Visit Chippenham Area

Chippenham River Festival 2010

Welcome to the Chippenham River Festival in Monkton Park on 28th / 29th August 2010!

Click here to open our 2010 River Festival Events Programme

Click here to view a slideshow of the Festival in pictures

Building on the spectacular River Festival last year, the 2010 event is looking to be bigger and better than ever!  There will be masses to see and do, for river-rats and land-lubbers of all ages, on both the Saturday and Sunday, Entry is FREE, but there may be a charge to take part in some of the events.  A ‘Pirate’ theme will run throughout the whole weekend, and the UK’s best Jack Sparrow impersonator will be entertaining from 2pm -5pm on Sunday.

The Festival has something for each member of the family to take part in, with catering and non alcoholic refreshments on site and a picnic area set aside.  So save on fuel costs, avoid the misery of long traffic queues, stay local and enjoy the Bank Holiday week-end right here in Chippenham!

On the River: the main ‘big splash’ event is the 2010 Invensys Rail Raft Race which is running from 10am on Saturday.  Teams will build their own rafts and race them in a choice of 4 different categories (male, female, mixed and novelty).  Cash prize of £250 for the overall winning team!

There will also be river boat trips courtesy of the Wilts and Berks Canal Trust, canoe events, rowing sessions, sailing boat exhibitions and to cool off, there will be wild swimming in the river.  On Sunday, local boat owners are invited to dress up their boats in the ‘Pirate’ theme, and parade them on the river.  Watch this space for details on the spectacular finale.

Click here for a full description of our raft race

NB. Safety is paramount and every effort is being made to assess risks and manage them. The river bank will be roped and continuously patrolled, and there will be a safety boat for all events. However the Festival insurance does not extend to participants in events, so for some of these, you will have to sign a disclaimer saying that you are participating at your own risk. A copy of this disclaimer is available from this page

For the Kids: Chuffy the Land Train, turning Trash to Treasure, creative activities, face painting, hair braiding, Punch & Judy, Helter Skelter (Saturday only), quad bikes, bouncy castle and more.

Adrenaline Zone: climbing wall, extreme bungee trampoline, laser clay shooting, fun water walking.

Master Classes planned for: Raft building instruction, Angling and Football coaching.

Displays: Red Devils parachute team, the Think Bikes display team, and possibly even a fly past by the Red Arrows!

Exploring the river: there will be guided river walks, stalls and community events together with other river-related exhibitions.

There is a serious point to all this fun, which is to celebrate our Chippenham River. To improve its appearance, encourage people to use it, and enhance it as a vital part of the Vision for Chippenham’s future.

See you there!

John Clark, Organiser