All tickets now on sale for 2021 Festival

Tickets are now on sale for over 60 in-person events at the sixth Derby Book Festival. For the first time in its history, the Festival will provide a hybrid Festival with in-person, live streamed, recorded and outdoor events taking place across the city from 27 May - 5 June for all ages and interests with something for everyone.

This year’s Festival, funded by the University of Derby and Arts Council England as well as sponsorship from local businesses, has an exciting programme over the May half-term break making use of vibrant spaces across the city including Derby Theatre, Derby College, Deda, Derby Cathedral, Derby Museum & Art Gallery and the newly opened Museum of Making as well as five of the city’s parks.

The Festival is likely to be one of the first in the UK to hold in-person events since lockdown ended if all goes to plan and venues re-open from 17 May.

The programme features writers, poets, illustrators, historians, musicians, and more, to discuss everything from clouds to crime, romance to railways, and walking to Wallis Simpson.

Liz Fothergill, Chair of the Festival, said: “We look forward to welcoming our audiences back and are delighted that ticket sales are so strong for the 12 in-person events we already have on sale at Derby Theatre and feel sure that there is an appetite for returning to our venues.

“We are grateful to the University of Derby film course for their support with the filming of so many events which we are able to live stream this year, giving us the potential to reach a wider audience than in previous years. We realise not everyone is ready to return to our venues and we want to ensure as many people as possible can enjoy the Festival in whatever way they prefer.”

Tickets have been on sale at Derby Theatre for 12 events for two weeks, including BBC North America Editor, Jon Sopel, which is sold out for the in-person event but live streamed tickets are still available. Other events include poets Hollie McNish and Brian Bilston, official biographer of Victoria Wood, Jasper Rees, leading political commentator Iain Dale on The Prime Ministers, BBC Special Correspondent James Naughtie on his coverage of US presidential elections from Nixon to Biden, Costa Book of the Year winner, Monique Roffey (The Mermaid of Black Conch), and a Gothic Novel Panel.

Professor Kathryn Mitchell DL, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Derby, said: “I am delighted that the University of Derby continues to support Derby Book Festival in 2021.

“The Festival plays a significant part in the cultural vibrancy of the city, so we are extremely excited to play our part in this and cannot wait to see the breadth of inspirational activities planned for this year.”

This year’s programme includes:

• the annual Festival Lunch with Anna Pasternak on Wallis Simpson (sponsored by Darwin Escapes) and two Afternoon Teas with Francesca Wade (Square Haunting) and Pen Vogler (Scoff: The History of Food and Drink) (sponsored by Smith Partnership), all of them at the Museum of Making
• for history lovers: Alison Weir on Katheryn Howard (sponsored by Freeths), Lucy Jago & Natasha Pulley on creating historical fiction, Patricia Fara on Erasmus Darwin and Shrabani Basi on The Mystery of the Parsee Lawyer
• Crime and thriller writers will include Alex Reeve & Russ Thomas and debut author, Abigail Dean (Girl A)
• if you like something a bit darker, there’s a Gothic Novel Panel with Stuart Turton, Catriona Ward & Sarah Ward and Kate Summerscale on The Haunting of Alma Fielding plus Peter Ross on A Tomb with a View
• for trains and planes enthusiasts, railway expert Christian Wolmar on Cathedrals of Steam and Duncan Campbell-Smith on Sir Frank Whittle
• Local historians can look forward to Florence Nightingale at Home, which was released to celebrate the bicentenary of her birth in 2020
• Debut authors include home-grown talent Jane Bettany and Helen Cooper as well as Rebecca Watson
• Nature lovers can enjoy the outdoors on a Bird Watching walk with Mark Cocker, a dog walk with Helen Mort and a Cloudspotting with Gavin Pretor-Pinney.

As the Festival falls across the schools’ half term holiday, there will be a strong programme for children and families, sponsored by Smith Partnership, including five Family Days in the Park with activities each day in a different park - Darley, Markeaton, Sinfin Moor, Alvaston and the Arboretum. Families and children can also look forward to author and illustrator Jane Porter running three Collage Workshops at Deda featuring The Boy Who Loved Everyone, which is shortlisted for the Derby Children’s Picture Book Award and Lucy McRobert encouraging families to engage more with nature and talking about her book, 365 Days Wild.

Events already on sale at Derby Theatre include leading political commentator Iain Dale on The Prime Ministers, BBC Special Correspondent James Naughtie on his coverage of US presidential elections from Nixon to Biden, Costa Book of the Year winner, (The Mermaid of Black Conch), as part of the literary fiction line up.

There will be five Virtual events featuring Val McDermid, Jon McGregor, Mary Lawson and Polly Samson.

In addition to the tickets for in-person and live streamed events, this year the Festival offers a Digital Pass for £25 giving unlimited access to the events that will be filmed and recorded, which includes all the events at Derby Theatre, Derby College and the Museum of Making.

Festival events will be organised following government guidance and the venues’ strict health and safety measures, including socially distanced seating, one-way systems, hand sanitiser and mask wearing.