Welcome to our 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 Bedford.
Last chance to see…
Exhibition: The Lost Portfolio
The Southbank Gallery, Bedford College
Free entry
The Circus of Illustration presents an exhibition of work by local artists and hobbyists. Until the end of April.
Wednesday, 30 April 2025
Quiz: A1 SpeedQuizzing
The Cellar Bar @ 8pm Bar opens at 7pm
£3pp to enter the quiz. Rolling cash jackpot of £150 plus £60 cash for the winning team and other prizes to winTo reserve your table –
Quiz nights will never be the same again as SpeedQuizzing comes to Bedford town centre. Get your team of up to six players together and enjoy a fun, interactive night of entertainment hosted by Owen.
There’s a £60 bar tab to the winners and there is a rolling jackpot each week.
Walk ins are allowed on the night until the venue is full. Reserve your table online here and get a 20 point head start.
Wednesday, 23 April 2025
Theatre: Whole
The Place Theatre @ 7.30pm
Tickets: from £16
Whole is a show about two people – one of them is on stage, the other isn’t. Emma has been looking for a way to fill the gaping hole her identical twin sister’s death has left behind. So, she thought she would make a show for them. Only it’s proving a little tricky because Emma doesn’t like doing things on her own. Every night a volunteer from the audience will join Emma on stage to assist her in performing the show.
Wednesday, 23 April 2025
Food & drink: Flavours of Malaysia: Cooking with Mariae Hackett
Gastronomica, Colworth Science Park
Free
Join Mariae Hackett, founder of Dapur Mariae, for a live cooking and tasting demo that will transport you to the heart of Malaysia. Discover how Mariae transitioned from a three-decade career in healthcare to creating award-winning sauces, now making waves in Co-op and Selfridges.
Experience the vibrant flavours of Malaysian cuisine firsthand, and hear Mariae’s inspiring story of passion, perseverance, and her mission to make Malaysian food accessible to everyone.
Thursday, 24 April 2024
On the river: Fish & Chip cruise on the John Bunyan Boat
Priory Marina @ midday
Tickets: £32.86
Have a relaxing lunchtime cruise along Bedford’s picturesque river enjoying our Fish and Chip Lunch.
Departing from: Priory Marina at 12pm for a two-hour cruise to Queens Bridge Kempston before returning back to Priory Marina.
Thursday, 24 April 2024
Dancing: Red Cuthbert Morris Dancers
The Devonshire Arms @ 8pm
The White Horse @ 9pm
As part of their 2025 tour, catch the Red Cuthbert Morris Dancers at two locations this week.
At 8pm they’ll be at the Devonshire Arms on Dudley Street and at 9pm you can find them at the White Horse on Newnham Avenue.
Thursday, 24 April 2025
Dancing: Planet Swing featuring The Mark Keeley Rock n Roll Road 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, 25 April 2025
Family fun: Exploring with Kaye Leidoskope – Exploring Bugs
The Place Theatre @ 10am
Tickets: Pay what you can
Join Kaye Leidoskope for these monthly lively & lovely interactive sessions for children two to five years and their grown-ups. At each session we explore a new subject area like transport, animals and weather.
You can expect play, songs, crafts and we always have bubbles… perfect for little ones to creatively learn through play!
Friday, 25 April 2025
Community: A Celebration of the Caribbean Community in Bedford
The Place Theatre @ 2pm
Tickets: £5
C.R.I.S.S, LOWD and The Higgins Bedford present a celebration of the Caribbean Community in Bedford.
Experience a day of celebration including exhibits, interviews, discussions, live music, poetry, drama, comedy, fashion and keynote speaker Lydia Saul. Plus much much more!For more details and a full schedule of events visit theplacebedford.org.
Friday, 25 April 2025
Live music: Sloop Groggy Dogs in Concert – An Evening of Shanties, Sea Songs and Laughter!
Bedford Corn Exchange @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £20/VIP £40
Channel your inner Captain Jack Sparrow, Blackbeard or Admiral Nelson at this fundraising concert by Sloop Groggy Dogs, possibly the oldest ‘Boy Band’ in the world.
These salty sea dogs will be singing shanties, sea songs and other crowd-pleasers all in aid of the Road Victims Trust and the RNLI. You are guaranteed an evening of great singing, audience involvement and laughter. Parrots, wooden legs and eye patches are optional but prizes will be awarded to those who attend in fancy dress!
