Organisers of the 9th Melksham Food and River Festival have celebrated an “absolutely brilliant” event that attracted thousands of visitors.
The two-day festival on the River Avon and at King George V Park celebrates local food and drink producers and river-related activities.
Event co-ordinator Adrienne Westbrook, who has spearheaded the organising committee for the past nine years, said: “It was absolutely brilliant considering the weather forecast for Sunday, which I was worried would put people off from coming out.
“Actually, I think they all realised the weather forecast was completely and utterly wrong, so we had about 5,000 people there on Sunday and about 5,000 people on Saturday.”
The annual festival provides two days packed full of family-friendly fun and activities, including live music, entertainment, locally-produced food and drink, and more than 80 stalls for the community to enjoy.
Festival-goers were able to take part in boat trips on the River Avon with the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust’s local branch, as well as try their hand at paddle-boarding, and have a go at kayaking with the Wiltshire Youth Canoe Club.
Sadly, a Wiltshire Search and Rescue demonstration was cancelled as they were called out to an emergency search.
Stallholders provided a wide range of hot food and drink, artisan produce, craft ales, ciders, gin and vodka, and local crafts.
The festival also gave children a chance for children to meet their heroes from Paw Patrol on Saturday, August 31, and experience a Dino Invasion when prehistoric beasts roamed the park on Sunday, September 1.
Visitors were entertained with performances by a variety of dance groups, including the Bell’s Angels morris dancers from Holt and Dancing Flavours, Dance Roots Africa.
Live music included the 20-piece Kris Nock Big Band performing in Melksham for the first time, as well as the Steeple Rocks Choir and local indie band, The Sunnies, supported by Dani Cave.
A free three-hour ukelele taster session was staged at the Riverside Centre on Saturday, while the weekend was rounded off on Sunday with music from Sloe Jam Folk Group, Dance Roots Africa, and the Decibelles.
A town council competition on Sunday to find the next Melksham town crier was deferred, following the resignation of Jax Brady, who is standing down having recently become a grandmother, after winning the competition at last year’s festival.
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