Peterborough Celebrates Festival
A community festival for Peterborough at Ferry Meadows – 16 & 17 May 2026
Back for its fifth year, this free-to-attend weekend festival promises to be another fabulous celebration of our city and all the reasons we love it – our culture, our music, our diversity and our talented communities.
This year we’re linking up with the National Year of Reading and will fill our festival with stories – not just in books but in music, poetry, performances, our communities and in everyone’s lives and experiences. Join us to tell your story!
And of course, you’ll still find all the things you love about the festival – world food vendors, a lively bar, amusements, local craft stalls and plenty of surprises around every corner.
Mark your calendars and keep an eye here for more updates over the coming weeks. We can’t wait to celebrate our city and stories with you!
Festival FAQs
What is it all about?
Peterborough Celebrates Festival is a free-to-attend family-focused festival organised by Nene Park Trust. The event is in its fifth year and is already an established event in Peterborough’s cultural calendar. It highlights the talent and diversity of our city, grows ambitions for art and heritage, celebrates the many communities of Peterborough and brings people together in a safe space. The over-arching theme for this year’s festival is storytelling and it will be great to gather the city together to help tell its story.
Where will the Festival be located?
The Festival site will be on a grassed meadow area (Coney Meadow), behind the Visitor Centre area at Ferry Meadows, Peterborough (PE2 5UU).
Is there an entry fee?
Entry to the Festival is FREE.
The majority of the activities are FREE but there will be a charge for the climbing wall, pay and play watersports activities (at the Watersports & Activity Centre), axe throwing and fun fair rides. You will also need to pay for food, drink and parking.
What are the timings for the festival?
Saturday 16 May 11.00-20.30
Sunday 17 May 11.00-16.00 (Note: there will be yoga at 10am)
What will there be for children to do?
There will be activities throughout the weekend including Nene Outdoors climbing wall, children’s fun fair rides, art and craft workshops, theatre performances, music, have-a-go sporting activities and more.
What will there be for teenagers to do?
There will be activities throughout the day including Nene Outdoors climbing wall, pay and play water sports activities on Gunwade Lake, art workshops suitable for all ages and theatre and music performances. University Centre Peterborough are hosting the big tent full of interactive activities and performance.
What activities will I need to pay for?
Many of the activities are FREE, but there will be charges for the children’s fun fair rides, Nene Outdoors climbing wall and pay and play watersports activities.
How can I get to the festival?
The Festival site will be on an area of Coney Meadow, behind the Visitor Centre area at Ferry Meadows, Peterborough (PE2 5UU).
We encourage visitors to travel by foot, bike, or bus if possible.
Bus route from Queensgate in Peterborough city centre: No. 1 – runs throughout the day every 15 minutes on Saturday and every 20 minutes on Sunday. Get off the bus at Orton Wistow and walk 15 minutes to the Festival site. To download a bus timetable, go to: Live Bus Times & Timetables | Stagecoach (stagecoachbus.com)
Taxis can drop off visitors at the entrance to the Park.
NOTE: Unlike in previous years, the Nene Valley Railway is only running their regular Saturday service from the city centre NVR station to Overton Station in Ferry Meadows. Please go to www.nvr.org.uk for more details.
Parking
There will be car parking onsite at Ferry Meadows all weekend. NOTE: Parking charges apply
There will be a designated parking area for blue badge holders near the Visitor Centre in Ferry Meadows. Parking charges apply. Please have your blue badge ready to show our parking stewards when you drive in.
FREE parking will be available at Railworld Wildlife Haven (PE2 9NR) – then travel by their regular train service. NOTE: the train service is limited and doesn’t cover the entire length of the festival.
How much will it cost to park?
Parking charges apply at car parks in Ferry Meadows.
Pay for your parking at the pay machines – or pay online.
The only FREE parking is at Railworld Wildlife Haven (PE2 9NR).
What food and drink will be available onsite?
