Connecting Threads have just announced the second edition of the Tweed River Festival, an annual creative celebration of the River Tweed. Conceived as a gathering of river-loving communities, the two-day event will feature an array of creative activities in, on and alongside the River Tweed.

_{Wild swiming with Ingrid Campbell. Photo courtesy of Tweed River Festival}

Last year’s inaugural edition of the Tweed River Festival took place in Peebles, in the Upper Tweed. Moving downstream along the river, this year’s festival takes place in and around Melrose in the Scottish Borders on October 30 & 31, while next year’s edition will take place in the lower stretches of the river, as it makes its way out into the sea at Berwick-upon-Tweed.

The 2026 Festival will explore links between culture, health, climate and environment under the theme of ‘Under, over, round and through’ and is delivered by Connecting Threads, the cultural strand of Destination Tweed which is a unique source-to-sea river revitalisation project that features the creation of a 113-mile River Tweed Trail, launching in 2028.

This celebration of river culture and contemporary art nurtures connections between cultural, environmental and climate activities. With tickets available on a sliding scale, including free and pay what you can options, the festival features events and activities for all ages designed to deepen connection with the river. These culminate with a free Tweed River Festival Parade which weaves through Melrose from the main festival venue to the banks of the Tweed at the Melrose Chain Bridge.

Other activities range from collective net-making to riverside listening; costume-making to screen-printing; circus performances to photography workshops; films, food and river swimming. This year’s festival will also see the twinning of the River Tweed with the River Conwy in Wales with a view to sharing basin knowledge and culture with Welsh collective Dyffryn Dyfodol.

_{Screenprinting workshop at Tweed River Festival 2025. Photo by Ian Georgeson}

Supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Connecting Threads brings together creative practitioners with conservationists, environmentalists, scientists, river specialists and communities of place and purpose, to celebrate the River Tweed through a five-year programme of cultural activity.

The Tweed River Festival will be accompanied by a printed publication, which explores questions relating to the ‘Under, over, round and through’ theme and delves into the thinking of two artists in residence as well as Connecting Threads’ year-round programme. Designed by Emily Macaulay of Stanley James Press, the publication will feature writing by Dani Admiss, Em Merrin May Armstrong, Marleen Boschen, Alycia Pirmohamed, and Jamila Prowse. The publication will be available for visitors to Tweed River Festival.

Full programme information and tickets are available here.

_{Rebecca Beinart by the Tweed in Melrose. Photo: Pictorial Photography & Create Berwick}