Free boat rides and canoe taster sessions at Maidenhead Waterways Fun Day

Free boat rides and canoe taster sessions will feature at Maidenhead Waterways Fun Day on Saturday.

The event, from 10am to 3pm. will return to Maidenhead town centre with live acts, attractions on and off the water, stalls, food vendors and the popular Crazy Flamingo Chase.

The High Street at the Waterside Quarter (between The Bear and Coppa Club), will be closed to traffic.

The main stage will host the Devine Buskers, music duo Elaine and Dave, and mezzo-soprano singer Charis Anne Luke.

Indie-pop folk band The Courtlands Stories will play, and Glenn Stevenson will be performing some reggae and Motown tunes.

Magician Patrick Ashe, who has appeared on ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent, will be showing off his tricks.

Taeppas Tump Morris dancing side will perform, and the Waltham St Lawrence Silver Band will bring the day’s entertainment to a close.

The Berkshire Scouts will be taking to the water, as well as rowers from Claires Court and the event will also feature sixth form demonstrations.

The Crazy Flamingo Chase will take place twice on the day.

Eventgoers will have an opportunity to experience free boat rides in FoMW’s maintenance boat Yorkie from 11am.

The newly established Maidenhead Canoe Club will offer free canoe taster sessions from 11am to 1pm.

Face painting, craft stalls, gifts, ice cream and food stalls will be on offer.

Visitors can have a go at hook-a-duck, pick up products and enjoy food from Greeklicious and Pizza Story.

A bubble fairy will be roaming the event, and a balloon artist and a pirate stilt walker.

The fun will continue with attractions in the newly-refurbished amphitheatre and by Maidenhead Library, where visitors will have the chance to see some farm animals from the Basil & Crew mobile farm.

The Joystick Club will also be providing a flight simulator and pedal planes.

The fun day has been sponsored by the Rotary Club of Maidenhead Thames, the Louis Baylis Charitable Trust, and Sorbon.

The FoMW volunteers have recently completed the cutting back, tidying and weeding of the semi-formal bank opposite Maidenhead Library.

The group raised concerns that over the last couple of years ‘enjoyment of the bank was marred by a lack of maintenance by RBWM’s contractor Tivoli, despite promises to the contrary, and it had become badly grown’.

Trustee Ian Caird, FoMW volunteer and maintenance co-ordinator, said: “Friends of Maidenhead Waterways hope that RBWM will then ensure Tivoli maintains the bank in its restored state.”

At the end of August, a Royal Borough spokesperson said the next scheduled visit to the area with Tivoli would be the week commencing Monday, September 1.

The council has been contacted for further comment.