Wye Valley River Festival CIC

About Us

Spectacular Happenings in an Outstanding Landscape.

Join us for the next biennial Wye Valley River Festival, running from 3 - 12 May 2024. The festival will be appearing in woodlands, streets and village greens throughout the Valley - brimful of music, theatre, extraordinary creatures, fantastical mobile devices, trumpets, songs and laughter. Events are mostly free to attend, and everyone is welcome (including well-behaved dogs!). Audiences can expect a vibrant program of performances to entertain and amaze, experiences to stimulate the senses, and to pause for thought in beautiful surroundings. You are invited to come along, dip your toe in, or dive in head first ! Bring the family, bring a friend, and bring a sense of fun.

The first Wye Valley River Festival was created and developed in partnership by the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), Desperate Men, and Phillippa Haynes. The biennial festival grew from strength to strength, delivering live programmes in 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2022, and a digital programme in 2020. Each year the festival focuses on an environmental theme and WVRF 2024 is The Earth Beneath Our Feet - expect contemplation of soil, food, growing things, mycellial networks and more...

The Wye Valley River Festival CIC is an innovative arts organisation, led by artists and communities creating work with the environment at its heart. We bring local people, environmentalists, and talented artists together in an internationally important landscape, for a creative exploration of what is possible. We support and drive a programme of community engagement and co-creation activity which culminates in a unique cross-border biennial arts and environment festival: The Wye Valley River Festival. Alongside the biennial festival, the WVRF CIC now supports co-created cultural activity year-round. These exciting new initiatives are led by ‘Creative Community Champions’ in partnership with local people and organisations. We are planning new events throughout the year, so check back for more pop up events and happenings as they are announced.