Tweed River Festival 2026: Day Two

Saturday, 31 October is a seasonal celebration! On day two, we listen to, taste, and feel the river. At the turn of the seasons, we ask: what if paying attention to ourselves, our communities and our rivers – under, over, round and through – is a gift that we can offer?

9:00-9:30am – Arrival and registration

9:30-10:00am – Meeting the river in ritual

10:00am-12:00pm – Morning sessions. Choose from:

• Water Walk with the Tweed and Conwy Rivers with Dyffryn Dyfodol. A gentle, creative walk along the river exploring different perspectives of the water worlds of the Tweed and the Conwy – hoping to forge friendship and tentative twinning between these sister rivers and those who care about them.
• Flow – Wild Swim. Join wild swim guide Ingrid Campbell for an opportunity to dip in the cold waters of the River Tweed and explore the theme of ‘flow’.
• Listening Pipes with Savinder Bual. Join Connecting Threads artist in residence Savinder Bual on the riverbank as she facilitates collective experiments involving breath, humming, and sound-making with sound-sculptures, in collaboration with the river.
• Drop-in Workshops for Festival Parade. Make something to carry and/or wear for the Tweed River Festival Parade! Join Lara Greene to make costumes and masks inspired by the creatures that inhabit the Tweed, or screen-print imagery of the Tweed with Zoe Atherfold to create a banner for the parade.

12:00-2:00pm – Lunch

2:00-4:00pm – Afternoon sessions. Choose from:

• Finding common waters with Dyffryn Dyfodol. Join the Salmon of Knowledge for a ‘curious conversation’ in a community-built, willow-woven coracle from North Wales.
• What the Bog Holds with Rebecca Beinart. Connecting Threads artist in residence Rebecca Beinart shares her research into the peatland landscape around the Tweed’s source through a creative workshop, involving a tasting experience and an invitation to create your own bog-inspired score.
• Strange Loop (pt. 1) with Sita Pieraccini and Jamie Wardrop. A new participatory immersive and meditative experience, beginning with a walk to gather natural materials. Explore using digital microscopes at the artists’ Tech Salon, and see your discoveries collaged into a unique performance in the evening.
• ‘Under, over, round and through’ publication launch with editor Tom Jeffreys. Reading and conversation inspired by our new book, featuring texts by Dani Admiss, Em Merrin May Armstrong, Marleen Boschen, Alycia Pirmohamed and Jamila Prowse.
• Circus Walkabout with Rowan Environmental Arts (begins at 3:00pm). A roaming promenade of music, story and stilt-walking, drawn from trees, rivers and the turning seasons.

4:00-5:30pm – Tweed River Festival Parade! The centrepiece of the day! Our inaugural Tweed River Festival Parade joyfully weaves through Melrose from the main festival venue to the banks of the Tweed at the Melrose Chain Bridge. Fancy dress encouraged!

6:00-7:30pm – Strange Loop (pt. 2) with Sita Pieraccini and Jamie Wardrop

• Join Sita Pieraccini and Jamie Wardrop for the finale of Strange Loop: a unique audiovisual jam created by your exploration of the wonders of the natural biome.

Saturday (day two) of the festival, taking place on 31 October, is bookable as a day ticket. This covers your participation for the morning sessions, lunch, afternoon sessions, and evening performance. The programme has been conceived to facilitate ideas, experiences and conversation across the day, so we highly encourage visitors to attend for the full day if possible.

Day tickets for Tweed River Festival are on a pay-what-you-can basis with a free option. If you are able to, paying for your ticket(s) will help support our continued activities.

Also happening on Saturday:

• Drop-in Workshops for Festival Parade: Making Costumes and Banners – Ideal for anyone who would prefer to dip into the festival but not commit to a whole day of attendance. Drop-ins are welcome, but booking is encouraged so we have an idea of numbers.
• Circus Walkabout – This is included in your day ticket, but you can also book to attend this individually if you are not planning to attend for the whole of Saturday.
• Strange Loop Pt. 2 – This is included in your day ticket, but you can also book to attend this individually if you are not planning to attend for the whole of Saturday.