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.

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.

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

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!

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.

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

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

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

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!