Friday, 25 April 2025
Live music: Joe Bygraves (full band show)
Bedford Esquires @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £9
Joe Bygraves is back with a full band headline show at Bedford Esquires this April.
Joe has opened for the likes of Paloma Faith, Ronan Keating and Jools Holland and been heavily featured on BBC Introducing. Following his recent appearances at Bedford River Festival 2024 and supporting Ultimate Coldplay, he is back with his first full band headline show in years…you would be a fool to miss out!
Friday, 25 April 2025
Comedy: Ignacio Lopez: Senor Self- Destruct
The Place Theatre @ 8pm
Tickets: £20
Spain’s Best Export™ Ignacio Lopez is on a mission to destroy himself and build a better version: Leaner. Smarter. Funnier.
Join the star of Live At The Apollo, Have I Got News For You, The Now Show and more, for a riotously funny exploration of vices, decadence, and self-improvement.
Friday, 25 April 2025
Live music: Generation 5pan
The Cellar Bar @ 8.30pm
Free entry
Generation 5pan are back at The Cellar Bar playing a mix of rock/pop and blues covers from the 50s to the modern day.
Saturday, 26 April 2025
Community: St George’s Day celebration
Harpur Square @ noon – 6.30pm
Free
Bedford will come alive with music, dance and community spirit this weekend as the Borough Council hosts a St George’s Day celebration in Harpur Square and the Harpur Suite.
Read: Dragons, dancing and local pride: St George’s Day comes to Bedford town centre
The free family-friendly event to commemorate England’s patron saint promises a full afternoon of entertainment, food, and traditional English fun, including live music from the Bedford Town Band, The Song Squad and The Brookettes; Morris Dancing; face painting and balloon modelling and traditional food and drink in the Harpur Suite.
Saturday, 26 April 2025
Reggae: Cultural Roots Weekender- A Reggae Sound System Story
The Place Theatre @ 2pm
Tickets: £5
Day two of The Cultural Roots Weekender is all about the Reggae Sound System Story. A whole day jam-packed with debates, interviews, Q&A, live music, Sound System displays and demos, plus a pre-amp display.
Featuring the following: Lloyd Coxsone (Coxsone Outernational), Quakercity Sound, King Earthquake, Luv Injection Ft Winston Mexican, Saxon Sound Ft Mini Muscle, Iration Steppas, Cultural Roots Sound and Light, Mark Mostec (pre-amp Builder), Kutty “QSS” Qualitex Sound Builder, Robert Fearon aka RIBS (Unity / Fatman).
Saturday, 26 April 2025
Film: Bedford Film Night presents Conclave
St Andrew’s Church, Kimbolton Road, Bedford, MK40 2PF @ 7pm
Tickets: £5
Based on the bestseller by Thomas Harris, this Oscar award-winning political thriller follows Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Fiennes) as he organises a conclave to elect the next pope and finds himself investigating secrets and scandals about the major candidates.
Saturday, 26 April 2025
Live Music: New Harmony
The Cellar Bar @ 8.30pm
Free Entry
Bar opens at 6.00pm, Happy Hour until 9.00pm. 3.00am close
The guys need no introduction, making a return to The Cellar Bar, New Harmony, are the ultimate crowd pleasers bringing you the very best in Reggae, Motown and Classic songs.
Sunday, 27 April 2025
Sport: The 71st Bedford Kayak Marathon
The Embankment @ 10.30am and 12.30pm
Free
The Bedford Kayak Marathon event is part of the Hasler race series and brings in around 120 competitors from all over the eastern region.
The race is on the River Great Ouse using a 4.3km circuit through the centre of Bedford, with four different race lengths: 2.5km, 6.8 km, 12.9 km, and 19.7 km.
The races start at 10.30 am and 12.30 pm.
The entire course is accessible to spectators, so bring a picnic and cheer on the paddlers.
Sunday, 27 April 2025
Walking: “The Jewel in Bedford’s Crown” guided walk
Bedford Town Centre @ 11am at the box office at the Harpur Suite, Harpur Square
Tickets: £4/£2 (Please use the code HIGGINS30 to remove the transaction fee)
The Jewel in Bedford’s Crown is undoubtedly the River Great Ouse and its Embankment. This entertainig and informative circular walk takes you along the banks of the river, which has been described as one of the finest riverside settings in England. Learn the story of the Victorian Embankment development and enjoy a walk in the ornamental gardens.
