Bedford Park yoga and wellbeing event returns with 20 free activities

Bedford Park will once again turn into Bedford’s most open-air wellness venue, with Yoga and Wellbeing in the Park returning on Sunday, June 7, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. near the Pavilion. The free event will offer 20 different activities and, in its ninth year, has grown well beyond a single yoga session into a full day of accessible movement, mindfulness and community support.

Bedford Borough Council is organising the event through its Sports Development Unit, with backing from The Harpur Trust and Delomac Roofing. The council has placed the day within Great Big Green Week, linking fitness to wider community action on climate and nature and giving the programme a civic purpose that reaches beyond the mat.

The line-up is designed to draw in a wide mix of participants, whether they come for a familiar vinyasa class or something less traditional. The council has listed laughter yoga, a Reiki group session, cacao ceremony, breathwork, Qigong and a sound bath among the options, alongside dedicated SEND, women’s and family sessions. Selected activities will have British Sign Language support, and a Wellbeing Information Desk will provide information and advice from local mental health services and charities, including the Mindful Sport team.

Accessibility remains a major part of the event’s appeal. Walk-up registration will be available on the day, with wristbands issued on arrival, and limited yoga mats and chairs will be provided for attendees who need them. Children will need to be accompanied by a responsible adult. The format keeps the barrier to entry low while broadening what a public yoga event can be: less one-size-fits-all class, more neighbourhood wellbeing fair.

That wider reach appears to be resonating. Bedford Borough Council says around 900 people attended last year. In 2025, the council recorded 615 attendees to yoga sessions and 290 individual participants in other wellbeing activities, despite rain and strong winds. That year’s programme included 16 free yoga sessions and 30 wellness chair massages, with Sound Bath, Vinyasa Flow Yoga and Morning Rocket Yoga among the most popular sessions.

The setting helps explain the event’s staying power. Bedford Park is a Grade Two listed Victorian park created in 1888, the largest urban park in Bedford and one of the council-managed parks with Green Flag status. With its mix of heritage, green space and practical accessibility, the park has become the backdrop for a wellness day that now looks less like a return and more like an expansion.