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 Thursday and is the only guide you need to know what’s on and what’s happening across the Borough for the next 10 days.
The Bedford Clanger’s What’s On Guide is kindly sponsored by The Cellar Bar.
Wednesday 26 June – Friday 28 June 2024
Theatre: The Valentine Letters
The Place Theatre @ 7.30pm
Tickets: from £10
The Valentine Letters is an enthralling new play based upon the Second World War correspondence between Royal Air Force airman and Prisoner of War John Valentine and his wife Ursula.
These letters provide an unprecedented insight in to how two people struggle to find solace and keep their hopes and love alive despite the anxieties of John’s dangerous operational life, his three years behind barbed wire, and Ursula’s endeavours raising a newborn under the constant threat of aerial attack.
The Valentine Letters is a testament to the pain of separation, isolation, coping, and change, interspersed with humorous and heartwarming moments. A remarkable account of the effect of the Second World War on the lives of a young married couple and their generation.
Thursday 27 June 2024
Dancing: Planet Swing featuring TJ Johnson & His Band
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 27 June 2024
Fun times: Karaoke
The Cellar Bar @ 9pm/requests from 8pm/happy hour 6pm – 9pm
Free entry
Karaoke at the Cellar Bar every Thursday with over 50,000 songs to choose from. Perform like a pro with professional lighting, sound and share the stage with your friends with multiple microphones. Hosted by the one and only Matt Bedford.
Friday 28 June 2024
Comedy: Comedy Nights in The Burrow at the Blues with headliner Ashley Frieze
The Burrow at the Blues; Goldington Road (MK40 3NF) @ 7pm / first act @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £14.50
With his charming, daft, and warm brand of music-infused stand-up comedy, this guitar-toting funny man has been entertaining audiences across the UK for nearly 20 years. His original songs, with well-crafted lyrics and catchy tunes, span many genres from Jazz to Coldplay, via 1960’s girl-group pop.
Friday 28 June 2024
Live music: Mark Chadwick (Levellers) + B-Sydes
Bedford Esquires @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £20
One of the UK’s most successful songwriters, Mark Chadwick, has co-written 20 chart singles and 6 Top 40 albums (including a Number 1) as part of the Levellers, the band he has fronted for over 25 years. Still going strong, the Levellers are festival favourites and have cemented their cherished status with headline performances at Glastonbury, Isle Of Wight, Cambridge Folk Festival, Bestival and Boomtown and many European and UK events and in 2003 they successfully created their own annual Beautiful Days Festival which takes place in August at Escot Park in Devon.
During this time Mark has released two solo albums ‘All the Pieces’ and ‘Moment’ and his upfront and personal solo performance will see him play a mixture of material from these albums and Levellers classics. Be warned, Mark will have you up dancing!
Friday 28 June 2024
Live music: Tess & The Durbervilles
The Cellar Bar @ 8.30pm
Free entry
The Cellar Bar is welcoming back Tess & The Durbervilles and this four-piece band from Bedfordshire and are guaranteed to get you dancing throughout the night. With hits from six decades they’ll play tracks from The Beatles to Jessie J, Dusty Springfield to Kings of Leon, Aretha to the Scissor Sisters and Madonna.
Saturday 29 June 2024
Walk: Mental Health Mates Bedford – Walk & Talk Meet Up
The Pavilion, Bedford Park @11am
Free to attend
Mental Health Mates (MHM) is a peer support group set up by journalist, author and mental health advocate Bryony Gordon in 2016. There are now over 100 MHM groups across the UK, including here in Bedford
The MHM walks in Bedford take place on the final Saturday of each month, meeting at The Pavilion At The Park and finishing back there afterwards for an optional drink and chat.
The walks are free to attend and just turn up to, you can talk as much or as little as you wish about anything, and everyone is welcome regardless of diagnosis or not.
