15 of 2023 - Maidstone River Festival

Maidstone River Festival is taking place on Saturday 29th July 2023.

Mooring

Free mooring is available in the Town Centre. Please "raft out" to make as much room as possible for other mariners. Areas have been marked out for safety boats (near Archbishop's Palace and under the bridge), please keep this access clear.

Raft Race at 2.30pm

There will be a raft race running between 2:30pm and 3:30pm from the High-Level Railway Bridge and Maidstone Bridge (by Thai Orchid).

For safety reasons, we ask that boats remain on their moorings. Please do not try to navigate through the raft race!

There will be a safety boat and stewards at the front and rear of the race, but it is very likely that participants will be in the water at some point during the race!

New for 2023 - Paddleboard and Watersport activities

There will be a number of water sports taking place throughout the day. 

From 9:30 to 11:30 on the Saturday morning there will be a SUP (Stand up Paddle Board) race from Lockmeadow to East Farleigh lock and back.

In the evening (around 9pm) there will be an illuminated parade of paddleboards, canoes and kayaks launching from Lockmeadow and travelling downstream to Fremlin Walk for the fireworks. 

Please ensure all vessels (powered and unpowered) are registered for use on the navigation.

The event is being run by the Maidstone River Festival committee, full details and the schedule of the day are available on their website www.maidstoneriverfestival.com