The festival is close to the hearts of every Bedfordian, whether newly adopted or born and bred. The 2012 festival was a great success; it brings the whole of Bedford together with surrounding areas for fun, frolics, dancing, racing, drinking, eating and spending money. The latter is the most important with regards to the longevity of the festival. Let’s hope it was a success for all local businesses that decided to get involved this year. If the festival generates money for the local economy it will certainly continue to hold its place in Bedford’s biennial calendar. Reports suggest the festival was visited by approximately 300 000 people over the two days. Such an increase in footfall around our town means a big opportunity for local businesses to make money. It’s also a great way to showcase the town to visitors to hopefully entice them back to Bedford on a quieter weekend. The river festival is something that sets our town apart from others and especially after this year is something that I’m particularly proud of. Yes, there may be an issue with how people were disposing of their rubbish but I do think it’s something that a well-co-ordinated local awareness campaign would be able to improve in the run-up to the next festival. There may also be some people that decide to over-indulge in alcohol and turn a happy occasion into an unhappy one but from what I witnessed the police were in full attendance and private security guards were very responsive. Any visitor to the festival is privy to the great community spirit that washes over Bedford for that short time. If only if it could hang around for another two years!
