Wye Valley River festival returns for tenth year in May 2024

The Wye Valley River Festival will return on Friday, May 3, the week-long festival runs in locations from Hereford to Chepstow.

This year the festival inspired by “the earth beneath our feet” will kick off with a Birthday on the Bridge at Monnow Bridge in Monmouth.

Artistic director Phillippa Haynes said: “We are delighted to be celebrating the 10th birthday of the Wye Valley River Festival in style with a programme which aims to delight audiences both local and from afar, all inspired by the region’s glorious landscape and our relationship with the earth.

“The 2024 programme has quiet reflections upon past festivals, with a strong eye to the future.

Merry Monmouth Day will see the streets taken over by music and entertainers. Picture: Supplied (Image: supplied)"We look forward to seeing people connect with one another and most importantly enjoy their interactions as we celebrate the local landscape and raise consciousness about the environmental emergency going on around us.”

The local community will be able to enjoy street parades, live shows, workshops, installations, and film screenings during the festival.

The event has been held every two years since 2014, and the community is invited to bring food to share or buy from local vendors and to celebrate the festival's first ten years.

Here is a line-up of events for the weekend.

Saturday, May 4: Merry Monmouth Day will kick off with pre-parade activities in Agincourt Square, followed by a procession in Monnow Street, leading to an afternoon of performances and activities in Drybridge Park.

No Fit State Circus will peform Bamboo at Merry Monmouth Day and Redbrook Roust. Picture: Supplied (Image: Supplied)It will be a day of music, song, workshops, theatre and playful exploration, including performances of Bamboo by No Fit State Circus, a spectacular new high-impact, high-skill outdoor circus production using only bamboo and human bodies.

Music makers can join Songs of Earth and Sky, curated by Tim Hill, workshops and open sessions to play with sound and nature or be part of the Singing Space, a space for people to learn songs and explore their voices.

The event will also include presentations from herbalists and foragers, and performances by Festival resident touring theatrical troupe the Rumblers and Composter.

The latest creation from the Desperate Men, the co-founders of the festival, along with clay workshops, fabric creative sessions and dance performances of Fish Boy by 2Faced Dance.

Sunday, May 5: A Dawn Chorus will be gathering from 5 am in Nagshead and Highnam Woods, which the public can join.

A paid ticket event organised by the RSPB, with Redbrook Roust taking place later in the same day at Redbrook Millennium Park and Hub, featuring more songs, workshops, and performances.

The Underneath, a fungi-inspired multimedia installation, will be at We Weave The Woods. Picture: Supplied (Image: Supplied)Monday, May 6 (Bank Holiday): Llandogo Village Hall will host a second 10th Birthday Bash, with performances, music from Nia Wyn, dancing, and a community feast.

Wednesday, May 8: Regen Ben’s Farm at Brampton Abbots, Ross-on-Wye will host an evening regenerative farming meal and walk called Farm Walk and Fodder, with another feast taking place at Together Work in Caldicot on the next day.

Friday, May 10: Pre-booked tickets are on sale for Three Acres and a Cow at the Larrazpurz Centre, Ross-On-Wye.

From Friday until Sunday, May 12, We Weave the Woods at The Glade, Beechenhurst, will mix feasts, shows, workshops and activities inspired by the woods and our connection to the earth.

The festival concludes in Hereford with Hereford Happening, including a workshop by the Wye Valley Street Band, which promises to emphasize audience participation, with clay workshops with Cup Ceramics.