River Festival Reflections

The week that has passed since River Festival 2010 has allowed a little time for reflection on this year's event. Firstly, a huge "thanks and very well done" must go to all the volunteers, community groups, council staff, charities, sponsors, emergency services and everyone else involved in putting on what was, overall, a very successful River Festival indeed. As there always will be, there are things to learn for next time, and I have a meeting this week with the Council's events team and others to begin discussions on how to make this fantastic event even better.

For us to be able to host over 250,000 people over two full days of entertainment on and around the river really is a tremendous achievement for Bedford, and I very much doubt many other towns could do anything similar (I suppose I would say that, but I really do!). I spent much of both days trying to get round the festival site and experience as much of the festival as possible. However, even two days was not enough to see everything I wanted to see and thank everyone I wanted to thank! I cannot list every I saw and enjoyed, but to pick a few highlights:

• I was hugely impressed with the number of boats on the river over the weekend. 126 were moored on the river, having come from near and far.
• The sight of the river acting as such a focal point of activity is always tremendous. The raft races, as always, were great entertainment, with tales of both triumph and heroic failure set ready to be embellished in pubs and offices over the next two years until next time!
• The music was great. Some great acts on the main stage, while the community stage showcased some real local talent. Every time I passed one of the performance stages I wished I could've stayed a little longer!
• One of my first involvements with the River Festival was to insist that this time around, we must have facilities to help people to recycle. Recycling facilities were available, and I think we can make things even easier for people next time round on this front. This will be one of the topics for discussion at the meeting this week.
• The carnival parade was dazzling - clearly an astonishing amount of effort and enthusiasm had gone into the costumes and choreography, while the camaraderie seemed to come naturally to all! Wonderful stuff.
• The 'Experience Bedfordshire' afternoon tea tent was a welcome reminder that Bedfordshire is the home of afternoon tea, with the Duchess of Bedford having created it after complaining of that 'sinking feeling' one gets in the afternoon! There are lots of very nice places in the Borough to go for afternoon tea - a great idea for something to do with friends and family when they come to visit.
• A stunning firework display ensured Saturday went out with a bang.

This week's Bedfordshire on Sunday carries a piece on the obstacles to contend with as we plan for the next River Festival in two years' time. It is true that there are only so many porta-loos in the country, and the Olympics is dominating demand for them! However, we will deal with this and all other potential difficulties, and will find solutions, which may include being flexible with the date of the next one. We must be determined in ensuring that Bedford will have a River Festival in 2012, for one thing's for certain: The success of last weekend demands that we must do it again in 2012!