Saturday 29 June 2024
School fete: DENFEST – Great Denham Primary School Fete
Great Denham Primary School @ midday – 4pm
Free entry with paid attractions
This summer, the Friends of Great Denham are hosting DENFEST – Great Denham Primary School’s very own summer festival.
On Saturday 29th June from 12-4pm, enjoy an afternoon of festive entertainment for the family whilst raising money to support the school. Entry to the festival is free, but you can buy wristbands to the inflatable FUNZONE. There will also be fairground games, Animal Edge petting zoo, a BBQ, Ice Cream Joe, a licensed bar and more to explore.
Saturday 29 June 2024
Comedy: Jokes and Laffs – Summer 2024
The Place Theatre @ 7pm
Tickets: £14.99
Jokes and Laffs returns with another fantastic lineup for their summer season.
Stand-up/writer/presenter/actor Nabil Abdulrashid (Britian’s Got Talent, Mock the Week, Live at the Apollo) is joined by Mr Blair, Miss Mo’Real and President Obonjo, the larger-than-life stand-up comedy character who has been taking the comedy scene by storm.
Saturday 29 June 2024
Live Music:Danny Barton
The Cellar Bar from 6pm
Free entry
The wonderful Danny Barton returns to The Cellar Bar, playing a mix of acoustic rock and pop crowd pleasers and new material.
Saturday 29 June 2024
Live music: Avril Lavigne + Lottery Winners + phem
Bedford Park @ 5pm
Tickets: £65
Avril Lavigne, the alternative rock singer-songwriter renowned for redefining the 00s pop-punk landscape, is opening this year’s Summer Sessions at Bedford Park.
Aged just 17, Lavigne became the youngest female solo artist to hit the Number One slot in the UK album charts, catapulting her to stardom with unforgettable anthems like “Complicated” and “Sk8er Boi”. She became the voice of a rebellious generation, known for her infectious hooks, signature punk-inspired style and fearless attitude.
Continuously evolving, proving a mainstay in the global charts, she boasts a multi-platinum status, as well as international accolades including, ten JUNO’s (Canadian Music Awards), three BRIT nominations, eight GRAMMY nominations, and many more. An uncompromising force in music and culture, Avril Lavigne is an enduring icon, set to bring her rebellious spirit to Bedford Summer Sessions in 2024.
Saturday 29 June 2024
Club night: Wish You Were Here – Avril Lavigne after party
Bedford Esquires @ 10.30pm
Tickets: £5 adv/£7 on the door
Dust off your converse, because ‘Wish You Were Here’ – The Avril Lavigne aftershow party is taking place at Esquires, after the huge gig in the park!
It’s not every day an international mega-star comes to our little ol’ town, so rather than competing against it, we’re having a staff night out and then partying afterwards!
Multiple rooms of DJs, covering everything from Emo, Pop Punk, Nu-Metal and everything in between. All killer, no filler, all party – taking you back to the days when MySpace and eyeliner were key life skills.
Sunday 30 June 2024
Armed Forces Day Parade
Bedford town centre @ 10.20am
The annual Armed Forces Day Parade takes place in Bedford Town Centre on Sunday 30 June, honouring our serving personnel, reservists, veterans, and military charities.
The Parade starts from De Parys Avenue at 10.20am, along the High Street, around St. Paul’s Square finishing at Harpur Square where the stalls and entertainment will be until 4pm.
One of the highlights of the day will be the granting of the Freedom of the Borough to a distinguished unit from Chicksands. Bedford Borough Council will bestow this esteemed and prestigious honour, allowing the unit’s personnel to march proudly through the streets of the town centre on ceremonial occasions with colours flying, bands playing, drums beating, and bayonets fixed.
Sunday 30 June 2024
Walking: “The Jewel in Bedford’s Crown” guided walk
Bedford Town Centre @ 11am at the gold postbox in St Paul’s 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 entertaining 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.
