Bedfordshire Festival of Music, Speech & Drama

The 2026 Bedfordshire Festival of Music, Speech and Drama will take place from 7th to 14th March at the Bedford Corn Exchange, Harpur Suite, Howard Room and Kings House. The event will welcome over 3,000 musicians and actors of all ages and abilities to perform in one of the oldest and most celebrated festivals in the UK.

There are over 250 classes to choose from covering all musical instruments and grades, and spanning a huge range of genres from Classical to Musical Theatre, Jazz to Asian, Pop to Folk, as well as Speech and Drama classes including Verse Speaking, Creative Performance, Religious Texts, Business Pitches, Shakespeare and Acting.