Gloriana, the Royal Rowbarge (Photo: Ivan Bandura)
When: 20th – 22nd July 2018
Where: Fawley Meadows, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire RG9 2HY
£: Tickets cost £8 – £26 for adults and £4 – £12 for juniors. Children under 12 years go free
What is it?
The Thames Traditional Boat Festival takes place from Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd July at Fawley Meadows in Henley.
This year’s event will feature traditional boats, amphibious cars, vintage cyclists, fly pasts, stalls, a pop up pub and an illuminated parade.
Visitors will be able to see traditional wooden boats, Her Majesty’s Royal Rowbarge, the Gloriana, and demonstrations of boatbuilding skills. Visitors will also be able to take a ride on a Victorian steamer, the oldest steam passenger launch still in regular service.
This year there will be an appearance from Donald Campbell’s Bluebird K3, a WWI Royal Navy vessel, and the little boat heroes of Dunkirk. There will also be guided boat tours by skippers, and an illuminated parade of boats on the Saturday evening. In addition to the boats there will be a WWI air display, a parade of vintage cycles from the Solent Veteran Cycle Club, and live music from The Covered.
There will also be entertainment in the form of Punch & Judy shows, and an array of weird and wonderful creations aiming to be ‘The Most Eccentric Craft on the Thames’. Classic cars and motorcycles will be on display, as well as a 1960s amphibious car and vintage cycles. A marketplace will have a selection of vintage accessories and bric-a-brac on offer, as well as trade stalls and exhibitors.
More info: www.tradboatfestival.com/home