Join the Association of Bedford Tour Guides for one of their fascinating weekly walks. Each walk is of 90 minutes to two hours duration and covers a distance of one or two miles. Most walks are suitable for people who are less mobile.
Children of all ages are most welcome on all of the walks but those aged 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Each walk costs £4 per adult or £2 for children over 8. All walks must be pre-booked and the meeting point is on the steps outside the box office on Harpur Square.
Sunday, 27 April 2025
Live music: The Feelgood Band play the Sunday afternoon session
Bedford Esquires @ 5pm
Free entry
High energy performance of classic Dr. Feelgood, from the 1970s ‘Gypie’ Mayo period.
Sunday, 27 April 2025
Theatre: Stage Write
The Place Theatre @ 7.30pm
Tickets: from £5
StageWrite is a hothouse for the development of new writing for theatre, designed to help plays grow from page to performance. It supports writers in the process of getting their work up on its feet and in front of an audience for the very first time. Every time StageWrite happens, it’s different – the nature of profiling brand new work!
Sunday, 27 April 2025
Live music: Cafe Danube Cellar Sessions
The Quarry Theatre @ 6.30pm
Tickets from £10 (under 18s free)
Inspired by the cellar at the Red Hedgehog Tavern in Vienna – prepare to laugh, yell and maybe shed a tear with music from Bach and Johann Strauss to Donna Summer and Taylor Swift.
At the cellar, boundaries between genres become blurry as people are immersed in each other’s sound worlds. Here, as wine glasses set their own rhythms, the night invites distortions of time, and composers from the past meet composers from the future.
Tuesday, 29 April 2025
Art & Culture lecture: Paula Nuttall – Urbino, The Palace of the Courtier: ducal Treasures, the paintings by Piero della Francesca
The Addison Centre, Kempston @ 10.45am / 11am start
Tickets: NBAS members – free / guests £10
North Beds Arts Society presents a talk by Paula Nuttall on The Ducal Palace of Urbino – the most perfect of Italian renaissance palaces and the creation of soldier-prince, Federigo da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino.
Paula’s lecture takes us on a tour of the palace, from the exquisitely proportioned courtyard and vast throne room, to the gemlike private study and functional apartments.
Paula Nuttall is a specialist in Renaissance art, both Italian and northern European. She has collaborated on major exhibitions including Jan van Eyck: an Optical Revolution (Ghent, 2020) and before retiring in 2023, Paula was Director of the V&A Medieval.
Tuesday, 29 April 2025
Live music: Tuesday lunchtime concert
St Paul’s church, St Paul’s Square @ 1pm
Free entry with retiring collection (suggested donation £5)
Lunchtime recital featuring: David Makic (Piano). Free with a retiring collection.
Tuesday, 29 April 2025
Classical music: Jeneba Kanneh-Mason plays Rachmaninov
Bedford Corn Exchange @ 7.30pm
Tickets: Prices vary
Romantic grandeur and dramatic flair close the Philharmonia’s 2024/25 season in Bedford. Bursting with more memorable melodies than many composers write in a lifetime, is arguably the most popular in classical music history.
Jeneba Kanneh-Mason made her Philharmonia debut with Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto in 2022, and she returns to win the hearts of the audience in Bedford.
Tuesday, 29 April 2025
Creative arts: The Circus of Illustration: Drink and Draw
The Park pub, Kimbolton Road @ 7.30pm
Free
If you want to flex your creative muscles, then what better place that the monthly Drink and Draw events hosted by The Circus of Illustration at The Park pub. You’ll meet like-minded people and all materials are provided. Keep an eye on the Circus’ social media channels for more info…
Wednesday, 30 April 2025
Live music: Guy Griffin & Nashville’s Dylan Taylor ft Max Milligan
Bedford Esquires @ 7pm
Tickets: £15
Guy Griffin is set to perform his first acoustic solo shows, joined by Vertical Records artist Dylan Taylor from Nashville, Tennessee, and world-renowned session guitarist Max Milligan, along with other guest musicians.
