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Highlights from the 27th Maidstone River Festival - 28-29
July 2006.
It was party time in Kent’s county town
on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 July for the Maidstone River
Festival.
On and along the River Medway and throughout the town centre,
there was a vast array of activities and events for the whole
family. The festival welcomed hundreds of boats from across
the south east, creating a carnival atmosphere for the thousands
of visitors that descended on the town.
Wind in the Willows was the theme for the event. Boatowners
competed to be the best-dressed craft with displays of ‘tales
from the riverbank’ as told in the classic children's
book written in 1908 by Kenneth Grahame.
There was live music on the Barratt Homes Stage and the 3
Mobile SoundStage on Friday evening and throughout Saturday.
Acoustic sessions, classic covers, rock anthems and more…something
for every music taste.
At midday on the Saturday, the Mayor of Maidstone, Cllr Mike
FitzGerald, River Festival Chairman David Knight and the Kent
Carnival Court led the County Town Cruise. A few hours later
the biggest river challenge bar the Oxford/Cambridge boat
race will took place. The Heart of Kent Hospice Raft Race
saw teams battle it out to be the fastest or best-dressed
on the river.
This year we welcomed arts group Same Sky to the festival.
They brought a new dimension to the event with a series of
arts workshops and a parade on Saturday afternoon.
Away from the riverside the fun continued throughout the
town centre, including a Farmers’ Market in Bank Street
and the Lower High Street, and a regimental week at Maidstone
Museum.
As the sun set, an illuminated boat parade sailed along the
Medway. Hours of preparation made for a stunning display as
boat after boat sailed upstream decked in bright lights. The
Fremlin Walk Firework Finale rounded off the festival in style.
Maidstone River Festival is organised by a team of volunteers
and funded through sponsorship from local businesses and organisations.
It is the biggest event staged in the county town and for
the last 27 years has celebrated Maidstone’s greatest
natural asset – the River Medway.
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