Sunday 30 June 2024
Live music: Sunday Afternoon Jazz
The Castle, 17 Newnham Street @ 2pm – 5pm
£2/person / maximum six people per team
The Castle sees the return of the amazing jazz duo of Mike Kemp and Geoff Tooley. What better way to spend Sunday afternoon!
Sunday 30 June 2024
Live Music: Mat Roberts
The Cellar Bar @ 3pm til late
Free entry
The hugely talented Mat Roberts will be performing at The Cellar Bar. The bar will also be showing any Euros 2024 England games.
Sunday 30 June 2024
Live music: Jess Glynne
Bedford Park @ 5pm
Jess Glynne made history by becoming the first British female solo artist to score seven number ones on the UK Singles Chart – among them ‘I’ll Be There’, ‘Hold My Hand’ and ‘Don’t Be So Hard on Yourself’. Her two previous Platinum selling albums have both become Number 1 records and she collected three Ivor Novello nominations, won a Grammy, and racked up nine Brit Award nominations and 1.2 billion streams.
The singer-songwriter is headlining the TKMaxx Summer Sessions in Bedford Park for the second night of this season’s shows.
Monday 1 July 2024
Art & culture: Bedford School Creative Arts Festival – Student End-of-Year Exhibition
The Art School, Bedford School, De Parys Avenue
Free entry
View the stunning art coursework and exam pieces that the Bedford School Upper Sixth and Fifth Form boys have been working on for months as part of their GCSE, A Level and IB courses.
Take in their imagination and see their thoughts and ideas realised on paper, canvas, in print and in sculpture.
Monday 1 July 2024
Art & culture: Bedford School Creative Arts Festival – Keynote Speech: Matthew Sharp
The Great Hall, Bedford School @ 1.50pm
Free entry
Matthew is an award-winning, internationally recognised solo cellist, baritone, director, recording artist and educator, playing world stages and school halls.
He has shaped his career around the belief and knowledge that music and art have the power and magic to transform, heal and connect. Wherever you do it.
Tuesday 2 July – Saturday 6 July 2024
Community Theatre: Much Ado About Nothing
The Place Theatre @ 7pm
Tickets: from £10
In one of Shakespeare’s finest and best-loved comedies, two very different couples fall in love – but who is really pulling the strings?
Enjoy the Place Theatre’s outdoor space this summer to be transported to sunny Italy – and remember, all’s fair in love and war…
Tuesday 2 July 2024
Live music: Tuesday lunchtime concert
St Paul’s church, St Paul’s Square @ 1pm
Free entry with retiring collection (suggested donation £5)
A recital by singers from the Tiffany Lau Vocal Performance Academy. Free with a retiring collection.
Tuesday 2 July 2024
Friends of the Higgins talk: Laurinda Luffman on Inspirational Swifts, their artists & observers
The Barbican Studio, The Higgins Bedford @ 7.30pm
As it is Swift Awareness Week, there will be a short observational walk following the talk.
Donations please via justgiving
https://www.justgiving.com/onecheckout/donation/direct/charity/3086310
Wednesday 3 July 2024
Walking: “Tales of the Tower and the Steeple” guided walk
Bedford Town Centre @ 11am at the gold postbox in St Paul’s Square
Tickets: £4/£2 (Please use the code HIGGINS30 to remove the transaction fee)
St Paul’s and St Peter’s churches have a fascinating history and many stories to tell. Join us on a brief tour of each church and discover why they have played such an important and integral part in the development and the history of the town itself.
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 July 2024
Theatre: Bedford School Creative Arts Festival – Clue
The Quarry Theatre, St Peter’s Street @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £10/£8
Inspired by the classic board game ‘Cluedo’, Clue is a hilarious farce-meets-murder mystery. The tale begins with six mysterious guests assembling for an unusual dinner party where murder and blackmail are on the menu.
Clue is the comedy whodunit that will leave both cult-fans and newcomers in stitches as they try to figure out…WHO did it, WHERE, and with WHAT!
