Bedford River Festival
Encyclopedia
The Bedford River Festival is held biannually in Bedford
, England
, on the banks of the River Great Ouse
. It was founded in 1978 to celebrate the completion of a navigable route, by water, between Bedford and the coast and is held over a weekend, normally in July (originally it was held annually on the late May bank holiday
). It is the main tourist-attracting event in the town.
The 2010 Festival was held on the 17 & 18 July 2010 and attracted in excess of 350,000 visitors.
It has several events and attractions over the two days, usually including bands on the main stage, 2 community stages and acoustic stage, a road parade, boat shows/races, a raft race for local teams and a firework display.
Along with the normal attractions of the fun fair, the River Festival also hosted the sports village, where local sports clubs could come and demonstrate their wares.
Bedford River Festival is notable as the second largest free outdoor event, after the Notting Hill Carnival
.
Bedford
Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to the former Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, on the banks of the River Great Ouse
River Great Ouse
The Great Ouse is a river in the east of England. At long, it is the fourth-longest river in the United Kingdom. The river has been important for navigation, and for draining the low-lying region through which it flows. Its course has been modified several times, with the first recorded being in...
. It was founded in 1978 to celebrate the completion of a navigable route, by water, between Bedford and the coast and is held over a weekend, normally in July (originally it was held annually on the late May bank holiday
Bank Holiday
A bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom or a colloquialism for public holiday in Ireland. There is no automatic right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population is granted time off work or extra pay for working on these days, depending on their contract...
). It is the main tourist-attracting event in the town.
The 2010 Festival was held on the 17 & 18 July 2010 and attracted in excess of 350,000 visitors.
It has several events and attractions over the two days, usually including bands on the main stage, 2 community stages and acoustic stage, a road parade, boat shows/races, a raft race for local teams and a firework display.
Along with the normal attractions of the fun fair, the River Festival also hosted the sports village, where local sports clubs could come and demonstrate their wares.
Bedford River Festival is notable as the second largest free outdoor event, after the Notting Hill Carnival
Notting Hill Carnival
The Notting Hill Carnival is an annual event which since 1964 has taken place on the streets of Notting Hill, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea , London, UK each August, over two days...
.