We will have a range of food and drink available all weekend on the festival site. Lakeside Kitchen & Bar and Ferry Meadows café at Ferry Meadows will be open as usual. There will be a bar serving alcoholic drinks but please drink responsibly. This is a family-focused festival.
Can I bring my own food and drink with me?
Ferry Meadows is the perfect location for a picnic. Visitors are welcome to bring along a picnic and their own refreshments.
Can I bring a barbecue?
Barbecues will not be permitted in the Festival site. Visitors are welcome to bring their own raised barbecues to Ferry Meadows to set up away from the Festival site, although please note that disposable barbecues and gas barbecues are not permitted.
There are a number of permanent barbecue stands around the Park available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Visit our onsite Visitor Centre to discover our range of picnic items and snacks, catering for families and visitors who wish to extend their visit at the Park.
All litter must be taken away or placed in the bins provided, and hot ash must be sufficiently cooled with water before disposal.
Should I bring chairs or a rug?
There will be some seating around the festival site but visitors are encouraged to bring their own chairs and rugs and enjoy the festival. If you do bring your own chair for a performance please sit at the edge of the audience area, being mindful not to block the views of people sitting on the ground.
We welcome everyone to Peterborough Celebrates Festival and our team will do all they can to ensure that you enjoy your visit. The information here provides an overview of the accessibility of the event.
If you have any questions or feedback about the accessibility of Peterborough Celebrates Festival contact us and the team will be happy to help.
Key information / access highlights
- Designated parking area for blue badge holders. Normal parking charges apply.
- Staff available on site and access buddies
- BSL interpretation for some events in The Dome
- Mobility scooter and Mountain Trike hire
- Accessible toilets on site and a Changing Places Toilet close by
Planning your visit
How to find us
The main festival site is on Coney Meadow within Ferry Meadows. Please see the travel section of the Festival FAQs for more details of the different ways of getting to the Festival.
Parking
There will be dedicated accessible parking spaces in the main Ferry Meadows car park. Visitors will be asked to show staff their blue badge before being directed to the car park spaces. Normal car parking charges apply.
Accessibility welcome
Our Festival Makers (staff and volunteer team) will be on hand to provide assistance and support around the Festival site and at the Nene Park Information stand. Nene Park Trust staff will also be available at the Visitor Centre, Nene Outdoors and the via the Duty Ranger mobile on 07860 308081. Some of our festival volunteers will be especially trained as ‘Access Buddies’ and can share specific access information with visitors.
Hire of mobility scooters and mountain Trikes
To help visitors with access needs explore Ferry Meadows, we offer a mobility scooter hire service from the Visitor Centre in Ferry Meadows, free of charge (donations welcome). In addition to our mobility scooters, we also have two new Mountain Trike all-terrain wheelchairs available to hire. The service will be available during the event but pre-booking is highly recommended. Visit our Ferry Meadows page to find out more about the mobility scooter and Mountain Trike hire service. Please call Visitor Services on 01733 234193 or email visitor.services@neneparktrust.org.uk to reserve your chosen date and time.
Assistance dogs
Assistance dogs are welcome throughout the Festival site. Dog drinking bowls are provided outside the Visitor Centre, Ferry Meadows Café and Lakeside Kitchen & Bar.
Bringing a companion/carer
Entry to the Festival is FREE. The majority of the activities are FREE but there will be a charge for some activities including the climbing wall, pay and play watersports activities and the fun fair rides.
If you require a companion/carer to access the climbing wall or play and play watersports activities with Nene Outdoors Watersports and Activity Centre, please contact Nene Outdoors on 01733 234193 to discuss any additional access requirements before making a booking. While carer(s) will be allowed entry to the event/activity with you free of charge, they must at all times be in a caring role that is providing support and assistance. It is not acceptable for carers to be participating independently and if this is the case, that person will not be allowed entry as a carer and will be expected to pay in full.
