Feast of summertime fun with food festivals, animatronic animals and steampunk weekend in Chesterfield Market

The summer events, delivered by the borough council, will start with Chesterfield Food Festival on Sunday, June 7. Gourmet street food and international cuisine, sweet treats and speciality beverages will be on offer at the festival, organised by Mad Hatters Events.The festival will also feature live music and entertainment, running throughout the day from 10am until 4p

Chesterfield International Market will return from June 19 to 21, bringing a world of flavour and culture to the heart of the town. Expect to find food from across the world along with stalls selling unique crafts at this event, organised by Market Place Europe.

Peddler Market will also be back in Chesterfield on June 27 and 28. You’ll be able to find a fantastic selection of street food, craft drinks and some unique independent traders along with live music. The Peddler team will also be back in Chesterfield on August 29 and 30 ahead of bank holiday Monday.

The Chesterfield Steampunk Market weekend will be on July 4 and 5. An extraordinary array of stalls offering handcrafted creations, clothing, accessories, artwork, curiosities and retro futuristics invention will be on offer at this event which is organised in partnership with Newark Steampunk Society. There will also be live music and a parade on the Sunday.

The Great Chesterfield Feast is on August 1 and 2, featuring global flavours, sweet treats, craft drinks and unique handmade goods. This new attraction is delivered by LSD Promotions.

Emergency Services Day is on August 15 and celebrates the incredible work of our local and national emergency services, with hands‑on activities, demonstrations, and plenty to discover for all ages.

Chesterfield will be transported to the savannah as life-size realistic puppets 'go-wild' in the main market square on August 22. Taking place from 10am to 4pm the Chesterfield on Safari event will be a great day out for families featuring a mix of entertaining shows, walkabout performances and meet and greets across the Market. The animatronic animals set to appear includes a lion, orangutan, baby hippo, baby rhino and baby apes.

There will also be recurring events with the Royal Legion Bikers visiting to show their bikes on June 27, July 25 and August 29. Local musicians will also be performing live in the Market on July 25 and August 8.

Speciality Sundays will continue with the Chesterfield Record Fair on the second Sunday of each month and Chesterfield Artisan Market on the last Sunday of each month.

Councillor Kate Sarvent, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy, said: “It’s set to be an incredible summer at Chesterfield Market this year, we’ve worked hard to book a wide range of events that will help bring our community together in our revitalised market. I hope to see lots of people coming along to experience these events and support our fantastic independent traders.”

The events programme is being delivered by the borough council and partially funded through the Government’s Pride in Place programme. Pride in Place will see almost £20 million invested in the town over the next decade. All decisions about how this funding will be spent is determined by the independent Chesterfield Town Board and is being shaped by local people through engagement.

Dominic Staniforth, local business leader and chair of Chesterfield Town Board, said: “Our engagement with residents has shown that hosting more events in the town centre was a high priority for lots of local people and therefore we decided it was crucial that we provided funding for the town’s events programme over the next two years. These will be fantastic days for our town centre, and I look forward to seeing lots of people coming into the town to experience these events.”

You can find out more about festivals and events happening in Chesterfield at: www.chesterfield.gov.uk/events