Derby/Culture, entertainment and sport

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The annual open-air concert at Darley Park is one of the biggest free concerts of its kind. The Derby Jazz group caters for the jazz interest in the city and is regarded as one of the UK's leading live jazz organizations. There is also a summer rock music festival 'Ponce in the Park' which takes place in late July every year.

QUADis a new Visual Arts and Media Centre currently under construction in Derby. Work has commenced on the QUAD building and is due to be complete in 2008. The new building will house two digital cinema screens showing the best in independent and Hollywood cinema, two gallery spaces housing contemporary visual arts, a mac studio, participation spaces, digital editing suites, artists studio and a darkroom.

Derby Arboretum was the first public park in the country, and is thought to have been one of the inspirations for Central Park in New York. Although it suffered from neglect in the 1990s, it has recently undergone extensive improvement and renovation.

Famous Derby sporting institutions include Derby County Football Club, currently playing in the Football League Championship. Derby County won the First Division title (then the highest achievement in English football) in 1972 and 1975. "The Rams", as Derby County are known, also won the FA Cup in 1946. They have played at Pride Park Stadium since 1997.

Derbyshire County Cricket Club are based at the County Ground in Derby and play almost all home matches there, although matches at Chesterfield were re-introduced in 2006. One of the designated first class county sides, they have won the County Championship once, in 1936.

Derby also has clubs in both codes of rugby. In rugby union, Derby RFC play in Midlands Division Two East (the seventh level of English rugby) at their Haslams Lane ground. Rugby league team Derby City RLFC were formed in 1990. They play and train at the Asterdale Sports Centre, Spondon and compete in the Midlands Premier Division of the National Rugby League Conference.

The city of Derby has a burgeoning punk scene, and this is supported by many prominent punk, ska and hardcore bands playing the Vic Inn, a local biker pub. In recent years it has attracted many big names such as The Casualties, Agnostic Front, and UK Subs, as well as the many local punk and ska bands. Famous bands such as The Ordinary Boys, Snow Patrol and The View have played there. In addition to this, the Derby Punx Picnic is held annually at the Bass Recreation Ground. Here underground punk and ska bands perform late into the night. The Punx Picnic has become an event in recent years, the attendance rising from around 300 in 2005 to just over 1000 in 2006. The festival attracts punks from all over the East Midlands and the UK.




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County:  Derbyshire



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