This page will continue to be updated with key information about the River Festival leading up to the event. If you cannot find the information you are looking for here, please contact the Events Team.
No – the Bedford River Festival un-ticketed, free and open to all.
The Festival will open at 10am on Saturday 20th July, with the final Main Stage act and Illuminated Boat Parade finishing at around 10.30pm.
On Sunday 24th July, the fun begins again at 10am and draws to a close at 8pm.
Plan your journey using the helpful information provided. Where possible we recommend using public transport, or if you live locally, walking.
All town centre car parks will be open, there will also be additional Festival car parking available at Bedford International Athletics Stadium (£7 per vehicle) and Priory Country Park (£5 per vehicle), both on Barkers Lane, Bedford - ONLY CARD PAYMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
Additional car parking for disabled visitors will be available at Longholme Way (MK42 0BX), and in St Mary’s Car Park (in between Borough Hall and Bedford College) Cauldwell Street (MK42 9AP). A blue badge will be required.
Please note there is no parking on the Festival site.
If you are separated from your child or a vulnerable adult you are attending the event with, please report this immediately to security, a steward or an Information Point where the event staff will assist.
We advise parents and carers to ensure their children have a contact mobile phone number on a paper wristband or on their person.
Responsible dog owners are welcome, however if your pet is upset by large crowds please leave them at home for their own wellbeing. As this is a summer event, the weather may also be too warm for animals and there are only a handful of shaded areas on the event site.
Yes – though please do not bring any glass bottles or packaging onto the event site.
There will also be plenty of caterers and bars offering a wide range of tasty food, soft drinks and alcoholic drinks right across the Festival site.
Please don’t forget to responsibly recycle and dispose of all waste in the bins supplied across the event site.
Although there are commercial elements to the event, all income is reinvested into the festival with no commercial gain to the council. The Bedford River Festival is a community event organised by Bedford Borough Council to promote businesses and lifestyle opportunities in Bedford, and to provide great weekend entertainment for its residents.
The overall cost to run the event was approximately £430,000.
No, it costs Bedford Borough Council money to put on this event. In 2022, the Council contributed approximately 31% of the overall running cost of the event. The remaining costs were covered by reinvested income.
Approximately 80% of the overall running cost was spent on public safety measures for the event. All of the costs were for infrastructure elements such as safety barriers, stages, temporary bridges, toilets, First Aid cover, security personnel, traffic management, staff and partners’ costs.
Yes. We ask that everyone attending the event helps us to protect the environment and to help keep our parks looking beautiful. We will be providing many bins across the site, including recycling bins for all recyclable waste (please do not put food in these) and general waste bins for all non-recyclable waste.
We will be running a reusable cup scheme on the bars to minimise waste. Visitors will purchase their reusable cup for a non-refundable fee of £1 when they buy their first drink from one of the event bars. This cup can then be returned to any bar and exchanged for a clean one with your next drink. When you choose to leave the Festival, you can either take your current cup home with you, or place it in one of the designated cup stations to be washed and reused at future events.
Standpipes will be available for refilling water bottles.
In 2022 a reusable cup scheme was introduced across all of the event bars. This greatly reduced the amount of litter and plastic waste at the event.
Vendors’ prices are in line with other events of a similar scale. The event offers unrestricted access, which means that visitors can bring in their own food and drink.
All residents within the footprint of the River Festival received a letter in June 2024 with access/egress details.
Trade applications are now closed.
The 2024 event programme will be digital and can be found on the Bedford River Festival Website when available.
Visitor parking is available at the town centre car parks, and also at Bedford International Athletics Stadium - MK41 (SB (£7 a vehicle per day) and Priory Country Park – MK41 9DJ (£5 a vehicle per day), both on Barkers Lane - ONLY CARD PAYMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED. Blue badge holders can park in the Athletic Stadium car park but please be aware that this is a grass field.
Additional car parking for disabled visitors will be available at Longholme Way (MK42 0BX), and in St Mary’s Car Park (in between Borough Hall and Bedford College) Cauldwell Street (MK42 9AP). A blue badge will be required.
Elstow Park and Ride (MK42 9XF) will be running an enhanced service during the River Festival weekend. Elstow park and ride is located in Progress Park, on the A6 - just north of the A6 junction of the A421.
Mowsbury Park and Ride (MK41 8AH): Stagecoach will be operating a Park and Ride service from Mowsbury Park specially for the River Festival. This will be a 15 minute service dropping off and collecting from town centre (River Street). Mowsbury Park is situated to the north of the Bedford and the access for the park and ride will be from Kimbolton Road (B660).
There will be a designated car park available for blue badge holders only off Longholme Way/Cardington Road roundabout. The postcode is MK42 0BX, and in St Marys Car Park (in between Borough Hall and Bedford College) Cauldwell Street (MK42 9AP). A blue badge will be required.
Blue badge holders can park in the Athletic Stadium car park but please be aware that this is a grass field. There are also disabled spaces in all of the Town Centre car parks.
Visitors will purchase their reusable cup for a non-refundable fee when they buy their first drink from one of the event bars. This cup can then be returned to any bar and exchanged for a clean one with your next drink. When you choose to leave the Festival, you can either take your current cup home with you, or place it in one of the designated cup stations to be washed and reused at future events. Only the River Festival onsite bars will be running this scheme. These bars are located at:
There are information points located across the site, one each at Russell Park, Mill Meadows and St Mary’s Gardens. Event staff will be on hand to assist you. Don’t forget that the programme and site map is available online.
Yes, please visit the Boat Mooring page on the Website for further information
Approximately 40% of businesses were Bedford Borough-based in 2022.
The 2024 River Festival will include countless river activities, eight live music and performance areas, the Sports Island, Family Island, Green Earth Village, the wonderful offerings of the Festival Market, Bedford Festival of Motoring, plus so much more!
Make sure you keep the 20th & 21st July 2024 free in your diaries so that you don’t miss out on any of the action.
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 how you can get involved.
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”.
