Community river events: UK and Ireland
Last updated: 5 September 2026
Photo: "Teddington River Festival" courtesy of Andy Scott and Wikimedia Commons published under a Creative Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) licence.
This page tells you about river-related events happening soon in England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and Northern Ireland. Examples of things we like to include here: river festivals, beach cleans, hands-on fishing demonstrations, lectures or workshops on nature topics, campaigning events and protests related to rivers and related environmental issues. To find things happening near you soon, find your local river group or Wildlife Trust on our map of local community river groups and zip over to their events page.
We'd really appreciate your help in keeping this page up-to-date, so please tell us of any other events you know about or post details on our Facebook page.
2026 events
Events are roughly in order from those happening first to those happening last.
September 2026
- September 2026: Love Your Countryside Month: Celebrate all things country with rural champions CPRE.
- Sunday 6- Saturday 12 September: The Big River Watch: From The Rivers Trust: "Twice a year, we call on everyone to spend 15 minutes observing their local river, answering a few questions about what you can see (from wildlife and water colour to signs of pollution) using the free Big River Watch survey app. All of this data helps us to get a clearer picture of river health across the UK and Ireland, identify issues and support our fight for cleaner waters. So far over 9,000 people have taken part in a Big River Watch
- Saturday 26 September 2026: Melksham River and Food Festival: The Melksham Food and River Festival is a vibrant, free community event held annually on the last weekend in August at King George V Playing Field and along the River Avon. Organised by the Festival Committee with support from the Wilts and Berks Canal Trust and Wiltshire Youth Canoe Club, the festival celebrates local culture, community spirit, and riverside heritage.
- Until 7 September 2026: Being a River: a series of five creative workshops exploring art, place, colour and connection in and around the riverside environment of Berwick-upon-Tweed.
- Various events until 27 September 2026: CARP Bewdley River Festival 2026: The Bewdley River Festival runs from 7 June to World Rivers Day on 27 September, a summer-long programme put on by Communities Against River Pollution, the local citizen science group working for a cleaner, healthier River Severn.
- Throughout September: Thames 21 events: Hands-on London activities this month include " Action for Silk Stream: River Action Day " (24/9) and "Oxleas Woods – Slowing the Flow " (29/9 until 1/10), and more.
- Until 27 September: Rivers4Life Exhibition: Join the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust for their Rivers4Life exhibition at the Dales Countryside Museum, Hawes. Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Rivers4Life runs daily from 6 June to 27 September 2026, open 10am–4pm, seven days a week.
- September 2026 (TBC): Great Stour Riverfest: Lots of things to see and do on the Great Stour in Canterbury.
- Friday 18-Sunday 27 September 2026: MCS Great British Beach Clean: Every September thousands of people across the UK head to the coast to take part in the Great British Beach Clean. Find out how you can get involved and how it helps.
- Sunday 27 September 2026: World Rivers Day 2026: Lots of events planned worldwide.
October 2026
- 1 October 2026: The Wye Water Summit: The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) Cymru is organising The Wye Water Summit on 1 October 2026 on the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells. Following a summer of drought, this forum provides a unique opportunity to discuss the consequences of the recent prolonged hot weather and how to build resilience for the future.
- Saturday 24 October 0 Sunday 1 November: WWT Super Natural: This enchanting seasonal half-term event, running for one week only from invites families to discover the wonders, wildlife and folklore of wetlands through hands-on activities and outdoor adventures.
- 30-31 October: Tweed River Festival, Melrose.
November 2026
November 2026: IWDG Whale Tales 2026: TBC.
Regularly occurring events (national)
MCS Beach Cleans 2026: Search the Marine Conservation Society's website to find beach cleans by date and location. This link will bring up the current programme of 2026 cleanups.
Surfers Against Sewage: Million Mile Clean: Find and join a beach clean near you. (A separate scheme from the MCS beach cleans.)
IWA Canal Camps and Weekends: Why waste your money on a fancy foreign holiday when you can stay at home and have a lot more fun restoring a canal?
IWA Events: All sort of canal-related events, including work party activities, canal camps, and other hard work
Angling Trust: Fishing Events: There are 163+ upcoming events listed at the time of writing.
Institute of Fisheries Management Events 2026: Lots of fishy happenings here, including "Electric Fishing Training" in April.
For paddlers, we have Paddle Cymru Events, Paddle UK Events, and Paddle Scotland Events.
Regularly occurring events (regional/local)
Find your local river group or Wildlife Trust and head to their events page for the most up-to-date list of what's what; alternatively, here are a few to start you off...
North
Yorkshire/Derbyshire: Don Catchment: Events calendar: Cleanups, hedgerow, maintenance, and tree-planting throughout 2026.
Yorkshire: River Foss Society: Events: No upcoming events listed at the time of writing, but keep checking back.
Yorkshire: Wear Rivers Trust: Volunteer: How to get involved with river restoration, tree-planting, and related projects.
Midlands
Oxfordshire: Freshwater Habitats Trust: forthcoming events: Pond cleaning, fen clearing, and other voluntary activities, mostly around Oxfordshire.
East
East Anglia: May to October: Walk 'n' Water on the River Stour Navigation: "A combination of walking by the river and boating on the river. All proceeds to the restoration and conservation of the River Stour Navigation for the benefit and education of the public".
London and South East
London: Summer by the River: Events throughout May, June, July, and August.
Hampshire/Surrey: River Wey Trust: Lots planned this year, from Gilbert White Day (in May) to National Trust Summer Fun days at Dapdune Wharf through the summer school holidays.
Hampshire/Dorset: Amphibian and Reptile Conservation: Lots of hands-on conservation and some online activities too.
South West
Cornwall: Cornwall WT Beaver Project Walks: There are various walks throughout 2025 checking on progress at Woodland Valley Farm.
Scotland
Arran: COAST: Snorkel taster days: Community of Arran Seabed Trust are offering snorkel tasters from June onwards.
Edinburgh: Water of Leith: Walks, river dipping, butterflies, bugs, and mesmerizing machines in and around Edinburgh!
Wales
Cardiff: Cardiff Rivers Group: Balsam bashing and more. More general litter-pick type events are listed by Keep Cardiff Tidy.
River Dee: Welsh Dee Trust: Events in North Wales.
LLanwrtyd Wells: Freshwater Habitats Trust: forthcoming events: Various voluntary activities at The Pavillion, LLanwrtyd Wells.
Courses and training
RRC River Courses and Workshops: Lots of online and in-person events run by the River Restoration Centre, including "River Erosion Management", "Developing a Catchment-wide Restoration Plan", "Desk-based assessment for river restoration planning & catchment management", and more.
Freshwater Biological Association: Courses 2026: Lots of great courses here, from river restoration training to algae identification.