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.
Friday, 29 August 2025
Family & community: Bright Emotions’ Family Day
O’Meara Sports Complex, Fiona Way, Bedford, MK41 0FD @ 1pm – 5pm
Free entry
Find out more about Bright Emotions and other local organisations at this free family fun day. Get creative, get active and connect with the community.
Friday, 29 and Saturday, 30 August 2025
Live music: HMS Fest
Bedford Esquires @ 7pm
Tickets: £17.50
The Heavy Metal Syndicate presents… HMS Festival 2025!!
Established in 2024, a local band brought together a group of bands and like-minded individuals to perform a day festival at Bedford Esquires. This year, the Heavy Metal Syndicate Festival returns bigger and better than before. Taking place over two days, HMS Festival brings together the best local rock and metal the area has to offer as well as some outside talent.
The Friday lineup features: Hereward, Skarlett Envy, Own Your Life, Lucid High
The Saturday lineup features: Fire Fall, The injester, Sypha, Uridium, Tempest Saint, Broken States, Of Concrete Gods, Invicta
Friday, 29 August 2025
Live music: Heidi Browne
The Cellar Bar: 8.30pm. Bar opens at 6.00pm. Happy hour 6.00pm – 9.00pm
Free entry
The Cellar Bar is delighted to welcome multi-instrumentalist & singer-songwriter Heidi Browne back to The Cellar Bar.
She was recognised on BBC Introducing for her distinctive vocal style and retro yet fresh sound. She went on to win Open Mic UK, tour internationally, release multiple albums and have her music played on BBC Radio 1 & 2.
Her recent single, ‘Biscuits,’ was playlisted at Caffe Nero cafes worldwide. Expect a lively mix of acoustic covers in her style with lots of audience participation and upbeat vibes.
Friday, 29 August 2025
Live music: But of Course!
The Cellar Bar @ 11pm / bar opens at 6pm / Happy hour 6pm – 9pm
Free entry
You’re in for a treat, folks. We welcome But of Course! back to The Cellar Bar.
Regulars to The Cellar Bar, Hugo and Markos from FiveFiveSix, along with Mark from But of Course! Come along and see these incredible musicians perform a mix of pop and rock classics all night long.
Saturday, 30 August 2025
Shopping: Big Summer Blow Out
The Arc, Howard Street @ midday – 9pm
Free entry
Yoo hoo! It’s time for the Arc’s annual Big Summer Blow Out, and this year it’s bigger and better than ever.
There is 20% off all shopping, and throughout the day there will be children’s storytelling, crafts and entertainment, plus delicious food from Crown and Heel Burgers and DJ Moriarty will be on the decks from 7pm – 9pm.
Saturday, 30 August 2025
Walking: North Bedfordshire Ramblers’ weekly walk
Bromham, Park at the end of Molivers Lane MK43 8LD @ 1.30pm
At 1.30pm, join this seven-mile walk through Picts estate and then to Stevington.
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, 30 August 2025
Classical music: Supernova Spectacular
Bedford Corn Exchange @ 3.30pm and 7.30pm
Tickets: From £19
A groundbreaking live music performance that blends film scores, holographic wizardry, and virtuoso musicianship is coming to Bedford Corn Exchange this summer, thanks to three local musicians.
This spectacle is described as a kaleidoscopic blend of sci-fi and space-themed film scores, a mind-bending 3D holographic lightshow, alongside the virtuosic flair of the UK’s finest musicians, brought to life by the London Cinematic Orchestra.
Supernova Spectaculars will take audiences at Bedford Corn Exchange on an immersive journey through iconic soundtracks from cinematic blockbusters such as Star Wars, Interstellar, Minority Report, Star Trek, and Independence Day.
Far removed from traditional orchestral concerts, this new production is an eruption of special effects — flashing lights, pulsating strobes, and laser beams that dance through the air, creating a visual and auditory feast for the senses.
Saturday, 30 August 2025
Live music: Jane Weaver + The Grubby Mitts
Bedford Esquires @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £20
One of the UK’s most innovative and evocative musical artists, over the past decade Jane has released a series of fantastically acclaimed albums that take in everything from acid folk, space rock, krautrock experimentalism and gorgeous pop melodies.
