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 Bedford Esquires.
Until Saturday, 21 February 2026
Bedford Drama Company presents: An Evening with Tom Stoppard
The Place Theatre @ 7.30pm
Tickets: from £12
Get ready for an evening of absurd comedy with this double-bill of The Real Inspector Hound (1962) and If You’re Glad I’ll Be Frank (1966).
Friday, 20 February 2026
Live music: The Greensands + Mindsigh + Cheap Bleach
Bedford Esquires @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £8
One of the best new bands in the area, The Greensands, are putting on their own show at Esquires this month, in celebration of their new single, Patience.
Joining them on the night will be the equally buzzy Mindsigh and Cheap Bleach.
Friday, 20 February 2026
Live music: Anti-Nowhere League + guests
Bedford Esquires @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £22.50
Anti-Nowhere League are back for their annual Bedford show, this time to celebrate the band’s 45th anniversary.
Expect to hear all the classics from the band’s 45-year career.
Friday, 20 February 2026
Musical theatre: Peter Andre in the Very Best of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
Bedford Corn Exchange @ 8pm
Tickets: £45
The Very Best of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons is back by overwhelming demand, delivering a spectacular, high-energy celebration of the timeless music from one of the biggest-selling groups of all time.
This nostalgic musical journey pays tribute to the life and career of those four boys from Jersey who began singing under a streetlamp and went on to become one of the most iconic acts in music history.
From the streets of New Jersey to the bright lights of the West End and Broadway, their legendary sound has been thrilling audiences for over five decades.
The Very Best of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons brings you all the hits you know and love, including Sherry, My Eyes Adored You, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, and so many more.
Saturday, 21 and Sunday, 22 February 2026
Family fun: Airships XR – pop-up experience
The Shuttleworth Collection, Alder Drive, SG18 9DT @ 10am – 4pm
Free entry
Discover Bedford’s exciting airship story in this free pop-up experience that features Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality technology.
Step inside history and explore what it was like to design, fly, and investigate these incredible engineering feats. You can explore 3D airship worlds in immersive VR, try prototype XR experiences – from flight decks to museum galleries and discover Bedford’s airship heritage through cutting-edge storytelling and technology.
Saturday, 21 February 2026
Art exhibition: ‘Inspired by Graffiti, inspired by Pop art and the Western nude’ by Mark Pinchin.
RAFA Bedford, Ashburnham Road, MK40 1EA
Free entry
An exhibition of prints, original artwork and original paintings taking their inspiration from American and English graffiti artists including Basquiat, Peterson, Oker and English pop artists, Richard Hamilton and Allen Jones.
Exhibition runs until 18 April.
Saturday, 21 February 2026
Heritage crafts: Lacemaking demonstration
The Higgins Bedford @ 11am
Free, drop-in
Aragon Lacemakers will be at the Higgins Bedford to share the traditional Bedfordshire craft of bobbin lacemaking with a ‘have a go pillow’.
Saturday, 21 February 2026
Walking: North Bedfordshire Ramblers’ weekly walk
Haynes Park, MK45 3PH @ 1pm
A seven-mile walk through Haynes and the surrounding area.
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, 21 February 2026
Live music: China Crisis
Bedford Esquires @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £28.50
English pop/rock band China Crisis, formed in 1979 in Merseyside with a core of vocalist/keyboardist Gary Daly and guitarist Eddie Lundon. China Crisis were originally assimilated in the batch of new wave Liverpool acts of the late 1970s and early 1980s, led by OMD and also including The Teardrop Explodes, A Flock of Seagulls, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood.
China Crisis had huge success in the United Kingdom with a string of hit singles, including African & White, Christian, Working with Fire and Steel, Black Man Ray, King in Catholic Style and Wishful Thinking.
Saturday, 21 February 2026
Live music: The 900 – Tony Hawk Pro Skater Cover Band
Bedford Esquires @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £14
Picture this… It’s August 1999, people are getting excited about Red and Blue Pills, Star Wars has embarked on the first of their many prequel films, frosted tips and Sea Monkeys are all the rage, and the Dalek-esque tones of dial-up fill the airwaves and landlines…
But none of that is important because Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater has just entered the world of video games with a soundtrack that we simply weren’t ready for.
The 900 are the UK’s first and only Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater cover band.
Formed by their mutual understanding that no other soundtrack could ever top THPS, The 900 gives you a reason for your back to hurt in the morning. With the approval of the Birdman himself, they’re ready to kickflip into every big banger from THPS1 to American Wasteland.
Sunday, 22 February 2026
Live music: Venomous Snake play the Sunday Afternoon Session
Bedford Esquires @ 5pm
Free entry
It’s been 23 long years, but Venomous Snake return to Esquires for a Sunday afternoon of classic rock covers.
Sunday 22 February 2026
Comedy: Geoff Norcott: Basic Bloke 2 – There’s No Bloke Without Fire
The Quarry Theatre @ 8pm
Tickets: £18
Basic Bloke 2 is Geoff’s first tour under a Labour government, so he’s got plenty to get off his chest, and it’s fair to say the gloves are off.
