What's On, When & Where...
Click the link below to check out all you need to know about what's happening in Wirksworth. But even if you don't see anythng listed on the dates you're in town, you can still enjoy a great day out, followed by a great night in one of Wirksworth's many pubs and restaurants.
Keep scrolling below to read about some of the years' highlights - from Well Dressing to Wheelbarrow Races, from Arts Festivals to Beer Festivals - there's always a good reason to visit.
Wirksworth Book Festival
April
Spring is alive to the sound of pages being thumbed across town. Local and national authors and illustrators read from their latest books, with guided walks and the hotly contested book quiz.
Wirksworth Book Festival is now looking for next year’s local writers and venues to form the core of what the event is about – free events, showcasing local writers. If you’ve any suggestions please do drop Val Stacey a line.
Well Dressing Festival
Late May Bank Holiday
Wirksworth is home to the largest traditional Peak District Well Dressing Festival. Beautiful mosaics are painstakingly created with flower petals, leaves, mosses and other natural objects pressed into large clay covered frames. Each tells a unique story. They are displayed around town after each is blessed during a procession on the late May bank holiday weekend.
Wirksworth Carnival
May Bank Holiday Monday
The Carnival is a weekend of fun for all. The infamous wheelbarrow race is a leg-shaking, gut-wrenching endurance test ending along an uphill final straight to the Market Place. Entrants have to drink a half-pint as they pass each town pub. The colourful carnival parade processes through town and ends with a party on the bank holiday Monday.
Wirksworth Open Gardens
June
Enjoy stunning displays in the town’s glorious gardens, hidden courtyards and planted patios during one weekend every June. A great opportunity to look behind the walls, be inspired by the gardens and enjoy delicious homemade cakes and teas on the way.
Wirksworth Festival
September
Every September Wirksworth hosts one of the UK’s leading contemporary arts festivals. The town becomes a huge gallery for the art and architecture trail weekend when residents open their homes to around 150 artists. Curated exhibitions, makers markets, street theatre and performance events cater for all tastes.
Wirksworth Beer Festival
October
Sample the finest real ales and craft beers from independent breweries across Derbyshire and surrounding counties. Entertainment is provided throughout the day by a host of local bands and other performers.
2022 marks the 7th Annual Wirksworth Beer Festival
12 NOON - 11pm, 15th October 2022.
Wirksworth Wizarding Day
Sunday October 9th 2022
Something magical happens in town as Halloween approaches and fans of Harry Potter, and other wizardly stories, gather for a day of family and grown-up wizarding activities, from crafts and stalls to train rides and Quidditch.
“Wirksworth Wizarding Day 2018 was a huge success as 7,000 fans of Harry Potter descended on the town on Saturday 20 October. The event started as an idea by Potter fans Bill Bevan and Sally-Anne Swindell, and turned into one of the Peak District’s biggest and friendliest family events in its first year.”
Wirksworth Markets
Tuesday Market
You guessed it - every Tuesday
For all your regular market shopping - fresh bread, fresh fish, fruit and veg
Farmers Market
Every First Saturday of the Month
A great selection of foods, produce and hand crafted products, with music and sunshine (mostly)
Antiques on the Streets
Various times throughout the year
Browse antiques and bric-a-brac, secondhand books, curios and bargains!
