VISIT THE WATERWAYS EXTRAVAGANZA

A great day out for all the family

 

Get ready for the three-day Black Country Waterways Festival on 23rd, 24th and 25th August at Pendeford Park, Blaydon Road, Wolverhampton.

 

The festival offers great entertainment for people of all ages with live music, street dancing, football juggling and exciting activities for children including the circus skills workshop with clowns and stilt walking, a Victorian funfair, storytelling and Wild Over Waterways activities such as traditional plate painting, brick-laying and knot tying. 

 

There will be hundreds of exhibitors, stalls and novelty stands offering speciality foods, jewellery, garden equipment, clothing, arts and crafts and hundreds more products, together with a superb food court with over 40 real ales.

 

Test your goal scoring skills against ex-professional players in the Great Football Speed Challenge, watch and sign up for traditional craft workshops, try your hand at patchwork, making fenders or painting traditional roses and castles. See Birds of Prey close at hand as falconry experts mingle with the crowds.

 

Children under 16 accompanied by an adult get in free. Tickets can be bought in advance at £6.50 (or £7.50 on the day), concessions £5.50 (or £6.50 on the day). Advance tickets can be purchased from the Visitor Information Centre in Queen Square, Wolverhampton or by calling the Inland Waterways Association on 01923 711 114, and include the opportunity to win a fabulous waterways family holiday on a luxury narrow-boat, courtesy of UK Boat Hire.  

 

The festival is hosted by the Inland Waterways Association and any surplus money raised goes towards waterway restoration projects.  

 

Over 300 boats will be moored alongside the Shropshire Union Canal and the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal, down to Aldersley Junction.  Take a trip up and down the canal to view the historic working narrow-boats and horse drawn boats on show, decorated with flowers and bunting.

 

Suzanne Austin, cookery writer and broadcaster, will be demonstrating unique seasonal recipes in the Food Hall at 11am, 1pm and 3pm each day.  Terry Darlington, author of the book ‘Narrow Dog to Carcassonne’ will be signing copies of his new book.  Members of the Residential Boat Owners Association will be giving talks, and Tony Brooks, expert and writer for national waterway magazines, will be giving demonstrations on boat maintenance throughout the weekend.

 

Everybody is invited to watch the illuminated boat parade accompanied by a jazz band on Sunday evening (24th August) starting at 9pm on the Shropshire Union Canal, adjacent to the moorings.  Come and watch from the towpaths around the junction for FREE.

 

To get to the festival by car, take advantage of the FREE Park and Ride services, located at Wolverhampton Racecourse, Dunstall Park and at Birmingham Midshires, Wobaston Road.  Both sites will be well signposted from main routes.  Buses start operating from 9.30am and run up to 6.30pm on Saturday and Sunday, and to 6pm on Monday.  The service is completely FREE.

 

The most direct bus is number 505 which stops at the corner of Blaydon Rd and Elmsworth Crescent.  Other services are 507a, 506 and 504 which stop around the area.  All buses go from Stand U at Wolverhampton Bus station. For bus timetables call Traveline on 0871 200 2233 or visit www.travelwm.co.uk. 

 

Visit www.waterways.org.uk or ring 0870 240 2438 for general enquiries.

 

Access to some public areas on Pendeford Park may be restricted leading up to and during the festival. The IWA and Wolverhampton City Council apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. For any enquiries about the site, please contact the IWA site office on 01902 788218 from 14th August onwards.  Prior to 14th August please ring 07771804826.

 

I'm travelling to the show. Where can I stay? 

For information about the closest accommodation to the festival site, click on the PDF icon below:

Who do I contact to volunteer?

The Festival team is also looking for more volunteers to help them run the event. Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer should phone 0870 240 2438 for more details or visit the Inland Waterways Association website.