Leicester’s Riverside Festival returns on Saturday 6 June and Sunday 7 June, bringing two days of free, family-friendly music, arts, craft, theatre and heritage activities to the city centre.
The festival opens at 12pm on Saturday, with activity spread across Bede Park, DMU Campus and Castle Gardens. Entry is free, and the programme is built for families, music fans, culture-seekers and anyone looking for a low-cost weekend in Leicester.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Event | Riverside Festival |
| Dates | Saturday 6 June and Sunday 7 June |
| Start time | 12pm on Saturday |
| Venues | Bede Park, DMU Campus and Castle Gardens |
| Cost | Free entry |
| Organisers | Leicester City Council and DMU |
Music across Bede Park, DMU Campus and Castle Gardens
Bede Park will be one of the main gathering points across the weekend, with THE OLD BOY headlining on Saturday evening from 7pm. His DJ set is billed as an eclectic mix of soul, jazz, rare groove, funk, house, garage and hip hop.
Sunday’s Bede Park programme will close with DJ Simon Philip from 6pm. Across the weekend, the main stage will also feature a Tots’ Rave with DJ Juvie and Louisa Darling, melodic grunge from Pretty Dirty Rats, and a collaboration between Nupur Arts and KAINE choir combining Indian dance with African music.
The festival’s music is not limited to the main stage. Acoustic performers and street entertainers will appear at Castle Gardens and DMU Campus through Busk Leicester, while Castle Gardens will also host spoken word, music, comedy and dance curated by BrightSpark Arts. A roaming Beatbox Jukebox will move through the festival with music across the site.
Carnival, dance and spoken word at DMU
On DMU’s campus, the Cultural eXchanges stage begins on Saturday with the Talent 25 carnival parade. Families taking part in the Talent 25 programme will lead the procession in upcycled festival costumes.
Cultural eXchanges, DMU’s annual arts and creative writing festival, is being held in collaboration with Riverside and marks its 25th anniversary this year. Performers listed for the stage include DMU Dance/Moving Together, Syston Swing Band, Curve Youth Dance Group, Sam the Rapper and Mirchi Mob.
Dr Jacqui Norton, Associate Professor at DMU, said the partnership with Leicester City Council would help showcase the work of final-year Arts and Festivals Management students.
Family activities, heritage sites and food
Alongside the performances, visitors will be able to take part in hands-on arts, crafts and theatre activities. The family programme includes storytelling with Leicester Libraries, poetry, theatre, sports taster sessions and vintage vehicles.
Several heritage sites will also open during the weekend. Riverside Festival visitors can get discounted entry to Jewry Wall, while St Mary de Castro Church will be open. Its bells are due to ring at 12pm on Saturday to mark the start of the festival, with choral evensong taking place at 5pm on Sunday.
Newarke Houses Museum, which is free to enter, will be open on Saturday. Heritage sites on the DMU campus, including the Great Hall at Leicester Castle, Trinity Chapel, the herb garden and the DMU Museum, will also be open across the weekend, with additional activities at the DMU Gallery.
Cllr Vi Dempster, Leicester’s assistant city mayor for culture, said Riverside Festival was “for everyone” and would welcome thousands of people to the city centre for music, art and activities.
Planning a visit
Riverside Festival takes place across Bede Park, DMU Campus and Castle Gardens in Leicester city centre on 6 and 7 June. The event is free to enter, with street food, drink and licensed bars available across the festival.
The full programme, accessibility details and travel information are available through the official Riverside Festival information page at visitleicester.info/riverside-festival/.
Source: Leicester City Council
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This preview is based on the published Riverside Festival programme and keeps practical details to confirmed information.
- Confirmed the event dates as 6 and 7 June.
- Checked the listed venues: Bede Park, DMU Campus and Castle Gardens.
- Verified that entry is described as free and family-friendly.
- Kept accessibility and travel details limited to the source direction to check the officia...
- Source
- Leicester City Council
- Scope
- Leicester
- Updated
- 2026-06-01 12:53
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