All aboard for Marketing Derby’s 2026 Insider Tours

The new season of Marketing Derby’s popular Derby Insider Tours is due to begin this month, and places are now available to book.

The free walking tours offer an insight into how the city is changing and how individuals and businesses can fit in and shape regeneration.

They introduce the city, its economy, the regeneration journey so far and future plans.

They are also an opportunity to learn about Marketing Derby’s role in the city’s development.

The tours are open to our Marketing Derby Bondholders, the wider business community and members of the public.

They are suitable for anyone new to Derby, whether as a resident or an employee of a city firm, or for those who have lived and worked in the city for a while.

Last year, more than 200 people registered for the tours.

This year, there will be six tours, with the first taking place on Wednesday 15 April and the last on Wednesday 9 September.

Each tour takes approximately two hours in total. Following a 45-minute presentation, attendees embark on the walking tour of the key regeneration projects and pipeline sites for just over an hour.

Due to the city’s constant regeneration, the 2026 tours will feature a refreshed presentation and a different route for the walking element to reflect these changes and pipeline projects.

The Derby Insider Tours are led by Andrew Lowe, marketing and communications manager at Marketing Derby.

He said: “I have been involved in these tours since they began back in 2013, leading over 1,500 people on a walking tour of the city centre.

“It has been fascinating to see how the city centre has evolved over the years.

“City centre regeneration is like a jigsaw puzzle where the pieces – living, working, and playing – fit together in a continual process over time.

“I take great pride in delivering these tours and receive positive feedback from attendees, whether it’s a business based in the city centre wanting to understand the place, a local resident interested in the transformation of the city centre or a potential investor wanting to get the inside track.

“I also enjoy answering any questions along the way. There’s always something new to see or discuss, and I hope everyone learns something new to share with their friends and family.”

To find out more about the Derby Insider Tours, including the 2026 dates, click here.

To book onto a tour e-mail Sarah McAllister at sarah@marketingderby.co.uk. There are limited spaces on each tour, so bookings must be made in advance.

Watch a video which gives an insight into what the tours are all about below, or by clicking here

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