Wednesday 3 July 2024
Live music: A Celebration of Synthesized Music from Matt Bedford & Mat Roberts
The Cellar Bar @ 8.00pm
Free entry
With an array of vintage synths and drum machines and taking in styles from Kraftwerk, Jean Michel-Jarre, to the synth soundscapes of Tangerine Dream this is an evening of late 70’s and early 80’s synth pop and synth wave.
Thursday 4 July 2024
Live music: Bedford School Creative Arts Festival of Music
The Great Hall, Bedford School, De Parys Avenue
Free with retiring collection
Enjoy this wonderful showcase of the talent and creativity of the Bedford School musicians in the Upper School.
Thursday 4 July 2024
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 4 July 2024
Live music: TK Maxx Summer Sessions presents Sir Tom Jones + Beverley Knight + Stone Foundation
Bedford Park @ 5pm
Tickets: £57.50
The Welsh singing legend that is Sir Tom returns to Bedford Park this summer and we can’t wait.
He’s been captivating audiences worldwide for over six decades with timeless classics including “It’s Not Unusual”, “She’s A Lady” and “Sexbomb”, selling more than 100 million records and continuing as an esteemed and influential figure in the music industry.
Support comes from the equally incredible Beverley Knight and the Stone Foundation.
Thursday 4 July 2024
Fun times: Karaoke
The Cellar Bar @ 9pm/requests from 8pm/happy hour 6pm – 9pm
Free entry
Karaoke at the Cellar Bar every Thursday with over 50,000 songs to choose from. Perform like a pro with professional lighting, sound and share the stage with your friends with multiple microphones. Hosted by the one and only Matt Bedford.
Friday 5 July 2024
Dance music: TK Maxx Summer Sessions – Pete Tong presents Ibiza Classics
Bedford Park @ 5pm
Tickets: £55
Celebrating the legacy of dance music, the new live show will include a host of special guest DJs and singers showcasing stunning reimagines of timeless classic house tracks. Combining unique orchestration with unparalleled electronic production, ravers rejoice as it is set to be the party of the year, reminiscent of the White Isle and its musical history.
A pillar of dance music with an unparalleled ear for new talent, Pete Tong MBE is undeniably one of the world’s most influential figures.
With an incredible 30+ year career, Pete Tong is the tastemaker DJ, broadcaster and producer, dedicated to making dance music a global genre.
Friday 5 July 2024
Live music: Bedford School Creative Arts Festival – Jazz Evening with Bedford School Jazz Orchestra
The Quarry Theatre, St Peter’s Street @ 7pm
Tickets: £60 for a table for six (includes two bottles of wine and nibbles) / £5 for upper tier seats
The Bedford School Jazz Orchestra, directed by Tom Syson and featuring special guest Pete Churchill, will perform a huge variety of music, from swing classics to contemporary funk/groove music. There will be something for everyone!
Also on show will be the Junior Jazz Orchestra, Funk Band and the New Jazz Collective, with the Quarry Theatre transformed into a Jazz Café for one night only.
Friday 5 July 2024
Live music: Coldplace – a tribute to Coldplay
Bedford Corn Exchange @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £29.15
Coldplace are a tribute band whose quality and experience on the tribute scene are second to none. In 12 years the band have over 600 gigs under their belts across the length and breadth of the UK and abroad in over twenty different countries worldwide.
Coldplace know what is expected from a live tribute show and deliver the accuracy, musicianship, dedication and passion for Coldplay’s music. Their aim, as a tribute to one of the world’s biggest bands, is to capture the feeling of a live Coldplay performance, the music, the visuals, the energy and the atmosphere.
Friday 5 July 2024
Dance music: Roni Size + Dread MC
Bedford Esquires @ 9pm
Tickets: £20
A true pioneer and dance music legend, Roni Size is back to Esquires this month for the first time in seven years.
