Thousands flock to enjoy Shrewsbury river festival
[gallery] Thousands of people flocked to spend a day messing about on the river in Shrewsbury.
Organisers of the third Shrewsbury River Festival said they were delighted to see more than 7,000 people turn out to attend the free event in Quarry Park.
A host of activities took place, including a raft race which drew a huge crowd of spectators to the Porthill Bridge and Boathouse pub.
Some people came in costume to mark one of this year's themes – pirates.
The other theme was river safety, and organisers were pleased the warm weather encouraged plenty of people to take part.
Clive Talbot, one of the festival's organisers, said it had been an "excellent day".
"It was heaving all the way through," he added. "Obviously there was a slow start at 10am but, by 11am, people were coming in and they kept coming in all day."
Attractions included live music, craft and produce stalls.
In the afternoon, 10,000 baby eels were released into the river to help boost the eel population.
Vice chairman Michael Connor said the festival, put on by Shrewsbury and Shropshire Waterways and Leisure Group, said any profits will be used to teach children to swim.
