Celebrate with football, fun and friends out on the grass football pitch or in the sports hall.

Your party includes use of the indoor sports hall or a grass football pitch for 1 hour, followed by use of a designated party area for 45 minutes, along with the selfie station for capturing some special memories.

You can choose to have a party host who will check in at set points during your booking and lead organised football games, alongside time for free play. Alternatively, you may run the session independently. 

You can also choose to have your party catered or bring your own food and cater it yourself.

Join us for our annual celebration of LGBT+ History Month in partnership with Schools OUT UK.

The theme for 2026 is Science and Innovation, and you can visit the foyer display running from Saturday, 14 February to 1 March.

The display will feature the life story of Scientist Magnus Hirschfeld and artwork from QYouth Bedford.

Our LGBT+ History Month Festival event on 21 February 11am–4pm will include current LGBT+ scientists, recognition for historic LGBT+ pioneer scientists and a creative scientific poetry workshop.  All welcome, no booking required.

Celebrate the joy of books, reading, and libraries with us!

As part of the National Year of Reading programme, look out for visits from Bookstart Bear, add a message to our Love Libraries trees, drop in for free half term crafts sessions, join us for special author and science sessions, and more!

People in Bedford Borough donate garden tools, kitchen appliances, home tools, just about anything to the library that they’ve decided they don’t use very often, don’t have the space for, or just don’t want anymore.

Share Bedford first checks that donations are in good working condition and are safe (PAT testing where applicable), adds items to the online library, and then lends them to their members.

Find the team every Wednesday 12-2pm and Saturdays 10am-12pm. Their home is on the second floor of Bedford Central Library. They welcome visitors, even if you just want to come in for a chat!

The Bedford Repair Cafe is a pop-up community repair cafe run by volunteers.

Bring broken household items - like electronics, clothing, bicycles and furniture to be fixed for free.

The next Bedford Repair Cafe is a Project 229 in Kempston on Saturday 28 February.

Looking to stay active, social, and have a laugh while doing it?

Join these senior sports sessions, the perfect mix of fitness and fun.

Pickleball drop-in sessions are on Mondays (1.30-3.30pm) and Wednesdays (9.30am-12.30pm).

Badminton drop-in sessions are on Mondays (11am-12pm), Tuesday (10am-12pm), and Thursdays (11am-12pm) 

Mr Garraway’s Djembe Drumming Club is a new club aimed at young people aged 7-12.

It's Ideal for any young person who thinks they might like to play drums, as well as drum kit players who would like to play in a group.

It’s also a great opportunity to make new friends and meet other students who like to bang things!

No previous experience is needed.

Our Community Safety Team are holding a number of engagement events to give you an opportunity to meet the team and ask any questions you have.

Each month, they will be in the Visitor Information Centre on Silver Street on the first and third Wednesdays of each month, 11am-2pm. This month they will be focusing on 'Youth Voices'.

Pop in, have a chat, and find out about the work of the Community Safety Team, the importance of partnership working, support with general personal safety, and how to report concerns.

The photo is from a previous event at Bedford Central Library.

Puggle Club offers children aged 2-5 years the opportunity to enjoy arts and crafts activities with their parents and carers and meet other children. 

It is a lovely environment for the youngest visitors to explore a variety of resources through play. 

Puggle Club is a free, drop-in, so no booking is required.  The session times are 10.30am-midday and 1-2.30pm. 

If you are local to Queens Park or Goldington, there are also mini Pop Up Puggle sessions this month at St Mary's Church and the Community Centre.

Discover graded cards, vintage gems and the latest releases at a Cardmania event near you.

Find some of the best vendors in the UK and complete your collection. 

The event runs 9.30am-4pm

Archaeology is the study of past human life. Archaeologists primarily focus on material remains.

In this introduction to archaeology, we will explore some of the approaches used by archaeologists to reconstruct past lives with a specific focus on excavations in and around Bedford.

Join us at the stadium to watch the 2026 British and Irish Indoor Tug of War Championships.

Rediscover the joy of building with rare and retired LEGO sets and minifigures, 10am-4pm.

Browse through a vast collection LEGO from over 20 different traders.

You're sure to find the perfect LEGO piece to complete your collection.

Join the Keeper of Fine and Decorative Art for a lunchtime tour of some of the highlights of the exhibition.

This tour runs from 12-12.30pm.

Do you have geology specimens that you would like identified?

Bring in your best rock, fossil, mineral and crystal finds, and Bev will help to answer your geology questions.

Samii and her colleague Pep, from Conscious Connected Touch, will be outside the Visitor Information Centre on Silver Street sharing free hugs, 10am-2pm. There will be a Big Community Hug taking place at noon on Silver Square.

Inside the centre, you will be able to create love letters for your favourite people, businesses and places in Bedford, which will be displayed on the noticeboard and shared after the event, alongside ideas for spreading kindness in the community.

Head down to Bedford Embankment and cheer on the crews at this annual rowing event.