Roni Size’s whole life has been about building something new from whatever was around him. From Bristol youth club parties, through the white heat of rave and the founding moments of jungle and drum’n’bass, to transforming underground electronic music into something that could be played by a live band on the biggest arena and festival stages, he has at each stage created completely afresh – not just a sound or style but an entire methodology of how music can be made. And each time, that new creation has reflected his heritage, his surroundings and the precise moment in which he’s operating.
He is joined by Dread MC and some of the finest DJs from the surrounding areas.
Friday 5 July 2024
Live music: Lord Baker Ska & Soul Show
The Cellar Bar at 8.30pm
Free entry
An incredible Soul and Ska show that will get you dancing from the first song. Lord Baker really knows how to entertain and we guarantee you will not be disappointed! Do not miss!
Saturday 6 July 2024
Walking: North Bedfordshire Ramblers’ weekly walk
Blunham Church MK44 3NH. Park near church. Park Lane @ 1.30pm
A 6.6 mile circular walk along the river at Blunham towards Great Barford and back.
Check out the North Bedfordshire Ramblers’ excellent website for further information.
Saturday 6 July 2024
Live music: TK Maxx Summer Sessions presents James Orchestral
Bedford Park @ 5pm
Tickets: £65
In 2023, James marked 40 years with the release of ‘Be Opened By The Wonderful’, an album showcasing 20 of their rarest, as well as most loved tracks, re-imagined with the 22-piece, Orca22 Orchestra and 8-piece, Manchester Inspirational Voices Choir.
The trio will unite once again, led by composer and conductor Joe Duddell to captivate the audience at Bedford Summer Sessions. Fans can anticipate a transformative musical experience, where timeless James hits, such as “Sit Down” and “Laid” will be elevated by dynamic layers of orchestral and choral additions.
Joining them is Johnny Marr, the iconic guitarist and co-songwriter known for his solo work and from The Smiths, who helped redefine British indie music in the 1980s.
Saturday 6 July 2024
Theatre: A Mid Summer’s Day Dream in aid of Tibbs Dementia Foundation
The Quarry Theatre @ 5pm
Tickets:
A charity event, inspired by the Bard, aided by the songs of Bizet, Gilbert and Sullivan, Rogers and Hammerstein and many others, an afternoon of song and humour and more song, from the golden age of yesteryear.
Themes of love, sadness, times gone by; connect with the unfathomableness of the fundamental truths of human experience through art. Not as big, not as loud as the Bedford Park experience, but something more subtle, intimate, and heartrending.
All profits will go to the Tibbs Dementia Foundation
Saturday 6 July 2024
Live Music: Double Header – Stalkers & Five Five Six
The Cellar Bar @ 8.30pm
Free entry
Five Five Six are back at the Cellar Bar so get ready for a rocking night of legendary tunes. Support comes from five-piece rock band, The Stalkers, bringing youth energy and new rock to the scene since July 2023. A night of classics, attitude and good times.
Saturday 6 July 2024
Club night: Common People | 90s Indie Clubnight – James Aftershow Party
Bedford Esquires @ 10pm
Tickets: £5
Probably the biggest-ever indie lineup to hit Bedford is taking place on Saturday 6 July at Bedford Park, where James will be joined by Johnny Marr, Inspiral Carpets, Magic Numbers and Tom A Smith.
After the park, Esquires is hosting the afterparty across two rooms, with the return of its Common People club night.
Expect DJs playing to best in 90s indie, Britpop, Madchester, baggy sounds and big beat, from the greatest era of music to have ever existed!
