/art-trail/

12/08/2025

We are looking for Volunteers! Come meet and support our lovely creative community of Wirksworth by helping out over the trail weekend. Find information on our website at wirksworthfestival.co.uk/join-in/volunteer and get in touch! ☀️

Contact the office [email protected] and [email protected]

05/08/2025

Wirksworth Festival welcomes the 2025/6 Artist in Residence Ellen Burroughs to the start of her three-month residency. With the continued support of the Ampersand Foundation www.theampersandfoundation.com
Ellen will now spend her time developing her project, exploring, and engaging within the community. We look forward to hosting Ellen with her return in the main exhibition at the 2026 Festival.

Ellen says,
“Over the course of my residency I will be exploring the value of children’s self-led play in natural, wild spaces. A series of site-specific engagements with local children, as well as some dedicated observation of my own, will inform a series of prints, a binaural sound piece and a fragrance designed to evoke our inner memories of childhood exploration of wild spaces.” www.ellenburroughs.wordpress.com

You will find more information about Ellen’s project on our website in the “News” section. www.wirksworthfestival.co.uk

01/08/2025

Mark your calendars for the "Wirksworth Arts Festival 2025" happening from September 11th to 21st and keep an eye out for the Events Guide available at various locations throughout town. 🌾

Don't miss the Trail Weekend on September 13th and 14th, along with this year's Community Celebration returning on Sunday the 21st!

30/07/2025

29/07/2025

🌿Announcement 🌿

It is so exciting to be able to announce that Liane Laing, our second Festival Artist in Residence has been elected a Royal Academician. She was with us during the pandemic and curated a brilliant exhibition the following year. She has gone on to work with the Festival ever since and has become a frequent visitor to Wirksworth. After her residency she exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition each year, and in September unveiled a sculpture at the National Stone Centre with support from Longcliffe and the Institute of Quarrying.
At any one time there are no more than 100 Royal Academicians. Of these 100, there must always be at least 14 Sculptors, 12 Architects and 8 Printmakers; with the balance made up of Painters. They are all practicing professional artists or architects who work in the UK and share a deep commitment to art and architecture and the belief in the valuable contribution that the arts make to the world.

The Wirksworth Arts Festival Artist in Residence programme is funded by The Ampersand Foundation, and the Festival, and offers artists a 3-month residency in the town and the opportunity to curate a major exhibition of work the following year.

Here at the Festival, we are so pleased for Liane at this news - it’s a testament to her hard work and her excellent artistic skills and ingenuity. We also know that the time she spent with the Festival played a large part in the development of her work since 2020, especially her discovery of the quarries, footpaths, and old lead mines.

When Liane rang to tell us the news she said :
‘My time at the Festival was so important in the development of my work, so thank you so much!’

26/07/2025

Musical mayhem up close and personal in a unique intimate setting.

26/07/2025

Art in the Rose Gardens, Hopton Hall Gardens takes place this weekend 26 & 27th July 2025. Don’t miss the opportunity to explore the beautiful rose gardens of Hopton Hall and browse a wealth of art work including work inspired and created en plein air on site. Open10.30am to 4pm 26th–27th July our fair will coincide with Hopton Hall’s culminative exhibition of work created during their Month of Art