Local Events Derbyshire

Royal Shrove Tide Football- held on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday each year.

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Ancient game of football played between 'uppers' and 'downers' depending on which side of the river you live. A hand made exquisitely painted leather ball is thrown up by a local or famous figure at 2.00pm each day from Ashbourne Shaw Croft car park.The game goes on until around 10.00pm in the evening. Goal posts are around 2 miles apart, anyone can play with hundreds in each team- no real rules, prepare to get wet. Great fun not to be missed.

Crich Tramway Museum
Various theme events throughout the year, ring for details.

Tel. 01773 854321     www.tramway.co.uk

Well Dressings- Ancient tradition of dressing old wells using flower petals- religious themes.
Tissington  - Beginning May              Tel. 01335 352200
Wirksworth  - End of May                Tel. 01335 822695
Ashford in the Water - Late May      Tel. 01773 822537 

Chatsworth Horse Trials

Ashbourne Arts Festival- from mid June to 1st week in July every year.      www.ashbournefestival.org     01335 348707

Festival of Music, theatre, poetry,art,walks and workshops for all ages. Highlight event each year.

ASHBOURNE ARTS 1999 to date 

The small market town of Ashbourne is situated at the southern end of the beautiful Derbyshire Dales and is locally known as the gateway to Dovedale.  Its population, slightly more than 7000, serves the outlying areas of the southern Dales and parts of the Staffordshire Moorlands and East Staffordshire.  Its rural situation is attractive to tourists, but potentially isolating for local communities. 

The Ashbourne Arts steering group came together as a result of the enthusiasm of members of the Ashbourne Youth and Adult Community Centre Management Committee, local artists, craftspeople and people from the communities surrounding Ashbourne.  Its original directors and members, largely unchanged today still perform their roles in a voluntary capacity, a unique situation for a festival of this size within the East Midlands. 

The members of the steering group of Ashbourne Arts represent a remarkably diverse range of talents, but all possess a desire to see art and culture in the area flourish, primarily through the medium of an annual festival, which aims to encourage community focus and generate interest from both the local population and visitors alike.

 Ashbourne Arts and Ashbourne Festival celebrated their tenth anniversary in 2009. The company  was granted Charitable status in July 2007 and its primary focus is to organise a two-week long Festival during June and July each year.  The Festival continues to grow in stature, now attracting support from major funders and internationally known performers to this charming rural area.  But not forgetting its community origins, it continues to provide for the cultural needs of the town and surrounding area.

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Ashbourne Arts Festival- Early July each year 

Ashbourne Highland Gathering- Mid July each year.
Scotland in the Peaks, a great day with tossing the caber, strength contests,highland dancing and music, bands and bagpipes, side stalls and vintage vehicles- something for all the family.

Tel.01339 756224

Bakewell Show-  First Wednesday and Thursday in August each year.
Two day large agricultural show on Bakewell Showground. 6000 entries in more than 700 competative classes. Floral art, food and farming, cattle, sheep, chickens,pigeons, rabbits, goats, horses, dogs, ferrets, army, vintage vehicles, trade stands.
01629 812736

Ashbourne Show -Around 20th August each year.
Agricultural Country Show including cattle, shires, sheep, goats and horses. Caged birds and dog show.