About this Event
Welcome to the second edition of the Tweed River Festival! Join us in Melrose in the Scottish Borders for two days of river-focused creative activities: from collective net-making to riverside listening walks; costume-making to screen-printing; circus performances to photography workshops; film screenings, food, wild swimming, a parade, and more!
Conceived as a gathering of river-loving communities, the 2026 festival is the culmination of Connecting Threads’ 2026 programming theme Under, over, round and through: which borrows its title from group dance warm-ups encouraging participants to focus on their relationships to the surrounding space and to each other. We invite you to join us as we trace connections between the river, our minds, our bodies, and our communities across a multitude of scales.
Drop-in Workshops: Making Costumes and Banners
Make something to carry and/or wear for the Tweed River Festival Parade! Join Lara Greene to make costumes and masks inspired by the creatures that inhabit the Tweed, or screen-print imagery of the Tweed with Zoe Atherfold to create a banner for the parade. These sessions will run on:
Friday 30 October:
- 10am-12pm: the grown-ups edition
- 2:00-4:00pm: the afterschool edition
Saturday 31 October:
- 10am-12pm: the everyone edition
Tweed River Festival 2026 Parade!
The centrepiece of the day is our inaugural Tweed River Festival Parade, where we will joyfully, collectively walk from the main festival venue (Melrose Corn Exchange) to the riverbanks at Melrose Chain Bridge.
The parade celebrates the importance of coming together: strengthening connections with one another and with the River Tweed as a living presence that flows through our towns and villages, reminding us that we are all part of something culturally and environmentally bigger than ourselves. Strength, joy and hope can be found when we create, walk, wheel, sing, read, laugh and stand together.
Gathering at this moment in the year is an opportunity to collectively mark and celebrate the turning of the seasons. As we parade together to the riverbanks, we can reflect upon what the year has held and carry our wishes, thanks, gifts, and intentions for the River Tweed into the coming seasons.
The parade will weave in the work from many of Connecting Threads' projects this year, including our river-wide project Being A River as well as creative sessions with TD1 Youth Hub.
Anyone is welcome to join the parade – festival attendee or not! Just gather with us at the muster point, the Melrose Corn Exchange, at 4pm. It is family-friendly, and children are welcome with supervision from their caregivers. Fancy dress is encouraged: come along to one of our drop-in workshops during the festival and make yourself something to wear or carry. Halloween/guising costumes are welcome too. Equally, join in without dressing up – come as you are and take part in whatever way feels good for you!
Expect the parade to take 30-45 mins to reach the river. We will hold a short collective gathering on the riverbanks to mark the end of the parade. You are welcome to return with us to the Melrose Corn Exchange for the festival’s closing Strange Loop performance, or to leave from there.
Ticketing
The workshop sessions are free for all to attend. Feel free to join us on the day, but if you would like to book ahead for a certain workshop session(s), this helps us estimate numbers. You can do so on this page.
You do not need to book ahead to join us for the parade.
Access
Please see the access info page on our website for details on Melrose Corn Exchange, other festival venues, and individual workshops. The page also contains information about access bursaries to support with travel, childcare, and other costs to attending Tweed River Festival.
The parade will cover 1km from the Melrose Corn Exchange in the town centre to the Melrose Chain Bridge. We estimate that the parade will take around 30-45mins. The route will navigate a mixture of surfaces including pavements, tarmac roads and uneven, grassy paths. The parade will include music and people congregating in a group outdoors. Specific details of the parade route will be announced soon!
Event venue & nearby stays
Corn Exchange, Market Square, Melrose, United Kingdom
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.