Dubbed ‘the high priestess of eccentric exploration’, her 2021 album ‘Flock’ saw her embrace disco with Kylie meets Goldfrapp hooks set against a psychedelic backing whilst 2024’s ‘Love in Constant Spectacle’ channelled bands like Stereolab and Broadcast and was named as one of the albums of the year by Rough Trade, Quietus and Mojo, amongst others.
With a career that has spanned over twenty years, during which time she has been sampled by Coldplay and worked with Gruff Rhys, The Jesus & Mary Chain and Doves, somehow Jane Weaver has never played Esquires before, so the team are over the moon to finally welcome her to Bedford for a special one off show following her headline performance at the Brighton Psych Festival.
Saturday, 30 August 2025
Live music: Megapint? playing all night
The Cellar Bar at 8.30pm. Bar opens at 6.00pm. Happy Hour, 6.00pm – 9.00pm.
Free entry
The guys are back for another regular gig at The Cellar Bar, playing all night until the small hours. Expect musical excellence mixed with a wonderfully curated list of rock/pop classics
Great news too that they will be a regular addition to our schedule during 2025 – it doesn’t get any better.
Sunday, 31 August 2025
Walking: “Bedford’s South Bank Show” guided walk
Bedford Town Centre @ 11am at the What’s On Hub on Silver Street
Tickets: £4/£2 (Please use the code HIGGINS30 to remove the transaction fee)
The settlement south of the river is attributed in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle in 915 to King Edward the Elder. During the latter half of the 20th Century, the south of Bedford changed dramatically as modern development took place. This walk reveals the medieval past and the more recent lost industry, buildings, public houses and the importance of Bedford’s South Bank to the development of the town.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS WALK CROSSES UNDER A LOW BRIDGE OF 4’ 9” HEIGHT TWICE ON ROUTE.
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.
Sunday, 31 August 2025
Live music: Music in the Meadows featuring The Freedom Jazz Orchestra
Mill Meadows @ 3pm – 5pm
Free to attend
Bedford’s much-loved Music in the Meadows bandstand concerts return this August, so bring the family, pack a picnic and enjoy two hours of traditional bandstand music.
Sunday, 31 August 2025
Live Music: Daytime disco with house DJ Stevo
The Cellar Bar @ 4pm
Free entry
The Cellar Bar Daytime Disco is the prefect excuse to dance and sing along to some of the greatest hits ever, on a Sunday afternoon. And if you want, you can carry on the party well into the evening. All free and no tickets required.
Wednesday, 3 September 2025
Guided Walk: ‘Bedford in World War II’
Bedford Town Centre @ 11am at the What’s On Hub on Silver Street
Tickets: £4/£2 (Please use the code HIGGINS30 to remove the transaction fee)
A walk that reveals the way of life in Bedford and some of the little-known facts about the role it played during World War II. Learn how Bedford became the main hub of the BBC during the war and how it also became a centre of wartime entertainment. Discover a ‘secret’ Bedford and the connections of the town to the code breakers at Bletchley park.
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.
Wednesday, 3 September 2025
Quiz: A1 SpeedQuizzing
The Cellar Bar @ 8pm Bar opens at 7pm
£3pp to enter the quiz
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 and get a 20-point head start.
Thursday, 4 September 2025
Lunchtime Talk: Write Your Own History
The Panacea Museum, 11 Newnham Rd, MK40 3NX @ 1pm
Free
Join Archivist Vicki Manners to learn about family history research. Drop in with no need to book.
Thursday, 4 September 2025
NT Live screening: Inter Alia
The Quarry Theatre, St Peter’s Street @ 7pm | Tickets: £10/£15.50
Stevington Cinema Club Stevington Village Hall, MK43 7QT@ 6.45pm
Tickets: £16
A live broadcast of Inter Alia, the new play by Suzie Miller (Prima Facie), starring Oscar-nominated Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl, Saltburn). Jessica Parks is a smart Crown Court Judge at the top of her career. Behind the robe, she is a karaoke fiend, a loving wife and a supportive parent.
When an event threatens to throw her life completely off balance, can she hold her family upright?
