Waterside Festival returning for 2020 with online celebrations and family-friendly competitions

While festival activities might look different this year due to the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19), Aylesbury Town Centre Partnership and Buckinghamshire Council are still keen to celebrate Waterside Festival with our local communities and partners. This year, activities and celebrations will be scaled back and moved online for a special Waterside Festival (at home).

Since the inaugural Waterside Festival in 2018, the annual family-friendly canal festival has proved to be an enjoyable occasion bringing communities together in the heart of Aylesbury town centre. Typically, the festival offers a wide range of inclusive activities including: free kayaking, canoeing and paddle boarding sessions, a floating market, a street food market, wildlife activities, children’s art and craft activities as well as theatre and musical stage performances, with contributions from local businesses and organisations.

In place of typical activities, Waterside Festival (at home) is launching some family-friendly competitions on Monday 17 August, with fantastic prizes on offer for winning entries. Test your knowledge with the Waterside Quiz, channel your inner artist with the colouring competition or get creative with Waterside Stories – a 500-word challenge for aspiring authors aged 5 -13, in partnership with festival friends Queens Park Arts Centre. Prizes include a Teppanyaki Set Menu for Two from Miya Japanese Grill and Bar, a trip for four on Aylesbury’s very own The Little Trip Boat and a £50 Waterstones gift voucher.

Buckinghamshire Council Cabinet Member for Town Centre Regeneration, Cllr Steve Bowles commented:

“In only a few years, Waterside Festival has established itself as a much-loved annual event for Aylesbury town centre. Despite looking different this year, Waterside Festival (at home) will still offer lots of family-friendly fun that has proved so popular since 2018.

“The festival, which takes place in line with Heritage Open Weekend, is a great opportunity to showcase what Aylesbury has to offer. It celebrates the past, present and future of Aylesbury town centre by looking at the town’s rich heritage and 200-year-old canal history coming together with its new and modern developments.”

For more information on Waterside Festival (at home) and to find out more about how to get involved in any of the competitions please visit: watersidefestival.org

Festival goers are also invited to share their highlights from previous years by tagging @watersidefestvl in photos on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.