One of the biggest Bank Holiday events to be hosted in Erewash is on its way . . . when Ilkeston hosts the prestigious IWA Festival of Water, a colourful spectacle that is expected to attract thousands of people from all over the country.
The free event takes place throughout the holiday weekend – on Saturday 26th, Sunday 27th and Bank Holiday Monday 28 August on the stretch of canal alongside the Gallows Inn on Nottingham Road and off the water on the adjacent playing fields.
The annual festival, organised by The Inland Waterways Association (IWA), will bring three days of entertainment – with up to 130 boats, including leisure, trade, heritage and working narrowboats, expected to be at the festival and all decked out with colourful bunting.
On offer will be a wide range of attractions both on and off the water, making it a fun day out for all the family. The playing fields site will include a display of classic cars, craft stalls, birds of prey, children’s rides and a chance to listen to live music and enjoy a real ale bar.
Councillor Mike Wallis, Erewash Borough Council’s Lead Member for Culture and Leisure, says:
“We have worked closely with IWA and invested in and supported this free event to enable this national festival to be brought to our wonderful borough.
“It will be a milestone event, full of colour and fun. We are expecting thousands of people to join us for what will be a landmark festival and a celebration of the beauty and rich history of the Erewash Canal.”
The Inland Waterways Association is a national charity working to protect and restore the country’s 6,500 miles of canals and rivers and announced last year that it would be bringing its annual IWA Festival of Water to Ilkeston in 2017.
