Your weekly what’s on guide for Bedford and the surrounding area from the Bedford Clanger.
Never miss a thing in Bedford ever again. From theatre to film, live music to art exhibitions, The Bedford Clanger what’s on guide lands every Wednesday and is the only guide you need to find out what’s on and what’s happening across the Borough for the next 11 days.
The Bedford Clanger’s What’s On Guide is kindly sponsored by The Cellar Bar.
Wednesday, 5 February 2025
Comedy: The Cellar Bar Comedy Club with headliner Tadiwa Mahlunge
The Cellar Bar @ 8pm
Ticket Price: £10
The Cellar Bar Comedy Club is back, featuring some of the best comedians from across the country from club legends to TV superstars for the cool, cool price of just £10.
As always, there are four quality acts and this month’s headliner is Tadiwa Mahlunge.
Billed as “one of the country’s top new comedy acts” by The York Press, he has performed at, among others, Latitude, Greenman, and Greenwich Comedy Festivals – alongside the biggest names in comedy – and has provided tour support for Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Jessica Fostekew, and TV warm-up for Desiree Birch’s Amazon Prime special.
As seen on BBC 1, BBC 2, Dave, Comedy Central, UTV, Comic Relief and heard on BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Northampton and BBC Sounds – Tadiwa Mahlunge has established himself as one of comedy’s hottest prospects. As such, he featured on the 2022 Pleasance Comedy Reserve at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
️️️️ ‘An impressively accomplished and infectiously funny debut hour, Tadiwa Mahlunge is a name you’ll want to watch out for’ – The Skinny
Hosted, as always, by Mr Sparkly Boots himself, Simon Hall.
Thursday, 6 February – Saturday, 19 April 2025
Exhibition: Interior Lives
The Panacea Museum, 11, Newnham Road, MK40 3NX @ 10am – 4pm
Free entry
To mark the Spring reopening of the Panacea Museum, a new exhibition is launching, featuring the work of Bedford-based mother and daughter artists, Jacqui and Lauren Saunders-Love.
Entitled Vessels – Mother and Daughter, the duo have responded to the Panacea story and the relationship between Mabel and Dilys Barltrop. Lauren has spent many hours creating photographic art inspired by the museum’s collections, whilst Jacqui has made her signature intricate paper sculptures reflecting the society’s buildings. There will be associated talks and events along with the exhibition, with details on the Museum’s website.
Read: Sect Education: the Spring reopening of Bedford’s fascinating Panacea Museum
The museum is open Thursday to Saturday.
Thursday, 6 February 2025
Art and culture: The Higgins Highlights Tour
The Higgins, Bedford, Castle Lane @ 11.15am – 12.15pm
Tickets: £6.85 / Concessions £5.50 / booking essential
An introductory tour of the highlights of The Higgins Bedford featuring Bedford’s heritage.
To book a place call the Box Office on 01234 718044 (open Tues – Sat 10am – 4pm) or visit The Higgins’ website.
Thursday, 6 February 2025
Creativity: Bedford Producer Hub Webinar: Budgeting and Fundraising
Online @ 5pm – 6pm
Free
This webinar, bought to you by Bedford Creative Arts in partnership with 1Degree East, serves as a basic guide to setting and monitoring a budget for a creative arts project.
The webinar will recommend a useful budget template and help you understand the terminology and principles of good budget management. It will also include an introduction to different forms of income generation and signpost sources of further information about fundraising.
Booking link here.
Thursday, 6 & Friday, 7 February 2025
Theatre: Kin
The Place Theatre @ 7.30 pm
Tickets: from £10
Two estranged sisters meet after twenty years and in a remote cottage, over a single night they bury the hatchet. As their dying father lies in the room next door they’re forced to confront who they were and who they’ve become. When the only person they have left in common disappears, is their relationship worth saving?
This darkly comic tale examines how a sibling can be both your best friend and your worst enemy. And asks the question: how can you forgive the past when you can’t even agree what it looks like?
Thursday, 6 February 2025
Dancing: Planet Swing featuring Six Feet Apart
The Dance Hall, Wixams Retirement Village, Bedford Road, Bedford, MK42 6EA @ 8pm – 10.30pm
Tickets: £12.99
An evening for dancers and music enthusiasts alike. Cashless bar, plenty of seating (night club set up) and dance floor. Book in advance and come along at 7.15pm for a 45-minute dance class in Balboa, one of the original swing dances of the era. For the main event, just turn up – pay cash at reception – have fun, no booking needed.
Thursday, 6 February 2025
Live music: Irish Folk Night
The Castle, 17 Newnham Street @ 8.30pm
Free entry
A fun evening guaranteed of foot-tapping Irish music to sing along to.