Thursday, 4 September 2025
Karaoke: Karaoke
The Cellar Bar @ 8pm / doors open 6pm / Happy Hour 6pm – 9pm
Free entry
Sarah and Cameo host the only place for karaoke on a Thursday night on Bedford High Street. Choose from over 60,000 songs and sing like a pro with the Cellar Bar’s professional lighting, sound and stage.
Sing with your friends using multiple microphones and it’s two for £12 on cocktails all night.
Friday, 5 September 2025
Family fun: Puggle Club
The Higgins Bedford @ 10.30am – midday and 1pm – 2.30pm
Free entry
A chance for toddlers and their carers to get creative, have fun, and socialise. It’s a free drop-in activity, so no need to book. Please be aware that some activities might not be suitable for children under 36 months. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Friday, 5 and Saturday, 6 September 2025
The Pantaloons present: Hamlet
The Place Theatre @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £18/£16
When he discovers that his uncle has murdered his father, married his mother and traitorously taken the crown of Denmark there’s only one course of action for Hamlet: feign madness, frequently monologue and take swift revenge. But outrageous fortune has other plans for the poor Prince of Denmark…
With live music, audience interaction, brevity-boosting abridgements, comic turns and tragic twists there’s only one question: To be there, or to be square?
Friday, 5 September 2025
Live music: The Meffs + Split Dog
Bedford Esquries @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £15
Since exploding onto the UK scene in 2019, The Meffs have built up a reputation as purveyors of frantic punk rock and an absolute must-see live sensation. The band challenges the norm with important messages about equality and society, over a barrage of hard-hitting riffs that get stuck in your head for days.
Britpunk. The Meffs created it. Remember the name!
Friday, 5 September 2025
Live music: Generation 5pan
The Cellar Bar @ 8.30pm
Free entry
Generation 5pan are back to The Cellar Bar, playing a mix of rock/pop & blues covers from the 50’s to modern day.
Saturday, 6 and Sunday, 7 September 2025
Family fun/sport: Bedford Running Festival
Russell Park
Free
For two days this September, the Bedford Running Festival is back and it’s bigger, better and more exciting than ever.
Not just for runners, the event brings together families, friends and the wider Bedford community in the heart of Russell Park for a weekend of fitness, fun and festival vibes. There are five distances to choose from, so there’s something for everyone at this year’s festival. On Saturday, runners can take part in the Mini Miles Fun Run, 5K and Twilight 10K, while Sunday is host to the Half Marathon and 20-Miler.
The 20-miler will start at 9:30am Sunday, so you can run the first part of the route with your buddies taking part in the half marathon. And if you really want to show off, anyone completing two races over the weekend will bag themselves some official Bedford Running Festival merch.
Russell Park will be transformed into a vibrant hub of live music, children’s entertainment, sports activities, and wellness zones. From a lively funfair and kids’ activities to yoga, warm-ups, and interactive experiences, there’s something for the whole family to enjoy.
You’ll also find mouth-watering street food, a buzzing festival bar, and plenty of space to relax and soak up the atmosphere, whether you’re running or not.
Saturday, 6 and Sunday, 7 September 2025
Food and drink: Cream Teas in the Panacea Gardens
The Panacea Museum, 11 Newnham Road, MK40 3NX @ 11.30am / 1.30pm / 3pm
Tickets: £7
A pot of tea, a scone, cream and jam, all served on vintage and antique china in the beautiful surroundings of the Garden of Eden at the Panacea Museum. Pre-booking recommended. Reserve your spot and pay on the day by card or cash.
Saturday, 6 September 2025
Bedfordshire Festival of Autumn Walks: Early Autumn Migrants Bird Walk
Forest Centre car park @ 10am
Free
This three-mile walk is a chance to say a last farewell to our summer migrant bird species as they make their way back to their winter destinations, including swallows, martins and warbler species, as well as our resident birds such as the song thrush, blackbird and red kite.
Saturday, 6 September 2025
Live music: Plateau + JW Paris + Kate Gore & The Screamers + Sloane
Bedford Esquires @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £10
Plateau are back, bringing their ‘We couldn’t get much higher’ rock ‘n’ roll show back to Bedford Esquires for a night of pure drama and with a cracking undercard of support bands.
