The Bedford Park Festival, Chiswick's biggest arts and community event, returns for its 57th year from June 6-22, 2025, with special significance as it coincides with Bedford Park's 150th anniversary celebrations. The festival kicks off with the popular Green Days weekend featuring fairground rides, craft stalls, live music, and family activities, followed by two weeks of arts and cultural events throughout the community.
150th Anniversary Celebrations
The 150th anniversary of Bedford Park, recognized as the world's first garden suburb, will be celebrated throughout 2025 with a series of special events coordinated by The Bedford Park Society and St Michael & All Angels Church.
The celebrations kicked off with a Viennese New Year Concert and will continue with numerous activities during the Bedford Park Festival in June, including anniversary celebrations during Green Days weekend (June 7-8) and a celebratory Choral Festival Mass.
A special anniversary exhibition titled "The Community at Bedford Park" will be showcased at multiple venues, focusing on the community's evolution from its earliest days in 1875 through to modern times.
The Big Sing 150 will take place on Bank Holiday Monday, May 5th, on the lawn outside St Michael & All Angels Church.
Walking tours exploring "the most significant suburb built in the last century" will be available, including a special NLA tour on April 26, 2025.
The Bedford Park Society has created commemorative materials and guides to mark this historic milestone, including resources on energy conservation that connect the suburb's historic character with contemporary concerns.
Green Days Weekend Activities
Green Days Weekend, the vibrant opening of the Bedford Park Festival, takes place on June 7-8, 2025, from 11am to 6pm on Saturday and 11:30am to 6pm on Sunday with no entry charge.
The event will be opened by comedian and historian Al Murray, best known as The Pub Landlord, who is particularly fitting for the 150th anniversary celebrations of Bedford Park.
The weekend features a diverse array of attractions centered around Acton Green:
A Craft Fair and Sunday Stalls showcasing local artisans and businesses
Live music and performances at the Bandstand, sponsored by ArtsEd Day School & Sixth Form
A dedicated Food and Drink Court including "The Tabard on the Green" beer tent, BBQ with Macken Brothers burgers, and refreshment options
Family-friendly activities including a Children's Corner (sponsored by Orchard House School), Fancy Dress Parade, and fairground rides
Specialized zones including a Family Cycle Zone with bicycle competitions and an Electric Vehicle Zone displaying the latest eco-friendly vehicles
Community-focused stalls selling plants, books, bric-a-brac, plus raffles including the popular Win-a-Meal competition featuring donations from over 30 local restaurants
A special Mass on the Green at 10:30am on Sunday
Yeats Poetry Performances
The Bedford Park Festival 2025 will feature special poetry events celebrating WB Yeats, who lived in Bedford Park as a young man and went on to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. Two notable poetry nights will take place at St. Michael & All Angels Church:
On June 12th, "Night & Light & the Half-Light" will celebrate Yeats's 160th birthday alongside Bedford Park's 150th anniversary, featuring special guest Christopher Reid, former Faber poetry editor who edited The Letters of Seamus Heaney. The evening includes poetry readings focused on themes of light and darkness that inspired the young Yeats in Bedford Park, with attendees invited to bring their own poems to share.
On June 13th, "In the Deep Heart's Core" will feature broadcaster Jeremy Vine as special guest, who previously launched Bedford Park's Yeats smartphone audio trail. This event celebrates poems that touch "the deep heart's core" - a famous line Yeats wrote in Bedford Park - with music and drinks available from 7:30pm by the #EnwroughtLight artwork, a spiraling sculpture by Conrad Shawcross RA that was unveiled in 2022 to commemorate Yeats's connection to the area.
Staying at Hotel Indigo London Paddington
For guests attending the Bedford Park Festival from out of town, Hotel Indigo London Paddington offers an ideal base:
Direct Travel to Chiswick: Just a short journey on the Elizabeth Line or District Line, connecting central London to Turnham Green and Stamford Brook stations near Bedford Park.
Boutique Comfort: Hotel Indigo blends Victorian charm with modern design, offering a restful stay with amenities including a fitness centre, brasserie, and in-room comforts.
Nearby Attractions: Located close to Hyde Park, Little Venice, and Paddington Basin, offering plenty to explore before or after the festival.
Whether you're here for the poetry, the music, or the history, your stay at Hotel Indigo ensures comfort and style just moments away from the action.
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