Griffin’s career is rich with collaborations, including working with Joe Elliott of Def Leppard on the side project Down ‘n’ Outz, which produced three studio albums, as well as recording and performing with Charlie Starr of Blackberry Smoke and Ian Hunter of Mott the Hoople. As part of The Quireboys since 1989 he has also toured worldwide with bands like The Rolling Stones, Guns N’ Roses, Bon Jovi, and Aerosmith.
For this acoustic debut, Griffin will pull from his extensive back catalogue, unveil new material, and reinterpret a few choice covers, all in a “stripped back roots/Americana” style.
Wednesday, 30 April 2025
Quiz: A1 SpeedQuizzing
The Cellar Bar @ 8pm Bar opens at 7pm
£3pp to enter the quiz. Rolling cash jackpot of £150 plus £60 cash for the winning team and other prizes to winTo reserve your table –
Quiz nights will never be the same again as SpeedQuizzing comes to Bedford town centre. Get your team of up to six players together and enjoy a fun, interactive night of entertainment hosted by Owen.
There’s a £60 bar tab to the winners and there is a rolling jackpot each week.
Walk ins are allowed on the night until the venue is full. Reserve your table online here and get a 20 point head start.
Thursday, 1 May 2025
On the river: Motown cruise on the John Bunyan Boat
Sovereign’s Quay @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £26.50
Enjoy an evening of Motown and Soul as the sun goes down on board the John Bunyan Boat as you cruise Bedford’s River Great Ouse.
DJ Keith Stewart will be playing the best Motown and soul tracks on this two-hour circular cruise from Sovereign’s Quay.
Thursday, 1 May 2025
Morris Dancing: May Day Morris
Silver Faces @ 8pm | The Three Cups, Newnham Street @ 9pm
Free
This 1 May, you can catch Red Cuthbert Morris as they dance to mark May Day, a European festival of ancient origins, marking the beginning of summer, around halfway between the Northern Hemisphere’s Spring equinox and June solstice.
Red Cuthbert will be marking the occasion in the best way they know, by dancing in Bedford Town Centre and then at a pub. They’ll be at the Silver Faces at 8pm and then at The Three Cups on Newnham Street at 9pm.
Thursday, 1 May 2025
Live music: Coach Party
Bedford Esquires @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £17
Emerging from the Isle of Wight in 2019, Coach Party are a dynamic British indie rock quartet comprising lead vocalist and bassist Jess Eastwood, guitarists Joe Perry and Steph Norris, and drummer Guy Page.
Their sound seamlessly blends grunge-infused riffs with pop sensibilities, drawing inspiration from the raw energy of late-80s Seattle and the angsty undertones of Britpop. Coach Party’s relentless touring schedule and festival appearances, including Glastonbury, have solidified their reputation as a formidable live act. Their trajectory suggests they’re poised to become a significant force in the UK’s indie music scene.
Thursday, 1 May 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, 1 May 2025
Quiz: Esquires Monthly Music Quiz
Bedford Esquires @ 8pm
£2 per person / max six people per team
Brain cells at the ready, it’s Esquires music quiz and everyone’s welcome. Featuring music from the 50’s to the present, it’s £2 per person to enter with teams of up to a maximum of six people.
Cash prize for the winning team.
Thursday, 1 & Friday, 2 May 2025
Theatre: Once
The Place Theatre@ 7.30pm
Tickets: from £16
On the streets of Dublin, an Irish musician and a Czech immigrant are drawn together by their shared love of music. Over the course of one fateful week, an unexpected friendship and collaboration quickly evolves into a powerful but complicated love story, underscored by emotionally charged music.
In this highly acclaimed 2022 production of the West End and Broadway smash-hit musical, the cast are the band, the band are the cast. All the music is live and played as part of the story.
Thursday, 1 May 2025
Dancing: Planet Swing featuring Chris Lord and her Blues Express
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, 1 May 2025
Live music: Irish Folk Night
The Castle, 17 Newnham Street @ 8.30pm
Free entry
A great fun evening of toe-tapping Irish music to sing along to. The craic is sure to be mighty!
Friday, 2 May 2025
Live music: Tie One On
The Castle, 17 Newnham Street @ 8.30pm
Free entry
Kick off the bank holiday weekend with a night at the Castle with this three-piece fast-paced rhythm and blues band, with a bit of rock n roll on the side.
