Sail back to the 1940’s this year with a trip to Skipton’s biggest and even better annual Waterway Festival.

Now in its ninth year the event, held over the May Bank Holiday weekend (1-3 May,) is themed with a 1940s flavour and will be opened by the town mayor.

Thanks to a helping hand from Skipton’s Business Improvement District(BID), the festival now has additional entertainment extending out from the canal basin on to Victoria Square and the High Street. Entertainment throughout the three days will feature several live bands, dancing, magic shows, an illuminated boat cruise and the legendary raft race.

“The Waterway Festival is a busy and popular event for Skipton,” said Tony Barrett, chairman of Skipton BID. “Additional funding from ourselves and others sponsors means it can be even better and the top quality entertainment on offer will make it a great day out for visitors.”

Zoe Clarke from organisers of the festival, Pennine Cruisers, said: “Thanks to support from the BID we are adding even more entertainment plus we are increasing the size of the marquee by 15m to allow for more stalls and family activities.”

The bank holiday extravaganza, organised by a steering group of local people and Pennine Cruisers, attracts hundreds of boaters to Yorkshire. Last year it was estimated that around 10,000 visitors came to enjoy the stalls and the varied family entertainment which took place on the canal side during the day.

A Farmers Market will also be in Coach Street car park with the illuminated cruise sailing from the outskirts of town to the canal basin arriving at dusk on Sunday.

Said Zoe: “We are expecting around 100 boats to attend the festival and there have been whispers of boats being dressed in a wartime era theme. Most of our entrants are local, or moor on the Leeds-Liverpool canal. We do attract a considerable number of boats from the Burnley – Liverpool area, which means they can have travelled for up to three weeks to get to the festival.”

Extra parking is provided over the weekend at Skipton Building Society head quarters on the Bailey.