On Saturday 26 October, Calstock was bustling with festival goers, performers, artists, singers, Morris Dancers, circus performers, stilt walkers and even a bubble fairy! It’s estimated that 2,700 people came along to the Tamar Valley River Festival to enjoy the festivities.
William Darwall, Tamara Landscape Partnership Manager said:
“We’re delighted with the celebration of the Tamar Valley River Festival which was funded by the National Lottery through the Tamara Landscape Partnership Scheme, visitor numbers were good, people enjoyed themselves, the electric ferry was offering mini tours of the Tamar River and it was enormously popular, and the weather was fantastic for us all. Our focus is now on reviewing feedback which we’ll consider should we run any future events, and we really appreciate the engagement and support we’ve received from the Calstock community.”
Highlights of the day included:
The Parade
Festival goers made hats and joined the parade from the train station to the green, led by Calstock Samba Band. Beautiful flags created by local school children were carried by strong adults! The flags were made as part of the River of Hope Thames Festival project linking schools around the world through the study of rivers and environmental issues.
Circus Workshops
Workshops took place on the village green with tight rope walking, unicycles, bubble fairy and two stilt walkers and more. This provided a really great “festival” feeling to the day.
Allis the Shad Interactive Performance
A magical and awe-inspiring performance that brought tears to the eyes! Bringing the story of this species to life. The Shad is a fish and one of the Tamar Valley National Landscapes special species.
Music
The music line up was a great success including a rendition of a newly created Tamar River Shanty – the Kit Hillbillies were especially popular and had the crowd dancing.
Calstock Ferry
The first “taster” tours were made available on the Calstock Passenger Ferry which aims to start up for its one season commercial trial in the Spring of 2025. All slots were taken on the day and the passengers really enjoyed the experience.
Village Hall
Our partners had displays in the village hall which was packed with people all day and there were arts and crafts workshops running all day.
We’d love to hear how you felt the festival went. Feedback can be provided via this online form.
More information about the event can be found here.
