Surf's up - Virtual Kirkintilloch Canal Festival celebration offers online fun

Date: 
Monday, 3 August, 2020


Surfing isn't usually part of Kirkintilloch Canal Festival, but it's part of a special online celebration taking place this month!Canal festival - computer

The 2020 event was cancelled due to the ongoing pandemic, but plans have been unveiled for an Internet 'party' to mark its 20th birthday - tying in with Scotland's Year of Coasts and Waters.

It also helps to build a wave of momentum ahead of what will hopefully be a bumper return in 2021!

The Council's Virtual Kirkintilloch Canal Festival 2020 will include entertainment for all ages, such as:

  • Family Fun Page on the canal festival website - www.kirkintillochcanalfestival.org - including storytelling, prize poetry competition, colouring worksheets and more!
  • A canal quiz, also available via the festival website, which challenges people to match photos with locations near the Forth & Clyde Canal
  • Slideshows and videos from previous years - available on the festival website and Council social media
  • The premiere of a special fireworks celebration video via social media on the evening of Saturday (22 August) - crafted by local creative Greg Friel.

People are also being invited to share their memories, photos and videos from previous canal festivals on social media using hashtag #VirtualCanalFest2020

Why not hold your own mini-festival celebration on the evening of Saturday 22 August? Check out the website for great ideas - www.kirkintillochcanalfestival.org/fireworks - and share your photos and videos.

Councillor Andrew Polson, Joint Council Leader, said, "As confirmed in April, this year's Kirkintilloch Canal Festival cannot go ahead as planned due to the pandemic, however, I am delighted we will be able to mark the 20th anniversary of the popular event with a virtual celebration.

"Watch out for competitions, videos and more online - particularly between 17 and 22 August, when the festival would have been underway. Hopefully it will whet the appetite for a treasure chest of fun in 2021!"

Councillor Vaughan Moody, Joint Council Leader, added, "Kirkintilloch Canal Festival is hugely popular with people from East Dunbartonshire and beyond so the decision to cancel was not taken lightly, however, public safety must always be a priority, as well as maintaining key services.

"I hope people can enjoy a flavour of the 2020 festival online and that they can keep supporting Kirkintilloch and our other town centres as we continue to meet the challenges of the pandemic."

Visit www.kirkintillochcanalfestival.org for more information, with updates being added regularly. Remember to upload any photos/videos to social media using the hashtag #VirtualCanalFest2020

For more information on the Year of Coasts and Waters, visit www.visitscotland.com/about/themed-years/coasts-waters

* The canal festival – organised by the Council in partnership with a range of organisations, including East Dunbartonshire Leisure and Culture Trust – usually attracts thousands of visitors every year, boosting the economy and the area's status as a visitor destination.

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