Derby

Derby is full of boutiques and high street stores giving plenty of options for everyone’s taste and style. There are four main shopping areas within Derby:

• Cathedral Quarter - includes a large range of shops, boutiques, coffee shops and restaurants. Have fun walking down the cobbled streets discovering the antique and vintages stores.
• St Peters' Quarter - The quarter boasts a diverse range of retail shops many of them, in Green Lane, Babington Lane and Osmaston Road and independent traders. St Peters Street, London Road and East Street also includes a large choice of national retailers along with pubs, restaurants, banks and offices.
• Normanton Road – fancy something with an Asian twist? Then head to Normanton road to check out the diverse range of Asian and European stores. It has something to offer everyone and at a bargain price.

There are an abundance of restaurants to choose from to suit every taste and budget: Italian, Indian, Chinese, Japanese and many others.

In the Intu centre, you can choose from Nandos, Pizza Express, Zizzi and plenty more in the food court. But if you fancy something a bit more tingling to your taste buds, then check these areas out full of tasty menus:

• Sadler Gate – full of restaurants and bars such as Fat Cats, Le Bistro Pierre, restaurant Zest.
• Friar Gate – one of the most popular spots is Japanese Teppenyaki and sushi restaurant Moonsha.
• London Road – popular with the locals as the street with plenty of the finest Indian restaurants from Anoki to Shalimar Gold.
• The Strand – the famous chains such as Lola Lo’s, Turtle Bay and Revs de Cuba are located here.
• Green Lane – authentic east-Asian food restaurants such as Papaya Thai.
• Blacksmiths Road – Blacksmiths Loft and Embers are the two of the best restaurants you'll find here.

Derby hosts monthly farmers’ markets, selling fresh breads, cheeses and meats from local producers. There are also continental and Christmas markets, with lots of different foods on offer from all over the world.

Derby city centre has an excellent range of bars and clubs for all tastes. Whether you fancy a quiet drink, cocktails, real ale pubs or a big night out, Derby has something to offer everyone.

• Walkabout – great place to check out live sports events hosting some of the biggest games and a popular student night out location. Down the road is Slug and Lettuce so if you fancy a quieter drink in their recently renovated bar, check it out, we recommend the cocktail trees!
• Revolution, Lola LO and Josephine’s all within walking distance of each other providing you with a variety of music. It is also located next to the taxi rink ensuring you get a safe trip back home.
• Distillery – brand new cocktail and whiskey bar opened up in Friar Gate, located at the end of the strip so perfect to wind the night down or before you head to the clubs in The Strand.
• Derby is popular for the ‘mile’ pub crawl which starts at the top of Ashbourne Road (next to the University) and ends in town. So many have tried the 11 pub bar crawl but not many have succeeded in completing it, will you be next?

Derby has great live gig venues across the city providing music for all tastes, ages and genres. Some of the most popular venues are:

• The Flowerpot – famous for its tribute bands, local performances and real ale pub, you cannot go wrong at the Flowerpot.
• The Venue - features a mixture of local artists and acts who are out on tour up and down the UK.
• The Hairy Dog - bringing you the best of alternative music from the UK and overseas as well as supporting the local scene.
• The Book Café – hosts a lot of acoustic nights from the best local and regional performers served with some great coffee, teas and cakes.
• Derby LIVE also host a variety of musical acts across the city all at different venues.

Over the past few years Derby has been putting a lot of investment into the city to improve its cultural experience for the people who live there and also for its visitors.

• The QUAD is Derby’s centre for art and film with its own independent cinema, art galleries, café bar and workshops aimed at all ages to get them involved with art and creativity.
• Derby Live runs a number of theatre venues, which offer a wide variety of entertainment including comedy, drama, music, pantomime and opera.
• Déda Dance is a dedicated dance centre, offering performances and classes in a range of techniques and styles.
• Derby Theatre is a vibrant venue with an exciting programme of artistic performances. It has had some famous names continuously attend such as Sarah Millican.
• Derby is officially the most haunted city in the UK, so try the Derby Ghost Walks one night if you dare!

Derby has invested in sports over the past few years providing more attractions and activities to take part in.‌ There are lots of sports clubs and organisations in Derby for people of all ages and abilities. The most popular sports in Derby are:

• Athletics – there are several facilities which promote athletics within Derby and the Moorways centre is one of them hosting various events throughout the year.
• Cycling - Derby has recently opened the Velodrome theatre which has already brought a host of sports personalities such as Sir Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish. It is scheduled to host a variety of events in the future and even includes a state of the art gym and indoor pool.
• Triathlon - Derby Triathlon Club is one of the oldest and most respected triathlon clubs in the country. With over 200 members, we cater for novices who want to use triathlon training to improve their levels of fitness.
• Football – Derby County Football Club is one of the most successful clubs in the league and also famous for its rivalry with Nottingham Forest. You can catch a match at the iPro Stadium or join one of the many football clubs across Derby to play for fun or become a part of the league. Each year Derby hosts the Asian Football Tournament which involves cities across the Midlands playing in each city in a knock out tournament over the summer.
• Swimming – swimming is one of the focus sports in Derby and the council have placed a lot of money into it over the years providing top swimming facilities across the city.
• University of Derby - brand new £10.8 million Sports Centre opened in September 2015, boasting state-of-the-art facilities including a 70 station fitness suite, an 8 badminton court sports hall, spacious fitness and cycling studios, climbing wall, squash courts plus a 3-lane indoor sprint track and sand pit.