Ten ways to spend day of fantastic family fun at Crick Boat Show

Thousands of visitors are expected to descend on Crick Marina over the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend (June 3-5).

Crick Boat Show, is the UK’s biggest inland waterways festival and offers a fantastic day out by the water for all the family.

The event will also feature a special Trade and Preview Day on Thursday, June 2.The annual event, organised by Waterways World in partnership with the Canal & River Trust and Crick Waterside and Marina, is expected to attract over 26,000 visitors.As well as being the canal world’s biggest marketplace, showcasing the inland waterways industry with nearly 250 exhibitors, Crick Boat Show offers a fantastic day out with dozens of boats to view, free boat trips, free advice seminars on boat ownership, live music, children’s activities, a real ale marquee, and a large variety of food and drink stalls.Top 10 things to do at this year’s show:1. Enjoy a boat trip - visitors to Crick can take a free boat trip along the Grand Union Canal aboard canal boats run by volunteers from the LNBP Community Boating. The half-hour trips run every ten minutes from 10.10am each day of the show. Visitors can book their free trip at the Trip Boats Marquee on the Quayside when they arrive at the show.2. Listen to live music – 15 live bands will be performing throughout the Show in the Wheatsheaf Bar Marquee, with David Bowie tribute band ‘Absolute Bowie’ headlining on the Friday evening (June 3), and Amy Winehouse tribute act ‘Amy – A Tribute’ performing on the Saturday night (June 4). Evening entertainment, which is included in the price of the same day ticket to the show, runs from 7.30pm to 11.30pm on Thursday 2, Friday, June 3 and Saturday, June 4.3. Climb aboard the latest luxury boats 4. Check out some second hand boats5. Go for some retail therapy - with more than 250 exhibitors from across the canal world offering shoppers the latest in boating products and services, as well as crafts, gifts, clothing and jewellery.6. Listen to some waterway stories – Women on the Water will be performing pop up storytelling and songs about canal history at various locations across the show. Their pop ups won’t be scheduled, but they will start each day’s live entertainment in the Wheatsheaf Bar Marquee, at 12.30pm on Friday (June 3) and Saturday (June 4), and noon on the Sunday (June 5).7. Enjoy exclusive access on Trade & Preview Day – visitors to the show’s Trade & Preview Day on Thursday, June 2.8. Get expert advice on boating - the Show’s free boat ownership seminar programme features advice from Waterways World’s Technical Editor Mark Langley for both new and experienced boaters. 9. Vote for your favourite boat - visitors to the show can vote for their favourite boat and the result will be announced mid-afternoon on Sunday, June 5. 10. Share your love of the waterways with the Canal & River Trust – as part of the waterways and wellbeing charity’s tenth anniversary celebrations, the Trust is asking people to share their love of boating by taking a friend or family member who’s not been boating before, out on the water.For more information visit www.crickboatshow.com