Getting around
The Festival is taking place on a grassed meadow, with some activities in the open air and some in marquees, a big top circus tent and gazebos. Whilst the area is reasonably level the grass meadow is a natural landscape which may be uneven in places.
Paths around the main areas of Ferry Meadows are hard surfaced (a mixture of tarmac, bound gravel, crushed limestone and compacted stone), generally of a minimum width of two meters, with a good contrast to the surroundings, reasonably level and at a safe distance from open water. They are shared routes for pedestrians and cyclists, and in some circumstances horse riders.
Please refer to the Festival map for the location of the event activities, the Ferry Meadows map for more detail of the path network including steep and unsurfaced sections or contact us for more information.
Information
Details about the event, including Festival map and programme of activities can be found in advance and during the weekend on the Peterborough Celebrates webpage. If you have any problems accessing the information ahead of the event please contact us.
At the event, information will be provided on signs and through leaflets available at the information stand. Event staff will also be on hand to help with any queries.
Please note that not all activities at the Festival are operated by Nene Park Trust. Enquiries about arrangements for companions/carers should be directed to the specific activity organiser.
Facilities and Services
Toilets
Accessible portable toilets will be available on the Festival site. These are in addition to the accessible toilets at Ferry Meadows public toilets, Ferry Meadows Café and Lakeside car park. The nearest Changing Places facility is at the main Ferry Meadows public toilets.
There is also an accessible changing room with hoist and adjustable changing bench at Nene Outdoors Watersports and Activity Centre. Users are required to provide their own slings. Nene Outdoors is approximately 1.1km from the festival site using the footpaths, however an alternative car park is adjacent to the building.
Please refer to the Festival map and the Ferry Meadows map for details of the locations, routes and distances between the facilities.
Seating
Visitors are encouraged to bring their own chairs and rugs and enjoy the Festival site. This year we are also placing extra picnic seating and tables on the festival site and at the Nene Park Trust welcome stand.
First Aid
First Aid is located near the main car park. Please contact a member of staff for assistance. In case of an emergency dial 999.
Lost Children or Vulnerable Adults
Nene Park Trust has a safeguarding policy in place which all festival partners are required to follow. If you have concerns regarding a lost child or Vulnerable Adult while at the Festival, please contact a member of festival staff at the Welcome tent or the Visitor Centre.
Key dos and don’ts
- No smoking or vaping in Festival marquees/gazebos/Big Top
- No glass permitted on the Festival site
- Keep dogs on leads at all times
- Please drink responsibly
- Respect other festival visitors – Peterborough Celebrates Festival is for all.
Dogs are very welcome to the Festival, but must be kept on a lead on the Festival site at all times. Whilst assistance dogs are welcome throughout the Festival site other dogs may not be permitted in some of the indoor performance areas.
Dog drinking bowls are provided outside the Visitor Centre, Ferry Meadows Café and Lakeside Kitchen & Bar.
We aim to make Peterborough Celebrates Festival as green and sustainable as possible:
- We encourage visitors to arrive on foot, bike or by bus if possible and we are supporting and promoting sustainable travel options with our Park and Ride option detailed above
- We are committed to minimising the use of single-use plastics at the Festival. All our food vendors are committed to providing recyclable packaging.
- We will work across all aspects of the festival’s activities to limit our carbon footprint; monitoring the environmental impact of the festival, offsetting carbon and making sustainable choices wherever possible.
- Please dispose of your litter responsibly, recycling where you can in the bins provided.
There will be professional photographers and drone operators at the Festival taking photos and videos of the Festival activities for publicity purposes. Please let photographers know if you do not want your or your child’s photo to be taken.
If you would like to share your own photos of the Festival over the weekend on social media, please use the hashtag #PeterboroughCelebratesFestival and tag in @PeterboroughCelebratesFestival (Facebook) and @pborocelebratesfest (Instagram). Thank you.