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Classical music: Lunchtime recital
St Paul’s church, St Paul’s Square @ 1pm
Free with retiring collection
Step into the beautiful surroundings of St Paul’s church to enjoy a free lunchtime performance by Isabella Ward Ackland, Philharmonia Instrumental Fellow (horn).
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Creativing: The Circus of Illustration presents Drink and Draw
The Park pub, Kimbolton Road @ 7.30pm
Free. No need to book, just turn up / £2 donation welcome
Join The Circus of Illustration to doodle along to this month’s theme.
Bring your preferred drawing materials or use theirs. These relaxed drink and draws are suitable for adults of all levels of artists and illustrators. New people always welcome.
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Friends of the Higgins lecture: The Life and Work of Graham Sutherland with Mark Lewis BA(Hons), MA, FRSA, CertEd
St Andrew’s Church Hall, Kimbolton Road @ 7.30pm
Members: free / non-members £10
In this lecture we will learn more about the leading 20th century British artist Graham Sutherland. Best known for his Neo-Romantic landscapes, Sutherland began his career as a printmaker but became famous for painting and notably for his war-time scenes produced in his capacity as an Official War Artist.
Sutherland also became renowned for his religious commissions like the spectacular Coventry Cathedral tapestry, and his and often controversial but intense portraits of figures like that of Churchill.
Mark Lewis is an artist and designer specialising in silversmithing and jewellery. He was Principal Lecturer in the Sir John Cass Department of Art, Media and Design at London Metropolitan University. He currently lectures part-time at the Goldsmiths’ Centre in London and is a visiting lecturer at Birmingham City University.
***Special offer for guests and visitors. Free entry to the talk and £10 discount if you take out Friends’ membership running from now to September 2026***
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Bedford Film Society presents: Small Things Like These
University of Bedfordshire, Polhill Avenue
Tickets: Annual membership £70 / day member £5
In this adaptation of Claire Keegan’s incredible book, devoted father Bill Furlong (Cillian Murphy) discovers disturbing secrets kept by the local convent and uncovers shocking truths of his own.
Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Live music: Whitelands + Swallowtail
Bedford Esquires @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £12.50
Club Biscuit Promotions and The ROAR Club are delighted to be bringing Whitelands back to Esquires this month.
The London based dream-poppers, who were last seen at the venue supporting English Teacher at Ceremony 3.5, will be touring in support of their sophomore album ‘Sunlight Echoes’, released on the always dependable Sonic Cathedral record label at the end of January.
Produced by long-time collaborator Ian Flynn and mixed by double Grammy Award-winner Eduardo De La Paz (New Order, The Horrors, The Charlatans), ‘Sunlight Echoes’ features guest vocals from labelmate Emma Anderson (Lush) and sees the band embrace a more expansive sound that takes them out of the shoegaze shadows to somewhere bigger, better and brighter.
For fans of: RIDE, Slowdive.
Thursday, 26 February 2026
Stevington Cinema Club presents: NTLive screening of The Audience
Stevington Village Hall, MK43 7QT@ 6.30pm
Tickets: prices vary
Returning to cinemas for the first time in over a decade, Helen Mirren plays Queen Elizabeth II.
Thursday, 26 February 2026
Live music: The Howlers + Carpark
Bedford Esquires
Tickets: £15
London desert-rockers The Howlers have never strayed from their open and honest approach to musicianship, quickly identifying themselves as one of the UK’s must-see acts.
Their debut album, What You’ve Got To Lose To Win It All, received much deserved praise and achieved various top 10 positions across Europe and the UK, solidifying their place as one of the UK’s most unique independent bands, in a class of their own.
Friday, 27 February 2026
Art & culture: Talk on Noel Carrington by Joe Pearson
Bunyan Meeting Church, Mill Street @ 2pm – 3pm
Free, booking essential
Join exhibition curator Joe Pearson to learn more about the amazing career of Noel Carrington and the artists he championed. Joe is an established collector and writer on mid-century lithography.
In 2015 he founded Design for Today, a press and publisher, with the aim of workingwith designers and illustrators to create limited edition books and cards.
Friday, 27 February & Sunday, 1 March 2026
NTLive Theatre: Hamlet
The Quarry Theatre @ 7pm Friday & 2pm Sunday
Tickets: £15.50
Olivier Award-winner Hiran Abeysekera (Life of Pi) is Hamlet in this fearless, contemporary take on Shakespeare’s famous tragedy.
Friday, 27 February 2026
Live music: Easydread
Bedford Esquires @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £10
Reggae rebels, Easydread have (finally!) recorded their new album ‘Sound of the Uprising’ and will be celebrating its release at Esquires on Friday, 27 February, with special guests Baldhead, The Tics and Snipit & The Hotrocks!
Join the party for just a tenner.
