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IWA Festival returns to Burton in 2011
The Inland Waterways Association is delighted to announce that brewery town, Burton upon Trent, is to host the 2011 National Festival & Boat Show over the weekend of 29 – 31 July 2011 on Shobnall Fields.
This comes as the IWA announce a successful weekend for their 2010 Festival which was held in Beale Park. The bank holiday weekend saw a footfall of just under 21,000 over the three days and 503 visiting boats taking advantage of the entertainment on offer.
The Festival was last held in Burton upon Trent in 2004. Ian West, Chairman of IWA Festivals said, "We have always wanted to return to Burton. The town made us very welcome in 2004 and the Trent & Mersey Canal gives many of the visiting craft a real choice of cruising routes.
"Significant number of restoration plans"
"The area also has a significant number of restoration projects including plans to link the isolated section of the Ashby Canal at Moira to the rest of the waterways system at Snarestone. Work is already in the early phases of bringing the Uttoxeter Canal back into water, and just a few miles down the Trent & Mersey Canal is the start of the Derby Canal which will link Derby City and the River Derwent to the Erewash Canal forming a circular cruising route with the River Trent when complete."The arrival of IWA’s National Festival in an area can trigger spending of more than £1 million pounds in the local economy as boaters and campers visit local attractions, dine out and make purchases from shops in the town. The Festival organizing team also follows a policy of using local suppliers wherever possible.
One of largest inland waterways shows in Europe
IWA’s National Festival is a great three day celebration of the inland waterways. The aim is to raise funds for restoration projects, increase waterways awareness within the local community and provide a great day out for families at an affordable cost. The event is quite unique in that it is totally organized and run by IWA members/volunteers but is one of the largest inland waterway shows in Europe.
More information is available on the IWA website
Last updated: 02/09/2010
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