A circus this is not, but an electrifying high-octane show of energy and chaos it most certainly is. Plateau sold out Esquires back in February for the release of their first EP, ‘Strange Ambitions of a Sick Soul’, and the boys return with a promise of new tunes and more grunge-tinged riffs with psychedelic bursts and hard-rock energy than you can shake a stick at.
Very special guests JW Paris make the trip from the capital via Luton. The band had the pleasure of playing the Radio 1 Big Weekend in their hometown last summer and haven’t looked back since.
Brothers Aaron and Danny are joined by former Babyshambles skinswoman, Gemma Clarke, together combining grunge, Britpop, post-punk and alt-rock influences. But make no mistake, this is “rock ‘n’ roll”!
Saturday, 6 September 2025
Live music: Evil Blizzard + Broken Castles
Bedford Esquires @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £18
If you like the throb and the rumble of low-end, it’s time to get down and (filthy)dirty with Evil Blizzard. Are you evil?
Preston’s Evil Blizzard are truly an enigma. Four bass players, a singing drummer. An array of rubber masks that will give both children and adults sleepless nights for days on end – they are the most ingenious and charismatic live experience on the music scene today!
Evil Blizzard delve into many musical wells. Mixing their musical heritage from early Sabbath, Dub & krautrock through to more modern and diverse contemporaries such as Hawkwind, Public Image Limited and Killing Joke (the latter two even personally asking for Evil Blizzard to open for them). It appears that no musical genre is sate from their reach.
Saturday, 6 September 2025
Live music: New Harmony
The Cellar Bar @ 8.30pm / bar opens at 6pm / Happy Hour until 9pm
Free entry
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, 7 September 2025
Bedfordshire Festival of Autumn Walks: A Topsy-Turvy Walk
Park in layby at west end of Turvey village, MK43 8EW @ 10am
Free
This circular walk explores the countryside and woodland to the south of Turvey.
Sunday, 7 September 2025
Guided Walk: ‘The Life and Times of John Bunyan’
Bedford Town Centre @ 11am at the What’s On Hub on Silver Street
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 8. All walks must be pre-booked.
Sunday, 7 September 2025
Live music: The Annual Beatles Jam
Bedford Esquires @ 5pm
Free entry
It’s that time of year again… the Sunday Afternoon Sessions return with the Annual Esquires BeatleJam.
The cream of the Bedford (and beyond) music scene ‘Come Together’ to perform some of their favourite Beatles tunes. Hosted by Mat Roberts, full bands and solo artists welcome (no backing tracks).
If you would like to take part, contact Mat Roberts at matrobertsmusic@aol.com
Sunday, 7 September 2025
Live music: Waterloo Duo – ABBA Tribute
The Cellar Bar @ 5pm / bar opens at 4pm
Free entry
‘Waterloo Duo’ the Best of ABBA is a fantastic tribute to the Scandinavian super group. If you love Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia, Voulez-Vous and many more hits you’ll love this incredible performance.
Sunday, 7 September 2025
Theatre: Sense and Sensibility
The Place Theatre @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £18/£16
2025 marks the 250th anniversary year of Jane Austen, and what better to way to celebrate her life than to delve into the world of one of her finest novels.
The Dashwood sisters have a very different approach to their love lives. Elinor has much more Sense, but Marianne has a great deal of Sensibility. Whilst uninterested in the affections of a middle-aged man Marianne just can’t help herself when a dashing young hero appears on the scene.
Heroes, heartbreak and debonair villains, all topped off with a dashing duel, will remind you why Austen was a master of her craft.
A cast of five actors and DOTS renowned comedic style make this comedy of manners a production not to be missed.
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: 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, 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.
Exhibition: The Panacea Society and the Second World War
The Panacea Museum, 11 Newnham Rd, Bedford MK40 3NX @ Thursday to Sunday, 11am – 5pm
Free entry
A new social history exhibition has opened at the Panacea Museum this month, exploring the unseen story of this remarkable society and World War II.
Read: New exhibition: The Panacea Society and the Second World War
The beautiful gardens surrounding the Museum are currently filled with blossoming trees, birds, butterflies and bees, and a stroll through the grounds is a highly recommended in addition to a visit to the museum.
Occasional Wednesdays (please check website)
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 and get a 20 point head start.
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!
Third Sunday of the month
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
