Riverside Fest

28/08/2026

Now that the dust has settled on Riverside Fest, we want to say a proper thank you to everyone who bought a ticket, brought their family along, and supported our local causes this year.

Putting on an independent community event takes months of planning, local volunteers, and fantastic support from our vendors and performers. Seeing Riverside Meadows packed out made every bit of effort worthwhile.

We are already reviewing what worked best so we can make next year even bigger and better.

What was your favourite part of the day, and what would you love to see on the line-up for next year? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.

26/08/2026

We have shared plenty of our own photos from Riverside Fest, but now we would love to see yours.

Whether you caught a great photo of the bands, snapped the stunt bikes in action, or got a good group shot with friends and family on the field, please drop your pictures in the comments below.

As we look ahead to planning the next one, we would love to know what made your weekend:

What was your absolute favourite part of Riverside Fest this year?

Which band, act, food or stall did you enjoy the most?

Share your best moments and photos with us below!

25/08/2026

A massive thank you to our dedicated security team and marshals who worked tirelessly all weekend to keep Riverside Fest safe, smooth, and welcoming for everyone.

Standing on your feet for hours in that baking heat while managing crowds is no easy task, and their patience, hard work, and good humour made a huge difference to the whole event.

We are also very grateful for the community backing that helps cover essential behind-the-scenes costs, including a £1,000 contribution towards our security from SturAction (Sturminster Newton Community Benefit Society). It is a fantastic example of the local community working in a complete circle: when you shop at and support SturAction’s community shops in town, those funds go straight back into supporting local projects and events like Riverside Fest.

Please join us in the comments in thanking our marshals, security team, and the folks at SturAction for helping make the festival safe and enjoyable for the whole town.

23/08/2026

A real highlight of Riverside Fest was having Ian from Urban Displays with us for three separate stunt shows across the weekend.

He drew great crowds for every single session and put on a brilliant display each time. It was fantastic to see so many people gathered around the arena enjoying the tricks, and we are grateful to Ian for coming down and giving everyone such a good show.

If you managed to catch any of his three performances, please drop your photos and videos into the comments below so we can share them with everyone.

For anyone interested in checking out more of Urban Display's work or booking a display for their own event, head over to their website: https://www.urbandisplays.uk/

21/08/2026

We would love to extend a HUGE thank you to all our sponsors who without we could not have made this years Festival such a massive success. 🙌

With a mixture of community projects and local businesses helping support us we were able to put on a fantastic day of games, drinks, markets, food and music for the families of our local community and beyond.

Without these guys it could not happen.

A huge thank you to you all. 🙏

Please use the links and visit these amazing peoples socials and websites and show your support back.

We expect to see you all there next year too!

The Riverside Team X🙂

18/08/2026

It was fantastic to see so many families turn out for this year's Riverside Fest including kids of all ages!

With Softplay, bucking broncos, Bugs, facepainting, circus skills, Bicycle displays and many choices of ice-cream and stalls available throughout the day among other things; we sincerely hope the adults manages to find the time to sneak off and enjoy the bar too!

17/08/2026

A massive thank you to our incredible crew, traders, artists, and sponsors for making Riverside Fest 2026 such an unforgettable success.

​We will be sharing full photo galleries over the coming days, highlighting all the fantastic performers and local businesses who made the day possible.

​What was your favourite moment? Drop your best photos and videos in the comments below!

15/08/2026

Up next: Red Not Really Peppers perform at 16:30.

Sun is out, bar is open. See you there!

15/08/2026

15/08/2026

Today is the day!!! Come and have a fantastic day with live bands, bar, food, stalls, classic cars and fab entertainment for everyone. Tickets online or pay on the gate 🤠 12 noon -10pm Sturminster Newton DT102BS..see ya'll there!🤠