Friday, 2 May 2025
Live Music: The Krakens
The Cellar Bar @ 8.30pm / late close
Free entry
The Krakens are back! This four-piece covers band play a variety of rock songs through the ages featuring songs from: Elton John, Queen, Nirvana and more…
Saturday, 3 and Sunday, 4 May 2025
Food and drink: Beer and Beyond
Brewpoint @ midday – 10.45pm
Tickets: from £15
This year’s Beer and Beyond Festival at Brewpoint will see an incredible line-up of beers – perfect for a seasoned beer aficionado or a curious newcomer.
Groove to the rhythm of sensational live performances that will keep you dancing throughout the festival. Discover talented artists spanning various genres, adding an electrifying atmosphere to your beer-filled adventures.
Fuel your fun with delectable treats from our lineup of gourmet food trucks and Brewpoint’s very own brick pizza oven. From mouthwatering pizzas and burgers to tantalizing tacos, satisfy your cravings with a diverse array of culinary delights.
Cheers!
Saturday, 3 May 2025
Classical music: Bedford Sinfonia
Bedford Corn Exchange @ 7.30pm
Tickets: prices vary
Delius’ On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring begins a delightful programme of works by English composers in Bedford Sinfonia’s concert this month.
It will be followed by two orchestral songs by Holst (Country Song and Marching Song) which will then lead to the Arnold Clarinet Concerto played by Paul Harris, who will also give a pre-concert talk about the composer and the concerto. The programme will conclude with the warm and melodically extravagant Vaughan Williams Symphony No. 5.
Saturday 3 May 2025
Theatre: Three Acres and a Cow
Satuday, 3 April @ 7pm
Tickets: from £11
A history of land rights and protest in folk song and story, the show connects the Norman Conquest and Peasants’ Revolt with current issues like the housing crisis, reparations, climate breakdown and food sovereignty via the Enclosures, English Civil War and Industrial Revolution, drawing a compelling narrative through the radical people’s history of England.
Part TED talk, part history lecture, part folk club sing-a-long, part storytelling session… Come and share in these tales as they have been shared for generations.
Saturday 3 May 2025
Theatre: That Knave, Raleigh
Saturday, 3 May @ 7.30pm
Tickets from £14.50
Following their five-star show, I, Elizabeth, the award-winning Dyad Productions return to the Elizabethan era, to the famous and fabulous Elizabethan explorer, sailor, dandy, and warrior, Sir Walter Raleigh. Elizabeth I’s favourite and James I’s knave.
This is a journey through the astonishing highs and lows of one of Britain’s most famous men from history. But there’s so much you don’t know…
See the fall from grace taken directly from historical record, marvel at the magnetism of a man who seized every opportunity to create a legacy which spans the centuries and at every wrenching, exalting and personal moment, you will be witnesses.
Saturday, 3 May 2025
Live music: Double header of live music – Cameo & Five Five Six
The Cellar Bar at 8.30pm / Bar opens at 6pm / Happy hour 6pm – 9pm
Free entry.
Cellar Bar favourite Cameo is back for another solo performance, so expect a beautiful voice and some cracking party tunes from Dolly Parton to Fleetwood Mac to The Red Hot Chili Peppers and so much in between.
If you’ve not seen Five Five Six at The Cellar Bar before, you are in for a treat, get ready for a great night of legendary rock tunes. The Cellar Bar literally rocks when these guys play!
Sunday 4 May & Monday 5 May 2025
Children’s Theatre: Michael Morpurgo’s Farm Boy
The Quarry Theatre @ 1pm & 3pm Sunday, 11am & 1pm Monday
Tickets: from £13
It sometimes felt as though time had stood still down on the farm – the old Fordson tractor quietly rusting away at the back of the barn, Grandpa tending his chickens – that is, until the summer his grandson came to stay, and the old man started telling stories of what it had been like when he was a boy.
Following successful UK tours and a critically acclaimed run in New York, Michael Morpurgo’s compelling sequel to ‘War Horse’ returns to the stage in this delightful, family-friendly show combining drama, storytelling, and original music – a moving account of the changing face of the English countryside and a beautifully crafted reminder that stories really can reach out across the generations.