Saturday, 28 February 2026
Community: Bedford Repair Cafe
Project 229, Bedford Road, Kempston MK42 8DA @ 10am-3pm drop in. Last entry 2.30pm
Free entry / donation appreciated
Get one item per household fixed for free by local volunteers. The friendly fixers can repair household electrical items, bikes, clothes, toys, costume jewellery, woodwork, and more.
Saturday, 28 February 2026
Dance music: Remedy presents Red Greg and Irfan Rainy
Dom Polski, 18-20 Ashburnham Road, Bedford MK40 1DS @ 6pm – 1am
Tickets: £15
Remedy is back at Dom Polski with a cosmic musical journey, a space to dance, make friends, get to know one another and spread a message of love through community. Tickets cost £15 including light refreshments and a free cloakroom. Head to remedycollective.net and sign up for the invite list to get your ticket.
Saturday, 28 February 2026
Classical music: Bedfordshire Symphony Orchestra presents Wintry Classics
St Paul’s Church @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £20 / under 18s free
Bedfordshire Symphony Orchestra’s Wintry Classics features Glinka’s Ruslan and Ludmila Overture, Violin Concerto in D minor by Sibelius and Brahms’ Symphony No. 1. The conductor is Bjorn Bantock and violin soloist Jakub Jakowicz.
Saturday, 28 February 2026
Comedy: Paul Sinha: 2 Sinha Lifetime
The Quarry Theatre @ 7.30pm
Tickets: from £18
Paul Sinha returned to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2025 after a dramatic 2023 that saw him booking a ticket to Edinburgh’s Royal Infirmary halfway through his run.
With no small debt to the NHS, Paul celebrated his 30th anniversary in stand-up last year and is not ready to exit the stage just yet.
Saturday, 28 February 2026
Live music: Congratulations
Bedford Esquires
Tickets: £12 / £20.99 (including CD)
Brighton art-rock quartet, Congratulations are a hall of mirrors party troop. They are devils and tarts in equal measure. They lock their horns and then spin round and round and round until a dizzy cacophony erupts.
Sugarcane hooks vs. slaughterhouse screams and they’re here to move you. Their debut album, Join Hands releases just weeks before this show and has been described as a “high-powered, fast-paced assault of unbridled, intensely groovy indie dance rock.”
Sunday, 1 March 2026
Live music: The Vinyl Frontier play the Sunday Afternoon Session
Bedford Esquires @ 5pm
Free entry
The Vinyl Frontier are back at Esquires playing New Wave/80’s covers.
At the Higgins Bedford
Exhibition: Noel Carrington: Nothing Need Be Ugly
The Higgins Bedford
Free entry
Curated by writer and publisher Joe Pearson, this exhibition tells the story of publishing’s unsung hero Noel Carrington (1895–1989). Schooled in Bedford with his sister Dora, Noel Carrington became one of the most influential figures in 20 th century design. Through the Puffin Picture Books and Country Life he commissioned, edited and published some of Britian’s most loved children’s picture books.
Read: Celebrating Bedford’s unsung publishing hero: Noel Carrington and Puffin Picture Books
He saw the genius in artists such as Kathleen Hale, publishing books about Orlando the Marmalade Cat and championed emerging artists such as Hilary Stebbing. With Eric Ravilious, Edward Bawden and Mervyn Peake he commissioned books such as ‘High Street’, ‘Life in an English Village’ and ‘Captain Slaughterboard’.
Through beloved children’s books, forgotten gems and original artwork this exhibition will take Noel Carrington out of the footnotes and into the spotlight.
Family fun: Cardboard Clues – murder at the movies
The Higgins Bedford until 12 April
£25/team
Become a detective and unravel a series of curious, whimsical mysteries in your local museum.
Scour the Higgins Bedford to discover hidden clues and ‘cardboard’ characters, who could be suspects, witnesses or victims, guided by the Cardboard Clues app.
Connect the dots in the stories across the museum and test your wits and problem-solving skills. Perfect for families, friends, and curious minds looking for a unique experience in a fun setting.
Exhibition: Edward Bawden – Printmaker
The Higgins Bedford until 26 April
Free entry
Take a trip to the Higgins Bedford to explore the Edward Bawden Printmaker exhibition, which celebrates Bawden’s remarkable legacy as ‘The Master of the Linocut’ and offers visitors a chance to delve into his innovative techniques and artistic achievements.
At the Panacea Museum
Permanent exhibition: Discover the amazing story of a unique religious community
Panacea Museum, 11 Newnham Rd @ Thursday – Saturday, 10am – 4pm
Free entry
This fascinating hidden gem of a museum tells the story of the Panacea Society – a secretive Christian group formed in the early twentieth century that created its 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.
As featured on BBC Radio 4’s Mark Steel’s in Town.
Every Tuesday
Community: Tuesday Chess Café
The Pavilion in the Park @ 2pm – 4pm
Free
If you’re a keen chess player or have always wanted to learn, then the weekly chess cafe at the Pavilion in the Park is for you.
Players meet every week and there’s no membership, no fee – just turn up. All you need to do is buy a coffee to support the venue. Any standard, from complete novice to Grand Master, welcome.
