Derby, Loud and Alive: The First TRENDИG Awards

After a genuinely electric year for Derby, it felt inevitable that something like the first-ever TRENDИG Awards would happen. This is a city that, quietly and confidently, has been going through a renaissance. New venues opening their doors. Independent bars finding their crowd. Regeneration projects breathing new life into familiar streets. A creative energy that feels less like a trend and more like a long-overdue moment.

Derby in 2025 hasn’t just been busy – it’s been alive. On any given night you can stumble into a gig that leaves your ears ringing and your faith in local music fully restored. You can eat exceptionally well without touching a chain restaurant. You can find hidden courtyards, backroom venues, pop-up exhibitions, late-night bars and spaces that didn’t exist a year ago – or existed quietly, waiting for the city to catch up with them. The culture has stopped asking for permission.

That momentum hasn’t stopped at music and nightlife. Derby’s skate scene has also been having a moment of its own. From DIY spots and long-standing street locations to the arrival of a new skate park giving the city’s skaters a permanent, visible home, skate culture has become a louder, more confident part of Derby’s creative identity. It’s another reminder that this city’s energy doesn’t just live on stages and behind bars – it lives in concrete, community and commitment.

That’s exactly why the TRENDИG Awards exist.

The TRENDИG Awards mark a brand-new chapter for Derby’s creative, cultural and culinary scene. As the first awards of their kind on TRENDИG, they are designed to shine a spotlight on the people, places and stories that make this city such a vibrant and endlessly surprising place to live. Derby has always had creativity running through its veins, but this past year has felt like a turning point. From an electric live music scene to a flourishing independent food culture, from grassroots artists making national waves to skaters building community around new spaces, these awards celebrate the full spectrum of what makes Derby special.

Every category in the TRENDИG Awards reflects a corner of Derby life that TRENDИG has spent the year documenting – the gigs that shook the walls of our favourite venues, the bars and restaurants raising the city’s flavour game, the artists pushing boundaries, the promoters grafting behind the scenes, the skate crews keeping the city moving, and the community projects keeping Derby’s story alive. This is a celebration built on genuine admiration for the city we call home.

What makes these awards different is simple: they’re built from the ground up. Every category reflects the places, people and sounds that define Derby right now. There’s no panel hiding in a back room. No industry politics. Just the city voting for itself.

Every vote in the TRENDИG Awards is cast openly and transparently by the people who actually live here, go out here, make things here and care about this city. Voting is limited to one entry per email address, device and IP address to keep things fair and representative. No funny business. No stuffing the ballot box. Just real voices backing the places, sounds and people that matter to them.

Because these awards aren’t about polish or prestige. They’re about recognition. About finally saying that your favourite bar deserves its flowers. That the band you’ve seen six times this year should be seen by everyone else. That the venue holding the scene together on a shoestring budget deserves more than just word-of-mouth praise. That the skate spots and spaces keeping Derby’s youth culture alive matter just as much as any stage or gallery. Clicking a name is a small thing – but collectively, it builds a snapshot of Derby’s culture as it actually exists right now.

There is a lot to celebrate. Derby is more vibrant than it’s been in years. The nights feel longer. The calendar feels fuller. The streets feel more alive. The city feels confident enough to back itself again. The TRENDИG Awards are not trying to define Derby – they’re reflecting it back to itself, clearly and honestly.

Voting for the TRENDИG Awards is now open and will close at midnight on 28 February 2026. If you’ve danced there, skated there, drank there, played there, exhibited there, eaten there or fallen in love with a corner of this city this year – now’s the time to show it some love. Click the name. Cast the vote. Be part of Derby’s moment.

You can vote in the Voting for the TRENDИG Awards is now open and will close at midnight on 28 February 2026. If you’ve danced there, skated there, drank there, played there, exhibited there, eaten there or fallen in love with a corner of this city this year – now’s the time to show it some love. Click the name. Cast the vote. Be part of Derby’s moment.

Voting for the TRENDИG Awards is now open and will close at midnight on 28 February 2026. If you’ve danced there, skated there, drank there, played there, exhibited there, eaten there or fallen in love with a corner of this city this year – now’s the time to show it some love. Click the name. Cast the vote. Be part of Derby’s moment.

You can vote in the TRENDИG Awards here!

Topics