IT WAS all aboard for the thousands of visitors who descended onto the banks of the Avon on Saturday (July 11) to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Evesham River Festival 2025.
With the temperature topping 32C, the avenue of mature lime trees at Workman Gardens provided a welcome respite from the blazing sun for families that came armed with picnics and camping chairs ready to make the most out of a day for messing about on the river.
The event, which has been a regular on the town calendar since the 1980s, was declared officially open by Evesham Town Council’s deputy mayor, Councillor Bill Kimberley, accompanied by his wife, Celia.
An illuminated boat parade at 10pm was a true crowd pleaser. Picture by Lise Evans
Throughout the day, there was lots to see and do, including boat trips, river rescue demonstrations, and displays from Stratford on Avon Kayaks (SOAK).
Highlights included an afternoon ‘fancy dress’ boat parade, a raft race whilst land-based entertainment was provided by vocal and dance performances from Evesham Community Choir and Into Jive.
As the heat of the day cooled, the nighttime entertainment with The Strangers and Texan Peacocks had young and old on their feet dancing to some well-known pop classics.
As dusk fell, a captivating illuminated boat parade of leisure vessels lit up the water, and the evening was brought to a close with a display of fireworks that had the crowd oohing and ahhing along both sides of the riverbank and Workman Bridge.
Chairman of the organising committee, Doug Payne, who has been involved with the festival for 20 years, said: “It all went very well and everyone was well behaved. There was a nice atmosphere and we had some great music.
“All the boaters made a lot of effort to decorate their vessels, which was really appreciated.”
“We are a small festival that runs on a shoestring but are working hard to keep it going,” he added.
“We try to keep everything local – local bands, dance groups, and local stalls, even the person who did the firework display. The whole point is that this is for Evesham, so we try hard to keep the investment inwards.”
The festival costs around £9k to run each year, and Doug and his team welcome additional support in the form of sponsorship or volunteers to help organise next year’s event, scheduled for July 13. Email [email protected] to get in touch.
The event was supported by Wychavon District Council and Evesham Town Council. Other sponsors included Avon Navigation Trust, Zimprint, Evesham Tesco and RST Transport.
