elyaquafest.org.uk
If you missed March’s St Georges Fayre in April this year there are still five more festivals you could include in your narrowboat holiday itinerary this summer. Our narrowboat hire base is located in the town of March, nestled in the Fens on the Middle Level Waterways, close to the River Ouse and River Nene, and this summer is busy with a variety of events.
1) March Fest
March Summer Festival is a free event and in 2017 it will be held from 9th to 11th June. There will be music and activities appealing to all ages and tastes and an open air stage set up in West End Park for the weekend. The live music includes pop, dance, jazz, brass and folk, plus there’ll be a funfair and plenty of food stalls.
Last year hundreds of people gathered at West End Park to enjoy the music, parade of walkers, classic vehicles and floats and a variety of stalls and amusements. There is a gallery of photographs of the event, courtesy of Anthony Hylton, at The March Summer Festival website. Fox Boats run boat trips at the event.
2) Cambridgeshire Yoga and Vegan Festival
Cambridgeshire’s first-ever Yoga and Vegan Festival will be held at The Paradise Centre, Newnham Street, in Ely this year. There will be more than 40 yoga and meditation sessions, a variety of vegan food and stalls, plus many free talks included in the entrance price. It will take place on Sunday 11th June from 9.15am-5pm, with a £5 entry fee, and children go free. It seems like the perfect complement to a calming narrowboat cruise. March to Ely is approximately an 18 hour return trip by boat.
3) Ely’s Aquafest
Aquafest, on Sunday 2nd July 2017 is a family event covering three premier sites along Ely’s riverside, Lavender Green, Jubilee Gardens and the Maltings Green. There will be a fun fair, beer tent, burger bar and stalls. Two arenas provide varied entertainment, and there is music, dancing, demonstrations and audience participation. A highlight of the event is the Annual Raft Race on the River Ouse, with numerous decorated rafts. For more information visit Aquafest.
4) Ely Folk Festival
This intimate and friendly little folk and roots festival takes place over the weekend of 7th to 9th July. There are on-site camping facilities, a real ale bar, lots of kids’ activities, Morris dancing displays, ceilidhs, workshops and music sessions. The folk scene is popular among live-aboard boaters, so why not become one of them just for this weekend, and arrive on your own narrowboat home? Check out Ely Folk Festival.
5) Strawberry Fayre
On Saturday 3rd June 2017 Midsummer Common will once more become a festival of vitality, music and colour. The day begins with a parade that goes around the city centre, and then returns to Midsummer Common for the start of the fair at midday. There will be over a dozen stages, marquees and areas of entertainment, continuing all day until the festival finale at 10.30pm.
Arriving by Narrowboat
To get to Cambridge from March you’ll pass through the Middle Levels, and up the Ely section of the Great Ouse. When in Cambridge your cruise will actually take you through Midsummer Common and onwards to Jesus Green and the public moorings near the limit of the navigation.
So, why not time your narrowboat holiday this year to coincide with one of these festivals? Check our bookings page now and see if your boat of choice is available for the dates you want.
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