Bedford River Festival

Bedford River Festival
Bedford Suspension Bridge - 2008 festival
Frequency	Biennial
Location(s)	Bedford, England
Years active	1978-
Founders	Bedford Borough Council
Most recent	23 July 2022 (2022-07-23) – 24 July 2022 (2022-07-24)
Next event	20 July 2024 (2024-07-20) – 21 July 2024 (2024-07-21)
Attendance	250,000
Website	https://riverfestival.bedford.gov.uk/

The Bedford River Festival is a free festival held biennially in Bedford, England on the banks of the River Great Ouse.

History

Bedford River Festival was founded in 1978 to celebrate the completion of a navigable route, by water, between Bedford and The Wash. ^[1] Originally it was held annually during the late May bank holiday but for many years has been biennial and held over either the second or third weekend in July.

The festival attracts an estimated 250,000 people over the weekend, and boat owners from across the country.^[2] It is believed to be the second largest free outdoor event in the United Kingdom, after the Notting Hill Carnival.^[3]

Music across the five stages includes local bands and artists, singing groups, with headliners including the Dub Pistols, ^[4] and DJs such as DJ Spoony, Fabio and Danny Rampling.^[5]

Following redevelopment of part of the riverside, the 2018 festival expanded into neighbouring St Mary's Gardens,^[6] site of a previous council-run free music festival named Lazy Sunday.^[7]

The 2020 festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event successfully returned in July 2022 with the next Bedford River Festival scheduled to take place in July 2024.^[8]

Festival programme

The festival has grown significantly in recent years, with:

Five stages - including the main stage, two community stages, an acoustic stage, and dance music stage
Boat shows/parades of narrowboats and yachts
A parade with floats of local organisations and businesses
Races - including raft races, Dragon boat races, canoeing
Community field - for local charities and organisations
A sports village
Street food area
An arts and crafts area
A travelling funfair area
A firework display
Festival of Motoring

Image gallery

Participants in a raft race - 2008 festival
Float in the parade - 2010 festival
Canoes on the river - 2012 festival
In2Beats radio stage - 2012 festival
The main stage - 2014 festival
View of the embankment - 2016 festival

References

^ "BBC Beds Herts and Bucks - Messing about at the Bedford River Festival". BBC. 17 July 2006.
^ "Narrow boaters cross The Wash for Bedford River Festival". BBC. 14 July 2018.
^ "Bedford River Festival 2010". BBC. 13 July 2010.
^ "Bands to bring party vibes to town for Bedford River Festival". Bedford Today. 9 July 2018.
^ "Beats and beer as Hops and Dreams announces epic music lineup". Bedfordindependent.co.uk. 9 October 2019.
^ "Bedford River Festival – heritage and culture". The Bedford Clanger. 12 July 2018.
^ "Lazing by the River | bedford bypass". Bedford Bypass. 8 May 2013.
^ "Bedford River Festival". Bedford.gov.uk.