Friday, 7 February 2025
Comedy: Matt Forde: End of an Era Tour
The Quarry Theatre @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £17.50
Finally, the UK has a new government. That can only mean one thing: new people to take the piss out of. Leading political comedian and satirist Matt Forde (British Scandal, Spitting Image, The Last Leg) makes this his personal mission.
Friday, 7 February 2025
Live music: Jarvis Cocker B2B Alexis Taylor + The Grubby Mitts + Simon Munnery
Bedford Esquires @ 7.30pm
SOLD OUT
Jarvis Cocker and Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor will play a special back-to-back DJ set at Esquires to raise funds for three charities.
The special event is part of Bedford Esquires’ 35th-anniversary celebrations and the money raised will be shared between S.O.B.S (Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide), CHUMS (Supporting Mental Health Improving Lives), and Samaritans.
Also on the bill are Bedford’s art-pop ensemble, The Grubby Mitts, performing live with their extended lineup including a full brass section.
Completing the lineup is comedian Simon Munnery (“One of the all-time greatest stand-ups” – Stewart Lee). Simon has performed – at the last count – at thirty-eight Edinburgh Festivals and is a regular at our very own Bedfringe.
He has collaborated with Andy Holden and the Grubby Mitts and will open the night with a short set of jokes and aphorisms.
Friday, 7 February 2025
Live music: Highstone
The Cellar Bar @ 8.30pm / bar opens @ 6pm / Happy Hour @ 6pm – 9pm
Free entry
Head to the Cellar Bar for Highstone’s mix of 70’s and 80’s dance music mixed with a good set of sing-along hits from Stevie Wonder, The Bee Gees, Chic, The Temptations, Kool & The Gang, Luther Vandross, Earth Wind & Fire, Santana and more.
Or if artists like Van Morrison, The Eagles, Elvis Presley, Tom Jones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Mavericks and Wilson Pickett are more your style, you’re in the right place.
Saturday, 8 February 2025
Walking: North Bedfordshire Ramblers’ weekly walk
Morning walk: St Leonard’s Church car park, Old Warden, SG18 9HD @ 10am
A 12-mile walk over Greensand Ridge, down to Cople and Northill and the Shuttleworth Estate.
Please bring a drink, snack or lunch as the group always stops for a break. Check out the North Bedfordshire Ramblers’ excellent website for further information.
Saturday, 8 February 2025
Children’s Theatre: Creation – the Bubble Show
The Quarry Theatre @ 2pm
Tickets: from £12.50
Don’t miss this mesmerizing family experience which will leave you spellbound. Book your tickets today and enter an enchanted realm where dreams do come true—through the wonder and joy of bubbles!
Saturday, 8 February 2025
Live music: Mad Dog Mcrea
Bedford Esquires @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £20
Mad Dog Mcrea blend a unique mixture of folk rock, pop, gypsy jazz, bluegrass and ‘shake your ass’ music, from self-penned songs of adventure, drinking, love and life, to traditional songs of gypsies, fairies, legless pirates and black flies.
In constant demand and having played just about every festival and two-bit, jibe-arsed dive in Christendom, Mad Dog Mcrea are, in every sense of the word, a live, band.
Matched with the unshakable dedication of their massive and “loyal-to-the-hilt”, fan base – Mad Dog Mcrea are more than just a very popular, festival act – with five albums under their belts, they are serious and acclaimed recording artists too. December 2019 saw Mad Dog Mcrea release a five-track EP titled ‘It’s a Sign’.
Saturday, 8 February 2025
Live Music: Generation 5pan
The Cellar Bar @ 8.30pm / bar opens at 6pm / Happy Hour until 9pm / 3am close
Free entry
We’re delighted to welcome Generation 5pan back to The Cellar Bar. Playing a mix of Rock/pop & blues covers from the 50’s to modern day, these guys know how to rock a venue and we’re looking forward to them rocking The Cellar Bar.
Sunday, 9 February 2025
Live Music: Daytime disco for grown-ups
The Cellar Bar @ 3pm
Free entry
This Sunday afternoon, The Cellar Bar Daytime Disco returns. Dance and sing along to some of the greatest hits ever with the perfect excuse to get out on a Sunday afternoon. Why wait for the evening to have fun? And it’s all free, no tickets required.
Indulge in an afternoon filled with nostalgic tunes, singalongs, and a great atmosphere. The glitterball will be up and the neon outfits on. Anyone who dresses up will get a free shot from the bar. Free glow sticks and props too!
