River Festival 2014

Saturday 19th & Sunday 20th July 2014

On the 19th and 20th July 2014, the Town of Bedford and the River Great Ouse will come alive to the sight and sound of hundreds of thousands of people, enjoying one of the biggest free family festivals in the UK.

Staged on the picturesque Victorian Embankment, Promenade, the River Great Ouse and in Russell Park, the Festival is a unique combination of the carnival, the musical, and of course, the nautical! From the traditional launch of the Festival with the parade, to the five live music stages, countless River activities, fireworks, the opportunity to participate in our arts, heritage or sports villages, and stroll through our continental market and taste cuisine from around the world; there is literally something for everyone at the Bedford River Festival.

Indeed, entertainment features strongly at the event with displays form local community groups in the arts and sporting worlds, to a multitude of professional acts. Attracting in excess of 320,000 spectators the Bedford River Festival is free, and offers numerous opportunities to participate in, or just to relax and enjoy a vast array of activities and entertainment.

To view the Festival highlights please click below.

There are numerous ways you can get involved in the Festival:

Festival Parade:

Be it a decorated vehicle, band or on foot help us launch the 2014 Festival as well as collecting money for local charities. The parade generally begins on De Pary’s Avenue, working its way down through the High Street, winding around St Paul’s Square and its final destination, Riverside.  

The traditional opening of the Festival, the Parade is a great fun packed way to kick off Bedford’s premiere event.    

Raft Races

Build your own raft and enter a team to race down the river and support local charities. This is always a highlight of the festival and it is always interesting to see how many rafts cross the finish line! 

Dragon Boats

You provide a team of 16-20 paddlers we provide the rest for a fun packed day on the river! Over 20 crews are expected to battle it out over a 350 metre course along the picturesque River Ouse. 

This amazing site is a superb venue for racing and a fantastic day is guaranteed with bankside entertainment, music, food and activities for all the family.

Trading space

Choose form a wide variety of options for trading across the Festival site, we offer anything from 2 to 15 metre pitches. Because of the nature of site, every pitch is guaranteed to be popular.

Sponsorship Opportunities

This year there are more opportunities than ever before to get involved, support, promote or simply enjoy the Bedford River Festival 2014.