THE RIVER carnival in Hereford is part of a wider Wye Valley River Festival.

The two-week festival starts on Saturday and runs until May 20 providing art and entertainment.

Events will spring up along the river and in the woods between Hereford and Chepstow, within the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

In Hereford the River Carnival starts on Friday night and runs on Saturday throughout the day but also this Bank Holiday weekend on May 5 and 6 there is an event at Symonds Yat Rock, where there will be a woodland gathering, picnic among the trees and entertainment from musicians and a travelling theatre show.

Visitors can then journey into the forest for the world premiere of Tree and Wood, a musical performance exploring our relationship with trees and forests.

There is a woodland festival show of Heart to Hart at St Mary's Primary School in Fownhope on May 9 from 3.30pm to 5pm.

And on May 10 from 3pm to 5pm there is a walk in Hoarwithy with local author and historian Heather Hurley. Thre will be a short walk along the river and a talk about the river trade on the Wye. There is tea and cake at the end of the walk. Tickets are £6.

There is another showing of the Heart to Hart show on May 10 at 6.30pm at the Hope and Anchor in Ross-on-Wye.

At 8pm there will be special guests, novelty swing band The Red Hot Potato Syncopators performing.

The festival is spearheaded by the Wye Valley AONB Partnership and has been funded by Arts Council England and Arts Council Wales, the Sustainable Development Fund, the Environment Agency, Forestry Commission England and Visit Wales.

Download the Festival Programme at www.wyevalleyriverfestival.co.uk where you can also find timings and tickets. The majority of events are free.