Ah, the Dragon Boat Festivals. The one in Bedford was only one of the many festivals I attended that had Knights, Dragons and Boats. It was a great time and I stayed all day wandering around the park, watching the events and talking with the locals.
I think I mentioned that as soon as I saw a festival advertised with the words Dragon and Boat I felt it incumbent upon me to attend. I mean … Dragons? Who could avoid that? The Brits are just like the Americans, and probably quite a few other cultures in that they are great at finding new and creative ways to enjoy a day and generally waste time. I loved it.
The Brits have the added benefit of having a great deal of history they can reflect upon and create festivals based on them. The Dragon Boat Festivals are no different and in addition to the boat races there were also Knights staging mock battles in the town. I wandered in and out of the park where the dragon boat festival was taking place as the festivities spilled out into the surrounding area.
I wandered into the town and stumbled upon a mock battle as a small army laid siege to castle walls and battled another small army in front of the castle. Everyone had traditional dress and did a great job depicting the battle. The area was mobbed with onlookers trying to get a place up close to the activities and it took me a bit to secure a place near enough to take some photos.
I managed to find my way back to the boat races in time to see the part where people basically jump in anything that can float and race down the river. As you can see here the boats look like they’re home made and several people fell out during the race. None of them seemed to mind and everyone had great fun. I thoroughly enjoyed the day and this set the tone for my other festival adventures which you can see here and on my other sites
