Everything you need to know about Nottingham's Riverside Festival

The East Midlands biggest free festival returns this weekend championing world music that people wouldn’t usually hear in Nottingham.

More than 150,000 visitors are expected to turn up alongside the River Trent for the Riverside Festival.

The three day event will be held between Friday 4th to Sunday 6th August 2023 Victoria Embankment in Nottingham.

Riverside Festival offers a range of music from folk, to electronic, and cultural songs.

Soothsayers, who perform music with deep hypnotic grooves, will be taking to Monument Stage on the opening night of the festival, with Awale Jant Band, a group performing Senegalese soul, performing on Saturday.

Nottingham-based Goodgoodbye, an evolving jazz pop project offer a more contemporary style of music.

Riverside Festival offers a mile-long stretch of fairground rides, games and attractions along the River Trent, plus numerous street food vendors, bars and market stalls.

Visitors will also be able to enjoy Dragon Boat Racing, before a ten-minute firework display on both Friday and Saturday nights.

Cllr Pavlos Kotsonis, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Culture at Nottingham City Council, said: “The music programme looks fantastic for this year’s festival with something to suit everyone, from world and folk music to up-and-coming Nottingham artists.

"I’m proud that we can host a wide variety of local performers at Riverside Festival, showing the talent that Nottingham has to offer and giving them the opportunity to perform to new audiences.

“Alongside the music stages there is also so much more to enjoy including free entertainment and activities for all ages," he added.

"We look forward to welcoming thousands of visitors from near and far at the Victoria Embankment this weekend, for what is sure to be a highlight of the city’s summer season.”

When is Riverside Festival open?

• Friday 17:00 – 23:30

• Saturday 12:00 – 23:30

• Sunday 12:00 – 18:30

Who's performing on what stage and when?

Monument StageFriday

• 19:15    Soothsayers

• 21:15    Buffo’s Wake

Saturday

• 13:15    Awale Jant Band

• 15:15    Tiwiza

• 17:15    Kasai Masai

• 19:15    Banco De Gaia

• 21:15    Achanak

Sunday

• 13:00    Cajun Roosters

• 15:00    Noga Ritter

• 17:00    Grupo Lokito

Big Top StageFriday

• 18:00    Tommy K

• 19:00    Damian Wells x HAZE

• 20:45    IMZZ

• 21:00    Fever x Jez Prince

Saturday

• 12:30    5 Hills Out

• 13:15 & 14:25    Del Scott Miller

• 13:40    Winter Wilson

• 14:50    Kootch

• 16:00    Marc Block

• 17:10    The Lost Notes

• 18:20    Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage

• 19:30    The Black Feathers

• 20:50    Sound of the Sirens

Sunday

• 12:00    Fun Chorus

• 13:15 & 14:25    Carlton Male Voice Choir

• 15:50 & 17:15    Cranberry Flick

Bandstand StageFriday

• 19:00    Jimmy Evans

• 20:00    Goodgoodbye

• 21:00    Bored Marsh

Saturday

• 13:00    Harpa

• 14:00    Louie Walsh

• 15:00    Sophie Diver & Cheska

• 16:00    Chaos Bleak

• 17:00    George Gadd & The Aftermath

• 18:00    Jonny Olley

• 19:00    Grain Mother

• 20:00    Cam Mannix

• 21:00    Idolising Nova

Sunday

• 12:00    Brad Dear & The March

• 13:00    Jiminil

• 14:00    Katie Keddie

• 15:15    Ben Mark Smith

• 16:15    Kelsey & The Embers

Little Big Top

• Saturday 13:00 – 19:00

• Sunday 13:00 – 18:00

How can I get to the Riverside Festival?

• Car - people driving to the festival are being urged to book a parking space in advance for £8.

• Bus - NCT and Trentbarton buses will be running to and from the festival, alongside shuttle buses from Victoria Embankment back into the city centre.

• Tram - the closest tram stop to the festival is Meadows Embankment.

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