Join artist Marisa Straccia to make your own Orlanda cat model.

Orlando the cat features in our Noel Carrington exhibition, as does a delightful display of animal models. Marisa has created a cat template for you decorate and build. This activity does involve cutting and sticking, so some support may be needed. All resources are provided.

Free Drop-in, no need to book, 2-4pm

Suitable for under 12s. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Please be aware that space is limited, and there may be a wait to start.

The team at What’s On Bedford Borough invite families to the Visitor Information Centre on Silver Street to take part in their children’s colour- in-to-win competition.

Pop in on Saturday 14 February, and Wednesday 18 - Saturday 21, 10am-4pm. Pop in with the children for some colouring in fun in the seated area.

Completed entries will be displayed on the noticeboard, and two lucky winners will win a pair of tickets to either Unicorn Live on Sunday, 5 April or The Addams Family Panto running  2–4 April at Bedford Corn Exchange.

There are some wonderful activities planned at The Higgins Bedford for the half term break!

These sessions are always popular, so we strongly recommend booking them well in advance.

• Explore Wildlife on your Doorstep with The Good Life Garden
• Create Clay Puffins with artist Anne-Marie Abbate
• Circus skills spectacular with Covent Garden circus performer Tabatha Ladbrook-Hutt
• Young Lacemakers sessions with Aragon Lace

Join author, Ella McLeod, as she brings her wonderful book 'Goldilocs', illustrated by Rochelle Falconer, to life.

Goldilocs is tired of being written as a porridge-stealer or a chair-breaker! She doesn't even have golden hair - she has a golden smile, though. She was simply trying out the three options for a girl in Fairytale Land: witch, evil queen, or princess. But which one is the best for a creative, go-getting girl?

Retold with rhythm and rhyme, this twist on a classic tale is suitable for ages three to seven. There will also be a free crown making craft, and copies of Goldilocs will be available to buy afterwards.

Our libraries will be running free craft activities from Monday 16 - Friday 20 February.

Bring your kids along for some fun, free crafts at your local library this half term.

Join us for a free electrical safety testing community drop-in at Kingswell Community Hub (London Road Methodist Church Hall, 96 London Road, Bedford, MK42 0NT) between 9am and 12noon.

It's hosted by bpha and run by ourselves, in partnership with Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Bring along your portable electrical items, such as electric blankets, heaters, kettles, toasters, lamps, battery chargers, or small kitchen appliances. We will have to dispose of unsafe items, and we will give you a £10 gift card if your item fails the electrical test to help towards replacement costs (one per household, while supplies last).

By coming along, you will also be able to learn more about electrical fire safety tips to keep your household safe and discover more about local support available to help lower your energy bills and stay warm over the colder months. The project is fully funded by the Electrical Safety Fund, a major annual scheme which helps those most vulnerable to electrical injuries in their homes.  

Join us for our annual celebration of LGBT+ History Month in partnership with Schools OUT UK.

This LGBT+ History Month Festival event, 11am–4pm, will include current LGBT+ scientists, recognition for historic LGBT+ pioneer scientists and a creative scientific poetry workshop.  All welcome, no booking required.

The theme for 2026 is Science and Innovation and our foyer display will be running from Saturday 14 February to 1 March. The display will feature the life story of Scientist Magnus Hirschfeld and artwork from QYouth Bedford.

Aragon Lacemakers are delighted to share the traditional craft of bobbin lacemaking with a ‘have a go pillow’.

Aragon Lacemakers is also offering Young Lacemakers sessions on the same day for children between the ages of 6-16 years.

The lessons are tailored to each child’s pace in a supportive environment, and equipment is provided. There is a small charge of £2 per session per child - booking is essential.

The one lap 10k course starts and finishes on the beautiful Bedford Embankment and runs out on the Embankment towards the Town Bridge. After crossing the bridge you'll follow the lazy River Great Ouse towards Priory Country Park, and after completing a lap of the beautiful Priory Lake you’ll return to the Embankment and hear the cheers of the crowds at the finish line.

Those tackling the Half Marathon will head back out for a second lap with a slight extension to make up the accurate 21.1km (13.1 mile) Half Marathon distance.

Our online information events are a great opportunity for anyone interested in fostering to ask questions and have a chat with our foster carers and social workers.

Speak with a member of our team in an informal and relaxed environment from 7pm as part of this online information evening.

Please book in advance so the team can send you a link to the meeting.

Adult Skate Nights are back in full swing with Bedford Roller disco at the John Bunyan Sports Centre.

Doors open at 8pm and you can skate through to 1am, last entry at midnight.

This is an over 18's event. If you can't skate or don't have your own skates then don't worry, there will be loads of skates available and the skate marshals will help you round if you're a bit shaky on your wheels!

...and if it gets too much, then you can just chill out and get a large drink and just enjoy the 'RollBack Experience'.

Become a detective and unravel a series of curious, whimsical mysteries in The Higgins Bedford.