Festival promises fun in the great outdoors

Outdoor Dewsbury Festival returns next month with a host of free activities for families to enjoy.

Highlights include Dewsbury Canal Festival at Savile Town Wharf and the first ever Cycle Fest.

The event is part of Dewsbury Regeneration Board’s Outdoor Dewsbury initiative to promote the town’s countryside, parks and green spaces, and encourage people to get active.

It begins on Saturday August 10 with Dewsbury Canal Festival, 10am-late.

Attractions will include music, a best dressed boat competition and fair rides.

The canal festival continues on Sunday August 11 with free boat trips, circus skills training, rock climbing, guided nature walks and a fairground, before a boat pull competition at 3pm.

Outdoor Dewsbury’s programme of activities draws to close on Sunday August 18 with Cycle Fest Cycle at Sands Lane Playing Fields, 11am–3pm.

Activities will include a decorated bike and scooter parade, an elevated wooden riding track; a bike treasure hunt and unicycle circus skills.

The festival, funded by Dewsbury Area Committee and Gig Lottery project Dewsbury Waterlinked, is now in its fourth year.

It has been organised by Kirklees Council and the Canal and River Trust.

Other Outdoor Dewsbury activities will include stand up paddle boarding on August 10, and family canoe river journeys on August 12 and 15.

Young adventurers can even have their own the ‘Bear Grylls experience’ during wild food foraging and friction fire lighting sessions.

See What’s on Where in next week’s paper for more.