The Nottingham Riverside Festival 2016 is Nottingham’s biggest free festival weekend offering three days of family entertainment. Sponsored by BMI The Park Hospital Nottingham, it is a unique and fun festival covering one mile along the banks of the River Trent, at Victoria Embankment, adjacent to Trent Bridge.
This year the festival takes place on Friday 5th, Saturday 6th, and Sunday 7th August.
Over 100,000 visitors from Nottingham City, the County and beyond are expected to attend this free event at the Victoria Embankment, over the three days.
Featuring
- Both old and new attractions; from steam engines and organs to a large street fun fair and craft fair, plus a variety of food and drink stalls
- Four music stages offer a range of music styles throughout the weekend including jazz, folk, world music and a showcase of the best of local talent
- Street theatre and entertainment from a host of silly and entertaining characters
- Children’s zone, featuring loads of FREE activities for kids, plus the Sports Zone with so many FREE sports to try. Children can also play in the permanent paddling pool and play area
- River activities on the Sunday include Dragon Boat racing with around 20 teams taking part and a charity Duck Race
- The Fujifilm Wonder Photo Tour, with a kids fun zone and soft play area and a FREE photo fridge magnet for everyone
On Saturday evening at around 10:30pm there is a spectacular firework display, which is the highlight of the weekend festivities
Opening Times
Friday: 6:30pm to 10:30pm
Saturday 12pm to 11:30pm
Sunday 12pm to 6:30pm
Fireworks Display
The spectacular fireworks display will take place at approx. 10.30pm on Saturday 6 August.
Children’s Zone
- Saturday 6 August 12noon – 9pm
- Sunday 7 August 12noon – 6pm
Your little ones will love the FREE activities in the Children’s Zone, including:
- Crafts – make your own puppet, kite, or Egyptian headdress or necklace
- Interactive fairy wand making and storytelling
- Nottingham Playhouse – join the panto dame from this year’s Christmas panto Aladdin, in the sparkly and magical Aladdin themed den, for some fun stories
- Circus skills and fun and games with Wolly
Sports Zone
- Saturday 6 August 12noon – 9pm
- Sunday 7 August 12noon – 6pm
Celebrate Nottingham’s title as England’s Home of Sport by trying your hand at something new in the Sports Zone! It’s all FREE, and you can try archery, table tennis, badminton, golf, tennis, basketball, netball, orienteering in our maze, bowls or football!
Street Theatre
- Saturday 6 August 2pm – 9pm
- Sunday 7 August 2pm – 6pm
Find amusing and cheeky street theatre characters around the festival and along the river banks. Expect storytellers, a ninha, regency footmen, ballerinas, the world’s only mobile walk through Las Vegas wedding chapel and much more fun to discover.
Dragon Boat racing
Gable Events has joined with Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People to bring you the seventh dragon boat challenge to be staged as part of the Nottingham Riverside Festival. The Dragon Boat Challenge takes place on Sunday 7 August 2016 and up to 50 crews are expected to battle it out over the 200m race course on the River Trent at the Victoria Embankment watched by thousands of spectators.
Races will take place every 10 minutes between 11am to 4pm.
Planning your journey
Car parking is available, at a cost of £6 per car per day for all cars. Disabled parking for blue badge holders is also available close to the festival site, also at a cost of £6 per day. Out of courtesy for local residents, please do not park in the surrounding streets.
The entrance for public parking is via Riverside Way off Queens Drive.
- Plan your journey with Traveline
- Plan a journey with Nottingham City Transport
- Plan a journey on the tram
Roadworks on University Boulevard
Over the weekend of 5 – 7 August, roadworks will take place along University Boulevard, and the road will be closed completely for traffic going into the city. Diversions will be in place, and tram journeys from Toton Lane into the city will not be affected.
