Line-up finalised for river festival
The organisers of the eighth annual Shrewsbury River Festival have booked local band The Ronaldos to play at this year’s event.
The Ronaldos will also be joined by the Chicago Swing Katz on the Morris Stage on June 2.
The Ronaldos are an acoustic band of four musicians, including Ronnie Rogers of 1980s T’Pau fame, playing acoustic guitar, accordion, banjo, drums and double bass.
Meanwhile the last few trade and food pitches are waiting to be snapped up by traders for an event which has previously attracted around 7,000 visitors.
Festival organisers are also hoping to hear from potential raft race teams for the few slots that are left.
The festival is a free family day out, offering a range of entertainment including boat and duck races, various demonstrations on the river and in the Quarry, coracles, canoeing, trade and food stalls, children’s pirate fancy dress (judged by the Mayor of Shrewsbury) and other competitions, as well as live entertainment.
The event is organised by volunteers and supported by a number of organisations including Sabrina Boat, Kaz Burgoyne ADI Driving Instructor, Shrewsbury Canoes, Shrewsbury Town Football Club in the Community, Salop Leisure, Salop Computer Centre, Team Shrewsbury, Shropshire Fire & Rescue, West Mercia Police and the RNLI.
“It’s taken over 18 months to persuade the Ronaldos to play at our event, and we think that they are definitely well worth the wait,” said Jamie Burgoyne, one of the festival organisers.
“We defy anyone, whether pirate or landlubber, to be able to stay still when this amazing band perform.”