I can recommend the Historic Narrowboat Festival at Braunston Marina,
Northants., this year on weekend 27th - 29th June. Details from
www.braunstonmarina.co.uk or email info@braunstonmarina.co.uk.
The emphasis is, of course, on the participating boats and the craft stalls, but there is a lot of music (folk and some jazz).
On Friday evening there is a folk concert in the village church and on Saturday evening a good session in the Old Plough pub, hosted by fine local folk band Braunston Pickle. There is also music on the trip boats, and in the beer-tent throughout the weekend. The latter stocks good local real ales, although can run out early in Sunday
(the last two years I have ended up drinking red wine, which is OK, and certainly better than fizz lager.....)
Not sure about the musical line-up this year, but I know Braunston Pickle will be there, along with the really good Dutch shanty group
Dutch Courage.
Our band DPN+1 have played there the last three years, but will be taking a break this year (back in 2009). As well as Braunston, we have played Walsall Boaters Gathering (four years running), Inland Waterways Exhibition (NIA Birmingham), BBC Midlands TV programme
"Canal City", Reading Waterfest, Cutweb Internet Boating Club Rally,
Surrey and Hamoshire Canal Festival and the Inland Waterways Association Jubilee Dance at Stratford-upon-Avon.
Although basically a jazz and blues band, we have recorded a CD of canal songs (mainly original) "THE UNKNOWN BOATMAN", which received good reviews in Towpath Talk, Waterways World, Canal & Riverboat and Traditional Music Maker magazines, as well as plays on BBC Radio Midlands "Folkwaves" and BBC Radio Wales "Celtic Heartbeat".
Our canal associations are largely due to founder-member Dusty Miller
- canal artist and campaigner, songwriter, and skipper of the narrowboat "Foreward". For more on Dusty see the thread
"Craigielee/Waltzing Matilda)