Sunday, 4 May 2025
Walking: “The Life and Times of John Bunyan” guided walk
Bedford Town Centre @ 11am at the box office at the Harpur Suite, Harpur Square
Tickets: £4/£2 (Please use the code HIGGINS30 to remove the transaction fee)
Discover the story of Bedford’s most famous son who was imprisoned for his non-conformist preaching. Visit the site of the cottage in which John and his family lived, the churches in which he worshipped and the site of the gaol in which he spent 12 long years and began to write one of the best selling books in history, The Pilgrim’s Progress.
Join the Association of Bedford Tour Guides for one of their fascinating weekly walks. Each walk is of 90 minutes to two hours duration and covers a distance of one or two miles. Most walks are suitable for people who are less mobile.
Children of all ages are most welcome on all of the walks but those aged 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Each walk costs £4 per adult or £2 for children over eight. All walks must be pre-booked.
Sunday, 4 May 2025
On the river: Afternoon Tea Cruise on the John Bunyan Boat
Priory Marina @ 2pm
Tickets: £42.40
Enjoy a Special Afternoon Tea Cruise complete with vintage crockery from local caterer Crème Brew Lait.
You’ll be welcomed aboard with a glass of fruit juice, before settling down to cruise Bedford’s picturesque countryside along the river with our Special Afternoon Tea at your table.
Discover abundant wildlife and view the picturesque countryside from a whole new angle, looking out through large picture windows or standing out on the John Bunyan Bow.
Departing from: Priory Marina at 2.00pm for a 2-hour cruise to Queens Bridge Kempston before returning back to Priory Marina.
Sunday, 4 May 2025
Food and drink: Afternoon tea
The Cellar Bar @ 4pm
Tickets from £25 / bottomless options available
The Cellar Bar has teamed up with Creme Brew Lait to deliver a two-hour themed afternoon tea experience, combining beautiful food, wonderful drinks options and live music.
This event is full of Blues and Rock n Roll with The Workshop Boys performing (see below)
There is, however, a twist – they’ve replaced the PG Tips with Pornstar Martinis and Sex on the Beach…
The entertainment starts at 5pm, giving you some quiet time before, to catch up with friends or family and enjoy your afternoon tea. You can then choose to stay in the Purple Room and enjoy the music in the background or go full throttle and move to the main bar for a fully immersive experience.
Sunday, 4 May 2025
Live music: The Workshop Boys
The Cellar Bar @ 5pm
Free entry. Bar opens at 3.00pm
Formed by former members of Los Marbles and Cutting Out, The Workshop Boys have fast become one of Bedford’s most loved bar bands.
You can combine an afternoon of Blues & Rock n Roll with one of the Cellar Bar’s Bottomless Afternoon Tea packages. The performance is 5pm – 7pm. Afternoon tea is 4pm – 6pm. Book online in advance to secure a seat, otherwise it will be standing room only.
Sunday, 4 May 2025
Live music: The A Band present ‘A Drink for Sid’
Bedford Esquires @ 5pm
Free entry
It’s that time again…
The first bank holiday Sunday in May to celebrate the life of Bedford’s Mr Music ‘Sid Worth’. Sid’s old band ‘The A Band’ will be hosting and featuring some special guests.
Sunday, 4 May 2025
Poetry and Spoken Word: Read Poets Society
The Eagle Bookshop @ 7pm
Tickets: Free but please book via the Place Theatre website
Join the Read Poets Society for their monthly reading of poems. This month’s theme is Fear and Courage and, as usual, takes place at the Eagle Bookshop in St Peter’s Street.
Sunday, 4 May 2025
Live music: Acoustopaea
The Castle, 17 Newnham Street @ 8.30pm
Free entry
Enjoy a relaxed bank holiday Sunday in the company of Acoustopaea, a three-piece acoustic band playing a mix of rock and pop covers.
At the Higgins Bedford
Exhibition: Colour and Light
The Higgins Bedford until 2 November 2025
Free entry
Art from the 18th century right up to the present day will be on display at The Higgins Bedford in its new exhibition, exploring the fascinating relationship between Colour and Light.
Read: Exhibition: ‘Colour and Light’ illuminates The Higgins Bedford
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.
Colour and Light will also feature a specially commissioned artwork by Bedford-based artist, Alison Goodyear, entitled ‘Light & Colour’, as featured on the front 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.
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
