2026 is shaping up to be an even bigger and more exciting year for Derby’s children and young people, with a growing calendar of fun and engaging events from Derby City Council’s Derby Promise programme in the works.
The Council has joined with schools, employers, cultural and sports organisations from across Derby to form the Derby Promise, ensuring every child and young person has access to inspiring, high-quality opportunities both inside and outside the classroom. These are designed to help young learners understand the world of work, and their future pathways into work. Now entering its second full year, this city-wide programme is committed to help every child in Derby thrive — regardless of background.
In 2025 Derby Promise delivered powerful and purposeful ways for the city’s children and young people to explore their ambitions, with over 5,000 children engaging with its three flagship events. The Festival of Ideas, Dream Fest, and the Summer Festival gave pupils access to industry professionals, cultural practitioners and sports leaders, and connected learning with real-life experiences. New additions for 2026 include a Children and Young Persons Summit, and a city-wide celebration for the National Year of Reading.
Paul Hezelgrave, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Skills, said:
The Derby Promise continues to grow in scale, strengthening career pathways, and expanding meaningful opportunities for children and young people across Derby. It forms part of our shared commitment to raising aspirations, building confidence, and helping every child and young person see a future they can thrive in.
Last year, thousands of young people didn’t just hear about Derby’s opportunities, they experienced them too. We’re building on that in 2026, with even more exciting and meaningful opportunities planned around Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM), sports, and culture.
Some of the events planned for 2026 include:
STEM teacher training day (February)
Derby Promise schools will attend this free Derby Promise Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) Training Day on the 11 February at the Museum of Making. This event will support primary, secondary and special-school teachers to make the most of Derby Promise opportunities, with a focus on STEM outreach, careers education and employer engagement. Rolls Royce and Developing Experts will be stopping by to give practical guidance and inclusive ways to encourage young learners in following their STEM career dreams.
Roots: a children, young people and family careers and support drop in (February)
This careers information, support and guidance drop-in for children and young people and their families will take place at Electric Daisy on 19 February. The event will bring together providers from across Derby in a marketplace-style setting, offering support and guidance from services including Family Hubs, Parent Carer forum, Employment and Skills team and more. With food, music and activities focused on aspirations and careers, young people will be encouraged to explore in positive conversations about their future while providing families with practical support and guidance.
Festival of Ideas: Celebrating World Skills day (March)
Returning for a third year, this event connects education, AI industry, and technological innovation. Students will explore green career pathways and discover how STEAM subjects can help them tackle real-world challenges.
More than 400 children and young people attended the two-phase Festival of Ideas at the Council House and Pride Park Stadium during COP29 in November 2024 and British Science Week in March 2025. This year’s Festival of Ideas will expand on this, letting children explore careers in STEM, whilst taking part in hands-on sustainability workshops and discovering real technologies shaping a low carbon future.
Dream Fest 26: The West End comes to Derby (April/May)
Dream Fest 25 saw the newly refurbished Derby Market Hall transformed into a creative hub filled with performances, workshops, dance, storytelling and opportunities for young people to connect with organisations such as the Royal Shakespeare Company, to learn how creative passions grow into real career pathways.
Following this success, Dream Fest will return this spring to inspire the next generation of creatives and performers in our city into creative careers. Working in partnership with The Lewis Sewell Trust, Children will have the opportunity to perform alongside West End stars from Matilda to Wicked.
Summer Festival (August)
Derby Promise’s popular Summer Festival enters its third year, inviting pupils aged 8-14 to experience a week-long celebration of physical activity, skills building and wellbeing. This event gives children access to taster sessions run by professional coaches, and alongside daily talks from industry professionals about careers in sports and leisure.
In summer of 2025 the Festival welcomed around 200 young people each day, giving every child the chance to try an average of six different sports, from cricket and athletics to wheelchair basketball and judo, explore teamwork, communication and hear from industry experts. Children were also introduced to the wider sporting community in Derby, inspiring new hobbies and friendships along the way.
To watch videos about last year’s Dream Fest and Summer Festival highlights, and for information about booking onto these events and to access other resources, visit the Derby Promise website.