Eastern and western cultures will come together in the “most spectacular fashion” at the 2017 Derby Festé.
The city’s two-day outdoor entertainment event which has been held for 11 years will take place later than usual in 2017, on 29 and 30 September to coincide with the climax of Navratri.
The nine-day Hindu festival finishes on Friday 29 September and coincides with the 70th anniversary celebrations of India’s independence.
Derby Festé artistic lead Stephen Munn said, “every year we look to bring a new aspect into the programme and our aim is to showcase two different aspects of festival cultures in Europe and in South Asia.
“I and colleagues from the University of Derby and (visual arts charity) Artcore were lucky enough to be invited to see the Navrati Festival two years ago in Vadodara which was a truly spectacular event.
“I was amazed just how many people of all ages, cultures and backgrounds came out onto the streets to celebrate together and I wanted to replicate this as part of Festé.”
On the Friday, there will be a “show-stopping” aerial performance of The Altitude Show by European artists Gorilla Circus.
On the Saturday, there will be a free programme of street entertainment across the Cathedral Quarter and St Peters Quarter with dance, street theatre, comedy and contemporary circus acts performing throughout the day at various locations.
In the late afternoon, the focus will be on South Asian style cultural celebrations and crowds will gather for the Colour of Time procession.