Dragons bring magic to Derby
The tenth annual Derby Festé will return to the city centre this Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th September with a packed programme of family entertainment featuring a host of top local, national and international artists and performers.
Derby Festé is produced and presented by Derby LIVE, Déda, QUAD and Derby Theatre in association with the Without Walls Associate Touring Network. It is funded by Arts Council England and Derby City Council, with sponsorship from Cathedral Quarter, Intu Derby, Derby Riverlights and Park Farm Shopping Centre.
The fun starts on the evening of Friday September 23 with a performance of Carousel by the Southpaw Dance Company on Cathedral Green.
The headline act on Friday evening will be the return of the stunning giant fire-breathing Sarruga Dragons that took the city by storm at the first Festé in 2007. The breath-taking parade will start at Derby Riverlights and wind its way through the city centre and into the Cathedral Quarter, before making a spectacular entrance into the Market Place.
From 9.45pm, the Market Place will then be transformed into a party space with The New York Brass Band and Alex Blood and the Diggers performing live on stage.
Throughout the evening, the popular Night Market by Sheena Holland which has become a popular calendar date in the Cathedral Quarter will be set up in the Market Place – offering an eclectic mix of vintage crafts and food and drink stalls for visitors to enjoy.
On Saturday September 24, the Cathedral Quarter, St Peter’s Cross, Riverlights and Intu Derby shopping centre will be a bustling hub of street entertainment featuring more than 20 different acts including dance, aerial performance, theatre, comedy and contemporary circus.
The climax of Derby Festé will see Derby’s Bass’ Recreation Ground transformed into a magical underwater spectacle on Saturday evening. French company Transe Express will bring its brand new outdoor performance MÚ which will be only its second performance in the UK.
Derby Festé artistic director Stephen Munn, director at regional dance house Déda explained: “We are delighted to have two such spectacular headline performances over the Festé weekend. The Sarruga Dragons and MÚ show two different but equally stunning aspects of outdoor performance.”
MÚ is Derby Festé’s only ticketed event. Gates open at 7pm for an 8pm performance. Prices are £7 each and are available to purchase on the door or via the Derby LIVE Box Office
All the other performances are free.
