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Interesting facts

Learn more about Bedford’s biggest community event

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Bedford River Festival in figures

How much do you know about the iconic Bedford River Festival? The facts and figures below may surprise you!

Visitors

250,000

With over 250,000 visitors in 2018, the Bedford River Festival is described as the second largest outdoor event of its kind in the UK, after Notting Hill Carnival.

Peak-time visitors

100,000

The Festival is staged on the Victorian Embankment Promenade, the River Great Ouse and uses the ideal surroundings of four local parks and the town centre to welcome a wealth of attractions to Bedford.

Festival Programmes

50,000

In print and downloadable formats, the Bedford River Festival 2022 programme is your guide to the entire event.    

Boats

140

More than 140 boats moor on the River Great Ouse for the duration of the River Festival. In 2018, some even sailed the difficult journey across the Wash, the biggest bay in England, to reach Bedford

Performers

140

With eight stages and performance areas, the River Festival requires a large and dynamic array of performers. Community representation is vital to the event – the majority of performers are all local to Bedford!

Festival setup

An event of this scale is takes a lot of work to make happen. The River Festival takes seven days to set up, two days to enjoy, and two more days to disappear.

Website page views

29,000

The number of hits the Council website receives in the lead-up to the event.

Twitter followers

16,000

Follow us at @BedfordEventsUK for River Festival updates and more event news in Bedford.

Facebook Event followers

33,000 *

Follow us at @BedfordEvents for River Festival updates and more event news in Bedford.
* Based on 2018 event.

Official video views

7,000

The ‘Bedford River Festival 2018 – Official Video’ has been viewed thousands of times on YouTube. You can look back on the 2018 Festival memories whilst you look forward to 2022!

 

 

A flexible approach...

2022 could be the year your business brings a unique touch to the Bedford River Festival – don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity!

If you can’t find what you’re looking for on this web site, please contact the Events Team at events@bedford.gov.uk to discuss a bespoke package to suit your business requirements.

Become a River Festival Sponsor
 

Follow us on social media for exciting Festival updates …

Sponsors and Partners


Gallagher Developments logo

Gallagher Developments is a strategic land promoter with experience dating back over 50 years and, as a master developer, has delivered thousands of homes, employment land, schools, and community facilities across Bedfordshire. Gallagher Developments continue to work to deliver sustainable communities across Bedford Borough in order to provide much needed homes and wider communities.

Sir Tony Gallagher, Chairman of Gallagher Developments said, “We are delighted to again sponsor and support the Bedford River Festival which we know brings joy to thousands of people. We hope everyone has a great time”.