The Rickmansworth Festival, affectionately known as “Ricky Festi” is one of my favourites, and it’s quite a big one, with lots of live music. Phil Bassett from Boatshed Grand Union will be there on his narrowboat _Persephone_ this weekend, to chat about boating with you over a glass of fizz. <br/><br/>Ricky Festival is held on the third weekend of May every year and is themed around the local canal, the community and the environment. This 22nd festival is the finale of Rickmansworth Week and will be held on the 16th and 17th May.<br/><br/>What I really love are the dozens of colourful narrowboats that gather and get double and triple moored all the way from Stockers Lock to the White Bear at Batchworth Lock. The most fascinating boats, I think, are those historic working boats that are polished and dressed in bunting for the occasion. You’ll see at least 101 different craft of many shapes and sizes, appealing to both the boat\-curious and the serious boater looking to buy their next vessel.  Also along the towpath you’ll see a boat tug of war at some point, various food for sale, a boaters information point and other exhibitors.<br/><br/>However, it’s not all about the boats and there are activities to suit every member of the family which makes it a great day out for everyone.   There are trade, craft and charity stalls, a main entertainment stage and an acoustic stage, a catering area and a real ale beer tent, an environment fair, Fun Fair, Children’s Farm and other attractions. All this is set within a stunning piece of land: The Aquadrome park is a huge area of grass, trees and boating lakes. The canal is particularly pretty at Rickmansworth, and beyond the canal at Stockers Lock are the rolling meadows of a farm where Black Beauty was once filmed!<br/><br/>Back in 1993 the Rickmansworth Festival started out as a purely canal based event, as part of the British Waterways “Canals 200” celebration that year. At least 20,000 people now come to the festival each year and enjoy live music, performing arts, displays and presentations, traders, boats and food for sale around the Aquadrome, the towpath and the area around Batchworth Lock.   <br/><br/>Boatshed Grand Union is sponsoring the festival and has a programme advert. We are also sponsoring the prizes for the tug of war. Other supporters and sponsors of the festival include Three Rivers District Council, The InlandWaterways Association, and The Rickmansworth Chamber of Commerce.<br/><br/>Rickmansworth Festival is open from 10.30am to 10.30pm on Saturday and from 10.30am to 5.30pm on Sunday. Allow at least half a day for your visit to make sure you see everything. There is no charge for admission but a donation of £2 is suggested.<br/><br/>Don’t miss Phil on _Persephone_, who will be moored on the towpath opposite Tesco. Join us at _Persephone_ for Fizz at Six at 6.00pm on Saturday. <br/><br/>**Can’t make it?** Come to another boat festival this summer: [The Boatshed Grand Union Festival Guide](http://grandunion.boatshed.com/its\-festival\-time\-again\-\-soon\-blog\-26636.html)<br/><br/>**Image**: Phil receiving Tug of War prize on Dicks Folly in 2008 from Chris Bennett \- one of the judges.<br/><br/>Blog by [Peggy](http://peggymelmoth.com/)<br/><br/>600,000 registered boat buyers<br/><br/>Sell your boat twice as fast<br/><br/>150,000 unique visitors per month<br/><br/>1000+ boats sold per year<br/><br/>50+ Boatshed branches world\-wide<br/><br/>**You may also like:**<br/>[Living on a Boat: The Boatshed Guide](http://grandunion.boatshed.com/boatshed\-inland\-launches\-free\-ebook\-living\-on\-a\-boat\-blog\-11670.html) \(free\) / [How to Sell a Boat: The Ultimate Guide](http://grandunion.boatshed.com/free\-ebook\-selling\-a\-boat\-the\-ultimate\-guide\-blog\-17024.html) \(free eBook\) / [How to Buy a Boat: The Ultimate Guide](http://grandunion.boatshed.com/how\-to\-buy\-a\-boat\-\-the\-ultimate\-guide\-blog\-16273.html) / [Our Top 5 Articles From 2014](http://grandunion.boatshed.com/nye\-our\-top\-5\-tips\-for\-canal\-boaters\-in\-2014\-blog\-26275.html) / Don’t miss:[The Boatshed Grand Union Daily](http://paper.li/BoatshedGU/1308824181)/ [More articles.](http://grandunion.boatshed.com/news.php)<br/><br/>**New here?** Come and say 'hello' on [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/pages/Boatshed\-Grand\-Union/161167967283571) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/BoatshedGU) :\-\)<br/><br/>**Never miss an article:** [Sign up](https://www.facebook.com/BoatshedGrandUnion/app\_100265896690345) and get the latest blog articles sent directly to you, plus instantly receive our free eBook: _How to Sell a Boat: The Ultimate Guide._