Sunday, 9 February 2025
Live music: The Vinyl Frontier play the Sunday Afternoon Session
Bedford Esquires @ 5pm – 7pm
Free entry
Post Punk and New Wave Covers from the 70’s & 80’s.
Tuesday, 11 February 2025
Live music: Tuesday lunchtime concert
St Paul’s church, St Paul’s Square @ 1pm
Free entry with retiring collection (suggested donation £5)
A harp recital by Aisha Palmer from the Philharmonia.
Free with a retiring collection.
Tuesday, 11 February 2025
Film: Bedford Film Society presents – Promised Land
The University of Bedford, Polhill Avenue @ 7.30pm
Tickets: members free / £5/day guest
In 18th century Denmark, Captain Ludvig Kahlen (Mads Mikkelsen) sets out to tame a vast, uninhabitable land. He seeks to start farming crops, build a colony in the name of the King, and gain a noble title for himself.
This land is under the rule of the merciless Frederik De Schinkel, who realizes the threat Kahlen represents to his power. Struggling against the elements and local brigands, Kahlen is joined by a couple who have fled the clutches of the rapacious De Schinkel.
As this group of misfits begins to build a small community in this inhospitable place, De Schinkel swears vengeance, and the confrontation between him and Kahlen promises to be as violent and intense as these two men.
Tuesday, 11 February 2025
Quizzing: Monthly quiz night
The Castle, 17 Newnham Street @ 7.30pm
Free entry
The Castle quiz is every second Tuesday of the month. Maximum teams of six and £2 per person entry. Winner gets the pot and a chance to win a bonus pot roll over too.
To book a table call 01234 353295
Thursday, 13 – Saturday, 15 February 2025
Community Theatre: Platform
The Place Theatre @ 7.30pm Thursday & Friday / 2.30pm & 6pm Saturday
Tickets: Pay What You Can from £7
It’s 2023. Charlie, Alex and Olivia are growing up in the post-Covid world and things are starting to get weird. Charlie is battling with conspiracy theories, Olivia can’t get anyone to like her posts and Alex is just a troll (in more ways than one).
Follow the lives of three teenagers on their journey through life and see how they cope with the twists and turns of social media. From tiktok to Insta via Snapchat, their lives will never be the same again.
Thursday, 13 February 2025
Live streaming: The Great Escaper
Stevington Cinema Club, Stevington Village Hall, MK443 7QT @ 7.15pm
Tickets: £6
Based on a true story, Bernard Jordan (Michael Caine) escapes from his care home to attend the 70th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings in France.
Thursday, 13 February 2025
Live music: Karaoke
The Cellar Bar at 8pm
Free entry
The ONLY place you need to be for karaoke on a Thursday night – The Cellar Bar on the High Street. Pure karaoke with over 50,000 songs to choose from.
Perform like a pro with the Cellar Bar’s professional lighting, sound and a proper stage, with the best-sounding performers and acoustics on the High Street. Sing with your friends using multiple microphones and hosted by Cameo and Sarah Ellen.
Thursday, 13 February 2025
Dancing: Planet Swing featuring the Danny Graceland Rock n Roll & Elvis Show
The Dance Hall, Wixams Retirement Village, Bedford Road, Bedford, MK42 6EA @ 8pm – 10.30pm
Tickets: £12.99
An evening for dancers and music enthusiasts alike. Cashless bar, plenty of seating (night club set up) and dance floor. Book in advance and come along at 7.15pm for a 45-minute dance class in Balboa, one of the original swing dances of the era. For the main event, just turn up – pay cash at reception – have fun, no booking needed.
Friday, 14 February 2025
Live music: Plug in Maybe – a celebration of Muse
Bedford Esquires @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £14
The single most authentic tribute to one of the biggest and best bands on the planet, Plug In Maybe take you through the entire MUSE back catalog with pin point accuracy – a true celebration of the Devon trio, from Showbiz to Will Of The People.
Friday, 14 February 2025
Live music: Valentine’s Night Special with Samantha Hughes & Cameo
The Cellar Bar @ 9pm / bar opens at 6pm / Happy Hour @ 6pm – 9pm
Free entry
Come and watch two fabulous local solo musicians, Samantha Hughes, followed by Cameo at The Cellar Bar on Valentine’s night.
Special Valentine’s offers include a bottle of Prosecco for £24, all handmade cocktails are two for £12 all night, plus a new Tequila Rose based valentine’s cocktail.
Samantha’s set will be part acoustic so you are in for a treat as she plays a selection of Rock n Roll, Country, 50s/60s and 80’s party tunes, spreading some good old fashioned music from years gone by!
