The Scottish river set to be celebrated by new festival to encourage 'deeper relationships' with locals

Now, artists, musicians and writers are to celebrate the stories and significance of the River Tweed in a new festival to be launched in October.

Conservationists, environmentalists, scientists, river specialists and communities for one of the first festivals of its kind in the UK, the Tweed River Festival, which will celebrate the river.

Taking place across multiple indoor and outdoor sites near Peebles, the three-day event will feature creative activities in, on and alongside the river, including microscopic drawing workshops, gift-giving rituals, riverside listening walks and experimental film screenings.

Other events will include music, poetry, storytelling, printmaking, song-learning, communal reading and eco-friendly photography.

The first edition of the festival takes place in Peebles, towards the upper reaches of the River Tweed. Subsequent editions in 2026 and 2027 will take place in the middle and lower stretches of the River Tweed as it makes its way from the source in the hills above Moffat, through southern Scotland and north Northumberland, and out into the sea at Berwick-upon-Tweed.

River culture curator Tiki Muir said: “Tweed River Festival is the highlight of our 2025 programme. Amid a growing consciousness of the importance of rivers, Connecting Threads aims to encourage people to develop deeper and more meaningful relationships with the River Tweed, its surrounding habitats and ecologies.

“Tweed River Festival feels like a vital opportunity to grow these relationships together. The festival is about being equal and active participants: it is an opportunity to gather, to centre the river, to share knowledge and stories and to help sustain caring, resilient and river-loving communities.”

The River Tweed Trail, which will create 113 miles of walking and cycling paths along the route of the river, is due to open in three years.

Muir added: “While we look ahead to the creation of the River Tweed Trail, Destination Tweed’s 113-mile walking and cycling route, scheduled to open in 2028, this is also a moment to pause and really celebrate the Tweed and the wealth of creative practitioners who live and work in the catchment area.

“We’re especially excited to share works in progress by our incredible 2025 cohort of artists in residence. This is a rare opportunity to share in new art projects as they develop, and to gain fresh perspectives and emotional connections – not only with rivers but also with each other.”

Artists Anna Chapman Parker, Emily Cropton, Georgie Fay, Sam Gillespie, Jessie Growden and Miwa Nagato-Apthorp will be artists in residence at the festival.

Connecting Threads, which is behind the festival, is the cultural strand of project Destination Tweed. 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 through a five-year programme of cultural activity.

The Tweed River Festival will run from 31 October.