THE BOATS ARE INDEED ARRIVING at Crick Boat Show.
With many being craned into the water yesterday, Tuesday 19th May, with MJT Cranes craning 10 narrowboats, weighing up to 35 tonnes each, into Crick Marina, as part of preparations for the 26th Crick Boat Show, sponsored by Haven Knox-Johnston and taking place over the Bank Holiday weekend, 23rd to 25th May.
40 narrowboats
Around 40 canal boats will be on display at the show, and 10 of them (with a combined weight of over 225 tonnes) will be craned in for the event.
Crick Boat Show is the UK’s biggest inland waterways festival and offers a fantastic family day out by the water, with free entry for kids under 16, dogs welcome and free parking. The annual event is organised by Waterways World in partnership with the Canal & River Trust and Crick Waterside & Marina.
With over 200 exhibitors gathering from across the canal world and beyond, the event is expected to attract over 25,000 visitors.
Fantastic day out
As well as being the canal worlds, biggest marketplace, Crick Boat Show offers a fantastic day out with dozens of boats to view, free boat trips, free boating seminars, live Music Festival sponsored by Vetus hosting 13 bands and entertainers, dozens of food stalls and a Real Ale & Cider Festival sponsored by Lee Sanitation.
Lisa Tuckey, of MJT Cranes which specialises in lifting and transporting canal boats, explains:
“Helping with the preparations for Crick Boat Show is always one of the busiest times of the year for us. Ahead of the show opening, we will be transporting and craning 10 canal boats. They range in length from 57ft to 70ft, and weigh between 15 and 35 tonnes each. Then after the show is finished, we take them all back again.”
Peter Johns, Publisher of Waterways World and Show Director, explained:
“We’re looking forward to welcoming people to our 2026 Crick Boat Show, the nation’s biggest inland boating marketplace and a fantastic day out alongside the Grand Union Canal in Northamptonshire.
“During the show build-up, one of the most dramatic sights is when these huge canal boats—that have arrived by road—are winched up into the air and placed onto the marina waters or onto the land in the show’s land-based marina.
“The maximum speed on our canals and rivers is just 4mph, making them the perfect place to relax and slow down, but as our exhibitors travel to the show from all around the country, it’s often impractical to send a boat by water. And the wide beam boats can’t fit through the locks on the Leicester Line of the Grand Union Canal, as it’s a narrow canal, so they have to arrive by road.”
Celebrates canals and rivers
Alex Hennessey, National Boating Manager for Canal & River Trust, adds:
“Every year Crick Boat Show, the UK’s biggest inland waterways festival, celebrates our fantastic network of canals and rivers.
“Canal & River Trust is the UK’s largest canal charity caring for 2,000 miles of canals and rivers across England and Wales. Canals connect people, nature and places and we look forward to welcoming people to the Canal & River Trust Marquee at Crick Boat Show to find out more about enjoying the canals in their area.”
For Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th May adult tickets are £21.00 on the gate. On Monday 25th May adult tickets are £16.00 on the gate. Entry for children aged 16 and under is free on the Saturday and Sunday. Parking is free.
For more information, visit www.crickboatshow.com.