Canal Festival a Fun Event

Fun lovers packed Banbury’s waterside at the weekend as thousands of families enjoyed the town’s annual canal festival.

Entertainment and excitement for people of all ages was on the menu and boat trips, a floating market, funfair rides, non-stop live music and an indoor market were popular attractions.

Energetic dance displays by the Sonia Sabri company thrilled onlookers and wide choice of food and drink stalls meant no-one went home hungry or thirsty.

Banbury Folk Club provided more music with a concert in General Foods Social Club garden.

The Sealed Knot (the oldest re-enactment company in the UK) re-lived scenes from the English Civil War and reminded watchers that Banbury had a magnificent castle that was demolished after being on the ‘wrong side’ in the 1640s conflict.

The festival also celebrated the history of the canal and reminded visitors that the waterway, which opened in 1778, was an important chapter in the town’s development.

It brought goods and trade and created jobs and wealth.

Tooley’s Boatyard, which opened in 1778, demonstrated how boats have been built and maintained through the ages.

But the main aim was to have fun – and the canal festival, organised by Banbury Town Council, was a free-to-enter two-day event

Banbury mayor Fiaz Ahmed, who arrived by narrowboat to open the event on Saturday, said: “It was a wonderful weekend. It was a fantastic festival and thousands of people enjoyed the many attractions. There was lots of excitement and a little bit of history that increased people’s knowledge of the town in which they live.”