Singing classic rock/pop songs from Dolly Parton to Fleetwood Mac to The Red Hot Chili Peppers and so much in between, Cameo is back taking everyone into the small hours.
Friday, 14 February 2025
Live music: The Pride
Bedford Esquires @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £7
The Pride are back at Esquires for a very special, headline show – Lovers Rock on Valentine’s Day.
No strangers to the venue, The Pride are following last year’s sold-out headline show and Patio Party performances with another night of the finest in Reggae and Ska, with the band tearing through some of the greatest music ever made.
Friday, 14 February 2025
Comedy: Castle Comedy Valentine Special
The Quarry Theatre @ 8pm
Tickets: £17
Castle Comedy is back at The Quarry Theatre for Valentine’s Day with headliner Cally Beaton. A natural storyteller, Cally’s set is full of intelligent, distinctive, and punchline-rich material and her TV appearances include being a regular panellist on BBC’s QI and starring in the Live at the Apollo Christmas Special in 2022.
Also on the bill are Richard Moreton, described as “possibly Newcastle’s finest export since the famous brown ale” he has nailed the twin talents of musicianship and comedy into one perfectly suited package and Wayne the Weird mixing stand-up with mind-boggling magic tricks. Host with the most, Paul Revill will be holding it all together.
From Saturday, 15 February 2025
Exhibition: Light and Colour
The Higgins, Bedford
Free entry
Art from the 18th century to the present day will be on display at The Higgins Bedford in its new exhibition, exploring the fascinating relationship between Colour and Light.
Opening on Saturday, 15 February and running until 2 November 2025, the exhibition will showcase works from The Cecil Higgins Art Gallery Collection, including iconic pieces by JMW Turner, John Singer Sargent, Sonia Delaunay, Peter Blake, and Chila Kumari Singh Burman.
A highlight of the exhibition will be the inclusion of ‘Cecil and Kali’ (pictured), a vibrant work by Burman created during her residency at The Higgins in 2003. This unique piece incorporates her signature colourful accessories alongside objects from the museum’s own education collection.
Colour and Light will also feature a specially commissioned artwork by Bedford-based artist, Alison Goodyear, entitled ‘Light & Colour’ and featured on the cover of the February issue of the Bedford Clanger. This immersive digital experience, created in collaboration with four Bedford community groups and is inspired by the works in the exhibition.
Saturday, 15 February 2025
Walking: North Bedfordshire Ramblers’ weekly walk
Afternoon walk: Upper Dean, meeting place probably Dalton Hall (TBC) @ 1pm
A seven-mile walk around the local countryside.
Please bring a drink, snack or lunch as the group always stops for a break. Check out the North Bedfordshire Ramblers’ excellent website for further information.
Saturday, 15 February 2025
Live music: Saturday organ recital
St Paul’s church, St Paul’s Square @ 1pm
Free entry with retiring collection (suggested donation £5)
Saturday lunchtime organ recital by Ivan Linford.
Free with a retiring collection.
Saturday, 15 February 2025
Classical music: Bedfordshire Symphony Orchestra with guest conductor Cathal Garvey
Bedford Corn Exchange @ 7.30pm
Tickets: prices vary
Anatoly Liadov’s composition The Enchanted Lake is a marvel of mystical serenity, with sounds that are vivid and picturesque; a fairy-tale tone poem, and it will begin the Bedfordshire Symphony Orchestra’s February concert.
The Benjamin Britten Violin Concerto, a most beautiful and emotionally complex work, will be played by one of the most promising international violin soloists of his generation, Charlie Lovell-Jones.
Sibelius’ unconscious emblem of national liberation, his Symphony No. 2, Opus 43, will conclude the concert.
Saturday, 15 January 2025
Live music: Megapint?
The Cellar Bar at 8.30pm / bar opens @ 6pm
Free entry
The guys are back for another regular gig at The Cellar Bar. Expect musical excellence mixed with a wonderfully curated list of rock/pop classics.
Saturday, 15 February 2025
Dance music: DJ Yoda – 80s Mix Tape: Live – Audio Visual show
Bedford Esquires @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £18
DJ Yoda returns to Bedford, following his sold-out appearance earlier this year, with a brand new audio-visual show – 80s Mixtape Live.
Celebrating the decade of decadence, Yoda’s new show takes you on a journey through the 80s, from the biggest dancefloor fillers, through film, TV and back again.
As with his ’50 years of Hip Hop’ show, Yoda will be mixing the visuals, as well as the tunes. We’ve seen a few snippets already and you’re in for a treat! Leg warmers and shoulder pads encouraged.
