Narrowboat Holiday Blog

The National Waterways Museum is looking forward to the return of almost 100 colourful boats to its popular Easter Gathering and Sea Shanty Festival .

This fantastic event, held between Friday 18 and Sunday 20 April, marks the start of the cruising season, where many boats will set off to other parts of the canal network following the festival.

Great stories will come to life throughout the weekend with the gathering of colourful canal boats, music and traditional canal craft by the Waterway Craft Group, children’s activities by Shanty UK and the Waterway Explorers, stalls and more.

For the fourth year, Sea Shanty performers from across the country will be performing on boats and in the museum’s restored buildings throughout the festival as well as in concert on Friday and Saturday nights.

John Inch, general manager at the National Waterways Museum, said: “The Easter Boat Gathering is a popular event with both canal enthusiasts and visitors. As well as the usual highlights, visitors will get the chance to see two new exhibitions – artist Rob Pointon’s collection and ‘Rob’s Year of the Boat’ paintings and the Ellesmere Port “Then and Now” comparing photographs of how the port was in its heyday with current photographs.”

The Museum is located on the banks of the Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal in Cheshire, find out more about the National Waterways Museum.