Derby will be creating a unique visitor experience in 2022 as it bids to become the UK's City of Culture in 2025. Cultural events will attract tourism and bring the city centre to life once more. Derby has a rich cultural heritage, illustrious history and an ambitious future. Communities, organisations and businesses will unite and work together for a common goal, using culture as the mechanism for regeneration in the city. https://culturederby.co.uk/

Derby continues to have a significant cultural impact on the UK and deserves to be recognised for this. Winning the title of City of Culture will enable Derby to attract additional investment, create jobs and draw thousands of visitors to the local area, kickstarting a prosperous future for the city.

Here are 5 reasons why Derby is one of the UK's top cultural destinations in 2022

• The globally diverse and thriving arts community - From poetry to street theatre

Derby has a storied history of creativity and it's diverse modern community has continued that legacy. QUAD is a charity and cultural hub right in the heart of Derby. It is an international centre for engagement in contemporary art and film, focusing on major exhibitions, professional practice for artists, independent film and the creative use of digital technologies. Upcoming events include working together with local artists and businesses for masterclasses on music and fashion.

With over 140 nationalities represented in Derby, it is one of the UK's most culturally diverse communities and this is reflected in the range of festivals held in Derby each year. Derby Folk Festival began in 2007 and has become nationally renowned, continuing to grow each year. FORMAT International Photography Festival is the UK's leading international contemporary festival of photography and welcomes over 100,000 visitors from all over the world to its biennale. The Derby Caribbean Carnival is an annual celebration of arts and culture organised by the West Indian Community Association. Derby Festé is an outdoor street arts festival which brings the city centre streets to life with contemporary and unique music, dance and street theatre performances. The Festé is organised by Déda, a Centre for Dance, Movement and Creativity. Déda offers exceptional programmes of dance, contemporary circus and outdoor performance right in the centre of Derby.

Another example of Derby's lively arts scene is Jamie Thrasivoulou, an award-winning writer and poet from Derby. He's a passionate East Midlander who likes nothing more than to highlight the beauty of his home county of Derbyshire. Jamie is the official poet of Derby County Football Club and his poem 'We Are Derby' is performed to 27,000 fans before each home game.

• The vibrant music scene which includes a unique Grammy nominated local orchestra

Sinfonia Viva are an innovative orchestra and music education charity from Derby who work across the country to create meaningful musical experiences with everyone from the young, the old, those with special needs and anyone else with a passion for music. Their orchestra has had significant success with a Grammy nomination and winning an RPS award.

The Darley Park Concert is one of the UK's biggest outdoor classical concerts and a highlight of the summer in Derby. The 2021 edition featured music inspired by Derby's history of engineering, science and technology.

Eyez (full name Elijah Eyes) is an internationally acclaimed musician from Derby who has decided to give back to the community he came from. After attending Derby College as a student he is returning as a member of the staff, teaching a grime, drill, hip hop and R&B class. He will be hoping to help inspire the next generation of Derby's musical talent.

• A proud industrial heritage and a city which is continuing to lead in the modern era

As Europe looks to regain its manufacturing hubs in a less-globalised world, one city where manufacturing never left has been Derby. The city has pioneered global transport as the birthplace of the industrial revolution and is home to the world's very first factory, Derby Silk Mill. The factory was built in 1721 and this year marked its 300th anniversary. After a £17 million redevelopment the factory has been revitalised as the Museum of Making, opening in May 2021. The museum celebrates Derby's rich history of creativity, making and innovation.

Derby remains at the heart of advanced British manufacturing as the base of Rolls Royce, Alstom and Toyota. Derby is home to the UK's most important transport train and aeroplane manufacturers and is set to play a vital role in the UK's shift to greener transport as the UK government aims to meet it's 2050 net zero emissions target. Alstom is set to play a direct role in transforming Britain's rail links as it was awarded a £2 billion contract to build high speed trains, this will also create hundreds of jobs in Derby. 

For centuries Derby has been quietly transforming Britain, the city has been at the forefront of innovative new ideas and then turning those ideas into reality with pioneering technologies. That's still true today with the development of digital skills and research in new environmental technologies and industries that are set to make the planet more sustainable.

• Discover an illustrious history with the UK's oldest factory and England's first public park 

Derby is home to the UK's oldest factory, historic hotels, parks and sights. It was over 300 years ago when the world's first modern factory was opened in Derby and with it came the birth of the industrial revolution.

The acclaimed artist Joseph Wright is so famously associated with his home town that he is more often known as Joseph Wright of Derby. The city is home to the largest collection of his works in the world with many on display at the Derby Museum and Art Gallery. His paintings of science reflected the struggle against religion during the Age of Enlightenment. He remains a highly renowned painter for the way he expressed the spirit of the industrial revolution in a time before modern technology.

Derby Arboretum was first opened in 1840 and is famous for being England's first public park. The land was donated by philanthropist Joseph Strutt who wanted to reward the working people of Derby for the part they had played in helping him and his family amass their enormous fortune. It is Grade II-listed and even inspired the design of New York's iconic Central Park.

• Sporting excellence with potential GB Olympic superstars

The Derbyshire Institute of Sport is based at the University of Derby and was the base for 9 of Team GB's Tokyo 2020 Olympic team. The institute was set up after the London 2012 games as part of the legacy project with the aim of increasing the number of Derbyshire-based world class athletes and giving them the best opportunity for success. Athletes include the 400-metre hurdles specialist Jess Turner and table tennis star Liam Pitchford who won Commonwealth Games gold back in 2018 on Australia's Gold Coast.

Homegrown hero Karam Singh aka Kid Karam is set to be one of Team GB's top prospects at the Paris 2024 Olympics in the new event of competitive breakdancing. 23-year-old Karam has been busy putting the UK dance scene on the world map and regularly competes across the globe, including the annual international breakdancing competition, Red Bull BC One. He has over 230,000 followers on the social media platform TikTok and this October he became the first Nike sponsored breaker. Karam was the youngest-ever recipient of a prestigious Made in Derby plaque and has won numerous international breakdancing titles. Expect Karam to keep making waves, he's one to watch.