Sunday, 16 February 2025
Family fun: Princess Live!
Bedford Corn Exchange @ 1pm and 4pm
Tickets: £12
The Princesses are tired of their royal duties, so they decided to come together and make the ultimate pop girl group.
Cinderella’s fairy godmother has given her a magic wand so she can give the other princesses a new look and style. With pop and musical theatre songs that will get the whole family singing and dancing along, imagine your favourite princesses but as you’ve never seen them before.
The ticket also includes a photo opportunity after the show with the characters.
Sunday, 16 February 2025
Children’s Theatre: Room on the Broom
The Quarry Theatre @ 1.30pm
Tickets: from £13
Based on the best-selling book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, jump on board the broom with the witch and her cat in Tall Stories’ fun-filled adaptation of Room on the Broom, the best-selling picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.
Sunday, 16 February 2025
Live music: Devil’s Mojo play the Sunday Afternoon Session
Bedford Esquires @ 5pm – 7pm
Free entry
Devil’s Mojo are an energetic, eclectic, contemporary and rock/pop cover band.
Sunday, 16 February 2025
Live music: U18’s Open Mic
The Cellar Bar @ 5pm – 7.00pm / bar opens at 3pm
Free entry
The Cellar Bar is throwing its doors open to the next generation of Bedford musicians, with a dedicated junior open mic session for under 18s.
Whether you sing, play guitar, drums, or any other musical instrument, or are a band already, you are welcome to take part. It’s a chance for you to perform on a stage in front of an audience with a full pa, drum kit, amps, lighting.
Hosted by none other than Mat Roberts, Mat will be on hand to offer support and advice, as well as doing a few jam sessions of his own.
Under 18’s are welcome in the bar from 5pm until 9pm on Sundays for Junior Open Mic.
At the Higgins Bedford
Exhibition: Rediscovering Black Portraiture
The Higgins Bedford
Free entry
The newest exhibition at the Higgins began as a diversionary lockdown project in 2020 and can now be seen at Kensington Palace, the Bodeian Library in Oxford and now in Bedford.
It features the work of Manchester-born professional opera singer, Peter Brathwaite, who has lived in the Black Tom area of Bedford since 2018.
With all his singing work cancelled during the pandemic, Peter began looking for an outlet for his creative talents and started recreating famous and lesser-known Black portraiture paintings using as props whatever he could find around his house.
It was inspired by the Getty Foundation’s lockdown project, but quickly took on a life of its own, gathering a large international online following. You can explore the project at his Instagram page @peter_brathwaite.
And from Saturday, 18 May, they will form part of an installation at the Higgins Bedford which will lead visitors through the main collections and into Cecil Higgins’ house, with Peter’s interpretation of The Paston Treasure at its heart.
Read: ‘Rediscovering Black Portraiture’ at the Higgins Bedford this May
At the Panacea Museum
Permanent exhibition: Discover the amazing story of a unique religious community
Panacea Museum, 11 Newnham Rd, Bedford MK40 3NX
11am – 5pm (last entry 4.30) Thursday – Sunday
Free entry
This fascinating hidden gem of a museum tells the story of the Panacea Society – a Christian group formed in the early twentieth century who created their own ‘Garden of Eden’ in the centre of Bedford.
The Panacea Museum is located across several Victorian buildings that formed the community’s headquarters. It tells the story of the Panacea Society and other similar religious groups.
Every Thursday
Cocktails, Quiz Night & Karaoke
The Cellar Bar from 5.00pm
Pit your wits against The Cellar Bar’s resident quizmaster to see if you can win the jackpot every Thursday from 8pm. £2 per person entry and a maximum of six per team. The winning team will win the jackpot PLUS a round of shots. Followed by Karaoke til close
Every Saturday
Food & drink: Cocktail mixology masterclass
The Cellar Bar @ 3pm / doors open at 12 noon
£30 per person
The Cellar Bar’s resident mixologist, Marley, will explain how to create some outstanding cocktails for your tasting enjoyment. Then, it’s your turn to put what you’ve learned into practice by making (and drinking) three cocktails!
Every Sunday
Live Music: Open Mic Night
The Cellar Bar @ 7.30pm
Free Entry
Every Sunday, join Mat Roberts for the Cellar Bar’s weekly Open Mic night. An opportunity for new and experienced performers to get up on stage and perform.
So whether you think you are the next Tom Grennan or just want a good night of entertainment, head to the Cellar Bar from 7.30pm.
Theatre highlights by Paula Walker
The February issue of the Bedford Clanger is out now. Grab a copy at one of our many pick-up points throughout the Borough.
You can find your nearest one using our map here.