Tunes from Suede, Blur, Pulp, Elastica, Ash, Sleeper, Stone Roses, Echobelly, Ocean Colour Scene, Shed 7, Super Furry Animals, The Bluetones, Longpigs, Oasis, Happy Mondays, Divine Comedy, Manic Street Preachers, Supergrass, Teenage Fanclub, Garbage, Space, Fatboy Slim, Lightning Seeds, Mansun, Menswear, Kula Shaker, Prodigy, Primal Scream, and loads, loads more…
Sunday 7 July 2024
Walking: “Bedford’s Movers and Shakers” guided walk
Bedford Town Centre @ 11am at the gold postbox in St Paul’s Square
Tickets: £4/£2 (Please use the code HIGGINS30 to remove the transaction fee)
You will know of the ‘mugshot’, but did you know it was first introduced into the criminal justice system by Robert Evan Roberts, a reforming governor of Bedford Prison in Victorian times? Join us on this walk and meet Roberts and others who made a difference in Bedford and in the world; an astronomer, a polar explorer, the first woman county councillor and discover how some of the most attractive private dwellings in Bedford came to grace this area of town. N.B. Please note that this walk starts from St Loyes, opposite Bedford Prison
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 July 2024
Festival: Bedford Italian Festival
Harpur Square @ noon til 6pm
Free entry
This July, Bedford’s Italian Festival returns to Harpur Square with all the colours, food, vibrancy, music, cars and more food that you’d expect from the country that gave us pizza, Fiat 500s and Bella Ciao!
Read: Ciao Bedford! The Italian Festival is back
There will be something for everyone, including a children’s funfair and crafts.
So it just leaves us to say, “ci vediamo al festival”!!
Sunday 7 July 2024
Live Music: Acoustopaea play the Sunday Chillout Session
The Cellar Bar @ 3pm
Free entry
Acoustopaea, a three-part harmony acoustic trio, make their debut gig at the Cellar Bar’s Sunday Chillout Session.
Sunday 7 July 2024
Live music: TK Maxx Summer Sessions presents Nile Rodgers & Chic + Sophie Ellis Bextor
Bedford Park @ 5pm
Tickets: £55
This summer, Bedford welcomes the hugely influential songwriter, producer, guitarist and co-founder of CHIC – Nile Rodgers to party in the park with us.
Nile Rodgers is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee and a multiple Grammy Award-winning songwriter, composer, producer, arranger, and guitarist.
As the co-founder of CHIC, Nile pioneered a musical language that generated chart-topping hits like ‘Le Freak’, the biggest-selling single in the history of Atlantic Records and sparked the advent of hip hop with ‘Good Times’ and ‘Rapper’s Delight.’
His work in The CHIC Organisation, including ‘We Are Family’ for Sister Sledge and ‘I’m Coming Out’ for Diana Ross, and his productions for artists such as David Bowie (‘Let’s Dance’), Madonna (‘Like A Virgin’) and Duran Duran (‘The Reflex’), have sold more than 500 million albums and 100 million singles worldwide.
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
Exhibition: Edward Bawden & Me
The Higgins Bedford until
Free entry
Brand new work by some of the biggest names in contemporary British art, illustration and textiles are on display at an exhibition at the Higgins Bedford in celebration of the work of one of Britain’s most inventive and influential artists
Entitled Edward Bawden & Me, the exhibition has been curated by Bawden’s good friend, illustrator and printmaker, Chris Brown and also features work by local artists’ collective, the Circus of Illustration.
Read: Star-studded new Edward Bawden exhibition opens at the Higgins Bedford
You can also read the full article in the February issue of The Bedford Clanger.
At the Panacea Museum
Exhibition: ‘Panacea: A Cure for All Ills’
Thursday – Sunday @ 10am – 5pm
Free entry
The current exhibition at the fascinating Panacea Museum explores the ministry which gave the Panacea Society its name.
Originally titled ‘The Community of the Holy Ghost’, their more famous name came later, connected with their international Healing offer. The Society sent out linen squares, blessed by their leader Octavia, these were placed in water to make a therapeutic elixir.
This exhibition explains the origins of the Healing, how it became so well-known, and why it finally ended.
Entry to the museum and exhibition is free. More information about visiting the museum can be found on their website here.
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 the to Cellar Bar from 7.30pm.
Theatre highlights by Paula Walker
