Jam-packed Food and River Festival is this weekend

MELKSHAM Food and River Festival returns this weekend to the King George V playing field, offering two days packed full of activities, stalls and entertainment for everyone to enjoy.

The annual festival, now in its fifth year, takes place in King George V playing field this Saturday, 31st August and Sunday 1st September.

Over the two days, visitors will be able to enjoy over 70 stalls offering culinary delights from all around the world, as well as artisan foods, craft ales, ciders, spirits and other drinks. 

And for those in the mood to whip up their own magic in the kitchen, there will be cooking demonstrations in the ‘Leekes Country Kitchen Marquee’ to inspire you. 

On the river, there will be boat trips along the River Avon, canoeing demonstrations from the Wiltshire Youth Canoe Club, and for those daredevils amongst us, the Cooper Tires Wire Challenge is back – are you brave enough to use the zip wire across the river? Exclusive to the Saturday, the annual raft race will thrill crowds, whilst on the Sunday, new to the festival is the paddleboard race. Be sure to find your place along the river to cheer on the competitors! Alongside the food stalls and the river activities, there will also be fairground rides, a climbing wall, face painting, live music, dancing, and much more.

Chair of the organising committee, Adrienne Westbrook told Melksham News, “We are really looking forward to welcoming lots of residents from Melksham and the surrounding villages – and visitors from out of town – to this year’s festival. It’s promising to be another weekend packed full of fun, food, and hopefully sunshine!

“We have made a few changes this year, including a ‘revamp’ of the cooking demonstrations. This year in the tent there will some fantastic demos – three on the Saturday and two on the Sunday. And this year we will be filming the demos to screen onto televisions, so everyone is guaranteed to have a good view. I’m also looking forward to seeing people enjoy boat trips along the river – these boat trips really give you an opportunity to explore the hidden world of the River Avon, which sneaks through the town unnoticed. You’ll discover what a stunning and beautiful town we live in – that’s if you didn’t know already!

“So come on down to the King George V playing field this weekend and enjoy the most amazing food, cheer on the raft race,  listen to music by some fabulous local artists and bands, or sit and be entertained by belly dancers and the rock ‘n’ rollers – you could even get up and dance with them! Take a trip up the river, go up the climbing wall, or dare yourself to use the zipwire across the river. There’s something for everyone. But most importantly, come and have some fun by the river, in the park, and hopefully in the sun!

“A huge thank you to everyone behind the scenes who makes the festival possible – all the volunteers donate their time to make it a success – thank you.”

New child safety measures at festival

ORGANISERS of this weekend’s Melksham Food and River Festival have introduced new safety measures for children and vulnerable people.

Parents and carers can collect a wristband from the festival’s information tent – their contact details will be written on the wristband, which is then placed on the wrist of the child or vulnerable person.

On behalf of the festival’s organisers, Nick Westbrook said, “If a child or vulnerable person gets lost, the wristband will help us to quickly and directly contact the person responsible for them.”