The Matlock Bath Illuminations have a long established history dating back to 1897 - first held to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897. The village was illuminated by fairy lamps and Chinese and Japanese lanterns with a torchlight procession through the village - followed by a procession of illuminated boats on the river and the limestone gorge rock face was decorated with coloured bonfires. It was the recollections of an earlier visit to Matlock Bath, by the then Princess Victoria that inspired the Illuminations. She recalled how, when staying in Matlock Bath, she looked out of her hotel window and saw the candle lights were reflected in the River Derwent that flows through the centre of the village.

Today, the event still features the decorated and illuminated boats that are produced and rowed by the members of the Matlock Bath Venetian Boat Builders Association. The Arkwright Cup, donated by Sir Richard Arkwright in 1903, is awarded to the winning design and the Boat Parade continues to feature one ‘candle-lit' boat - in the traditional Victorian style.

About Matlock Bath

Matlock Bath became a tourist resort for the wealthy more than 300 years ago and it's growth was rapid during the Victorian period when the town became a fashionable resort and a spa when the warm springs, which emerge at a constant 68°F, were discovered and helped by a road cut through the crags at Cromford. The large houses of the wealthy were built high up the steep hillside, giving rise to its description, ‘Little Switzerland', by the poet, Lord Byron.  Matlock owes much of its status to John Smedley, who built Riber Castle, the mock medieval castle overlooking the town, as well as the impressive Smedley's Hydro, now headquarters of Derbyshire County Council.

The newly renovated parks alongside the River Derwent are ideal for families with boating, play areas and a skateboarding park, all linked with easy walking paths. Matlock is also home to Peak Rail, where at weekends you can ride on one of the many regular steam trains or even enjoy a footplate experience and drive the train yourself!