Celebrating making in all its forms
Get involved in Dare to Dream
Discover events across the county
Celebrating making in all its forms
Get involved in Dare to Dream
Discover events across the county
What's On
What is Derbyshire Makes?
Creatives, crafters, artists, anyone up for having a go - coming together for Derbyshire's new celebration of making.
Derbyshire is a place that makes. Home of the world’s first water powered mills and the birthplace of fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, this is a county that’s great at innovation. Eclectic inventions have had their origins here – from the Arabesque coffee pot to Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft, from the lifesaving Plimsoll Line to the hot dog. The county’s gritstone ridges, limestone valleys and heather-frosted moors have long inspired artists, and now Derbyshire Makes is creating new opportunities for local residents and makers.
Derbyshire Makes is a new programme of cultural events across the county - including projects produced by local communities and commissions from Derbyshire artists. It launched with the free Derbyshire Makes Festival, an annual event taking place across six distinct local Hubs - the next festival will take place from 11th April - 16th May 2026.
Projects
Dare to Dream
MAKE Room
Women Who Make
The Makory
Visit the Digital Loom
Visit the Digital Loom to reveal the artworks submitted so far.
Click the 'submit your artwork' button on the Digital Loom page to upload a photo of your own flag or banner artwork to the ever-growing digital loom.
Share the link to the Digital Loom on your socials and use the hashtag #DerbyshireMakes and tag in @DerbyshireMakes.
News
Dare to Dream Resource Pack
Derbyshire Makes History launches
Sites of Resilience
Where are the events?
Derbyshire Makes Festival will take place from Saturday 11th April – Saturday 16th May 2026 across the county, including a day in each of our six local Hubs, over six weeks. In Cromford, Chesterfield (industry events only), Swadlincote, Heanor, Glossop, and Bolsover. There will be artist talks, craft-based demonstrations and making opportunities, as well as exhibitions, performances and more. Have a look at the inaugural Festival in 2025 to give you an idea of what to expect.
Beyond the festival, our projects programme of activities is designed to provide year-round engagement opportunities for artists and makers – with Women Who Make focussing on artists, makers, designers and activists who identify as women, and MAKE Room exploring our relationship to Nature. Our mass making project Dare to Dream invites thousands of people to be a part of a monumental artwork in celebration of Derbyshire’s textiles heritage – and come together to dream of a better future through making.
