Leicester Riverside Festival free weekend travel guide

Leicester’s Riverside Festival returns on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 June, bringing the city’s largest free festival back to the River Soar and surrounding city-centre sites.

The event is free to attend, with no booking required. Activities will run across River Soar’s Mile Straight, Bede Park, De Montfort University campus, Castle Street, The Newarke and Castle Gardens. The published source confirms traffic restrictions from 7am on Saturday until 8pm on Sunday, when the festival ends.

The weekend is aimed at the general public and families, with arts, music, performance, heritage attractions, funfair rides, boat trips, food stalls and craft markets spread across several locations. A related local guide to Leicester’s Riverside Festival weekend also focuses on practical planning for the same event.

Free festival across the River Soar and city centre

Riverside Festival is centred on the River Soar’s Mile Straight, with activity also taking place at Bede Park, De Montfort University campus, Castle Street, The Newarke and Castle Gardens.

Across the sites, visitors can expect international street food, licensed bars, craft markets and stalls, plus walkabout entertainers moving through the festival areas. The programme includes arts, music and performance, alongside family-friendly activities, funfair rides, boat trips and heritage attractions.

The spread of locations means the festival is not a single-gate event. Visitors should plan which part of the festival they want to reach first, especially if they are arriving with children, mobility needs or a fixed meeting point.

Key details for visitors

Roads closed and travel options

Traffic restrictions will be in place on some roads from 7am on Saturday until 8pm on Sunday so the festival can take place.

Roads closed to traffic include Western Boulevard, Mill Lane, The Newarke, Castle View, The Gateway, Newarke Close, Grasmere Street and Eastern Boulevard.

Walkers can use the scenic route along the River Soar to reach the festival. People travelling by bike will have free secure bike parking at Bede Park, Western Boulevard and the DMU campus. Visitors should look for the large Ride Leicester flags.

Anyone arriving by bike can also get free cycle hub membership for the whole year, usually priced at £10. That membership allows free bike parking at the Town Hall bike park and St Margaret’s cycle hub.

Parking in the immediate festival area will be very limited. Drivers are advised to use city centre car parks instead. For taxis, suggested drop-off points are Western Boulevard, The Gateway and Castle Street, giving access to Bede Park, the DMU campus and Castle Gardens respectively.

Accessibility support across the festival

Organisers say they are committed to making Riverside Festival as accessible as possible for visitors.

A calm space will be available throughout the festival at Kimberlin Library on the DMU campus. It will include ear defenders and fidget toys, as well as an accessible toilet.

Other accessible toilets will be available across the festival, and a Changing Places space is available at Jewry Wall Museum. Selected activities at Castle Gardens will include British Sign Language interpretation.

Local charity Mosaic will run trips on Sunbeam II, its fully accessible narrowboat, with access by ramp. Leicester Wheels for All will also be based on The Newarke, showcasing adaptable bikes suitable for all ages and abilities, including wheelchair users.

Leicester Wheels for All will also run a bike taxi service for anyone needing extra help moving between festival sites. Wayfinders and large print maps will be available around the site, with festival staff in yellow hi-vis jackets on hand to help.

What Leicester City Council says

Cllr Vi Dempster, Leicester’s assistant city mayor for culture, said Riverside Festival is designed to welcome thousands of people into the city centre for music, art and activities.

“We’re very proud of this free festival and what it offers to visitors and families, showcasing Leicester at its best,” she said. “It’s the result of a fantastic collaboration between lots of organisations and partners – and most of all, it’s fun!”

Source: Leicester City Council