Countdown to a fun-filled Platinum Jubilee Water Fest
- Reading Water Fest on Saturday 4 June 2022, 11am – 5pm
- The free festival will celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
- With special guests, Ukrainian Dance group Prolisok
THE COUNTDOWN has started for Reading Council’s much-loved Reading Water Fest on Saturday 4 June - this year as the flagship celebration event to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Reading is celebrating thirty-three wonderful Water Fest years with a programme full of fun, music, dance and activities.
This year Water Fest welcomes special guests “Prolisok”, a London based Ukrainian Dance group, to the Global Festival Stage during the afternoon. The group bring with them a unique style, reflecting the true diversity and soul of Ukrainian culture. The dance routines combine traditional steps, colourful and energetic folk routines with fresh ideas and modern choreography. More than ever, they pride themselves on showing the world the beauty of Ukraine’s rich culture.
Prolisok will be performing on the day alongside other firm Water fest favourites, such as Ding Dong Daddios, Dolly and the Clothespegs, La Mort Subite and Limpopo Groove and many more fantastic acts on the Chestnut walk floating stage throughout the day.
This accessible one-day event, which is run in partnership with the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust, will take place between 11 am and 5 pm within the Forbury Gardens, Abbey Ruins and along the River Kennet.
Adele Barnett-Ward, Reading’s Lead Councillor for Leisure and Culture, said: “This exciting ‘Royal’ themed event will be brim-full of exciting activities and performances, alongside arts and crafts activities galore. I’m also delighted to welcome Ukrainian Dance group Prolisok – I can’t wait to see their folk routines on the Global Stage.
“Last year we celebrated the 900th anniversary of the founding of the Abbey by Henry I, and with the Jubilee year this year, we are again gearing up for a celebration of royal magnitude – so get 4 June firmly in your diary!
“I’d also like to thank our funders Arts Council England for generously supporting Water Fest 2022 and Reading’s anniversary celebrations.”
In the Dormitory this year four artists in residency will be collecting inspiration and sharing their creative processes within and around the grounds of Reading Abbey in recognition of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. To take part in the workshops visit www.jelly.org.uk/waterfest2022
This event will also celebrate and showcase the Kennet Canal in all its glory, along with the gorgeous and historic spots on its towpath, with the chance to spot beautifully painted boats and chat with boaters. Don’t miss the extra special duck race!
A huge array of traders, charities and community organisations will line the Kennet. Visitors will have a chance to browse hand-crafted items such as jewellery, jams, prints and toys along Chestnut Walk.
Visitors might also bump into a few characters from the past, dressed in full replica costumes, as they wander around Reading’s historic quarter. Join Reading Museum and The Museum of English Rural Life with Museum on Wheels at Waterfest, where you can handle some real objects from Huntley and Palmers, and have a go at our biscuit or jubilee themed craft. Learn about the history of Huntley and Palmers and everything that both museums are doing to celebrate 200 years of Reading as the Biscuit Town. And in the Forbury Gardens where Blue Collar Street Food will be offering a great selection of food and drink from around the world.
Join Becoming Mums and mothers from all across the town for ‘Mothers are Queens’ sharing stories in their new project based on Chestnut Walk on the day. Bring a piece of fabric that means something to you and join in with the Jubilee quilt making.
As part of Children’s Festival this year Jelly have run school and community workshops making flags as part of our ‘River of Hope.’ These silk flags were decorated using block printing techniques with designs inspired by our waterways. Come along and see these flags on display along the Kennet as part of this year’s event.
For further information visit https://issuu.com/readingcouncil/docs/u1012_rbc_waterfest_brochure_2022_final_version
Water Fest is brought to you by Reading Borough Council in partnership with the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust. This hard-working charity is committed to enhancing and promoting the canal for people to enjoy – both on and off the water!
Water Fest 2022 has been generously part-funded by Arts Council England.
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Notes to editors
Prolisok
Prolisok is a London based Ukrainian Dance group. They were founded in 2013 by Iryna Jankovics and later joined by Antonio Gresko. Within five years, they became the official London Ukrainian Dance ensemble on behalf of “The Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain.” Prolisok is named after the snowdrop, the first flower of spring, which blossoms throughout Ukraine.
They have not only performed for their community but have appeared on various Television programmes. In 2016 they were invited to perform inside ‘The Houses of Parliament,’ as well as ‘The Spirit of Ukraine’ in Forty Hall & Estate, and ‘Around the World Dance Folk Festival’ in Camden.
The group was formed to educate and promote the beauty and diversity of Ukrainian folk dance. They bring with them a unique style, reflecting the true diversity and soul of Ukrainian culture. The dance routines combine traditional steps, colourful and energetic folk routines with fresh ideas and modern choreography. More than ever, they pride themselves on showing the world the beauty of Ukraine’s rich culture.
History of the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust
The Kennet and Avon Canal links the Thames at Reading with the sea at Bristol, 87 miles away. Originally built to carry freight, the canal declined in the face of competition from railways and roads. By the 1960s many of the locks were unusable and the waterway was being overgrown by weeds. Closure seemed probable but, thanks to voluntary fundraising and physical effort by the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust and their supporters, the canal was gradually restored. In 1990 through navigation was again possible along the whole canal and Her Majesty the Queen performed a reopening ceremony at Devizes where 29 locks take the waterway down a steep hill. The Kennet and Avon Canal is now part of the national inland waterway system. The Kennet and Avon Canal Trust continues to campaign to maintain and improve the canal for quiet recreation by all kinds of visitors, whether on land or in boats, and to ensure a secure future for this wonderful waterway. The towpath is perfect for short strolls and longer walks and much of it is also part of National Cycle route 4. The Kennet and Avon Canal Trust also operates 4 trip boats on the canal, has visitor centres at Aldermaston and Newbury (plus 2 more further west) and runs the historic steam powered beam engines at Crofton, near Bedwyn, which can still pump water into the canal. Please visit the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust stand at Reading Water Fest and/or our website www.katrust.org.uk for more details of ways to enjoy the Kennet and Avon Canal – Reading’s wonderful local waterway.
Arts Council England
Arts Council England is the national development agency for creativity and culture. We have set out our strategic vision in Let’s Create that by 2030 we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish and where everyone of us has access to a remarkable range of high quality cultural experiences. We invest public money from Government and The National Lottery to help support the sector and to deliver this vision. www.artscouncil.org.uk