Last weekend we went to the Slough Canal Festival, which is held every September at Bloom Park in Langley, by the Slough arm of the Grand Union Canal. This is the first time we have gone, as last year we were on holiday. I had only heard good things about it, and that if we visited on the Sunday, we would get to meet the Dulux dog! (The festival is sponsored by AzkoNobel whose Head Office is based in Slough)
Now on checking the weather forecast, it was due to rain on the Sunday, so my boy and I went on the Saturday, which was a beautiful sunny day. Then it didn’t rain on Sunday after all, so we went again, this time with my husband and my siblings.
When we arrived, we were greeted by boys directing us where to park my car. The area was surrounded by bunting, and lots of stalls and tents – there was a real community fete atmosphere in the air. Tyler went straight to the animals – there were rabbits, sheep, ducks, cockerels, hens, goats, guinea pigs, tortoises and ponies there!
How cute are these little guinea pigs huddled under the umbrella!
There was a huge marquee full of stalls selling craft items, bric-a-brac and toys. Back outside, we wandered over to the bouncy castle and slide where Tyler played for a while, in exchange for £1.
He then wandered over to ‘Ken & Brenda’s traditional toys’ stall – it was the cutest table full of traditional wooden toys. Tyler was transfixed by this wooden marble game, both on the Saturday and the Sunday – we spent a lot of time here!
On the Saturday there was a Scouts stall selling all sorts of bric-a-brac and vintage bits and bobs. Tyler with his beady eyes spotted the toy cars straight away. He spent so long here looking at each car in detail. In the end we bought 2 cars for 50p – one was a 1970s Tomika lorry, and the other a 1990s Mattel plane.
We then sat on a haystack watching steam engines go around the field. They were offering free rides, but Tyler just wanted to sit and watch.
Behind the haystack was a play area too, which was quite handy.
After another hour, we decided to call it a day on the Saturday, passing the ferret racing and then walking by the canal on the way back to my car. This boat is the official canal trust boat, as they were present that day, promoting the canal. There were also canal rides available.
The next day we returned, and this time the birds of prey were present. They always spook me out, sitting there so still.
There was also a dog event in the centre, where dogs were racing a plastic bag – it was quite funny. And we finally met the Dulux dog!
We also did a bit of arts and crafts in the ‘Emma’s Crafty Kids’ tent.
There were tables with marker pens and glue and a badge making set – it was really fun. Tyler’s aunty had the best time in here!
Tyler had another peek at the steam engines before we headed back, as the skies has gone grey – boo!
And I had to take a photo of this van that was serving teas and coffees – so cute!
All in all, it was a really enjoyable weekend, and the best part about it being local was that we were home in 5 minutes! I love local events, there’s just such a lovely atmosphere and you don’t get the awful crowds of London, just good old-fashioned family fun. If you missed it this year, keep an eye out for next year’s Slough Canal Festival! Or you can, of course, visit the park any time of year, and watch the canal boats go by.
Address: Bloom Park, Middlegreen Road, Langley, Berkshire SL3 7BN (just after the railway bridge)
For more great places to visit in Slough, go to themummystylist.com/slough
I shared your blog onto the Friends of Slough Canal Facebook page today. Here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/191327457654862/permalink/838413522946249/
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Thanks so much for sharing. Hope they like it! Wish I could have spent more time at the canal that weekend, but my train-mad boy was not having it!
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Why not comment on the FB post? You might get to say hello to more folks next year 🙂
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I’ve just joined the group, so I’ll say hello now. Thanks for letting me know about it 🙂
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Oh my this looks just like something out of Cornwall! We love fairs like this local to us, they are such fun and you feel safe with the kids exploring a little too. Lovely to enjoy some good old fashioned fun and the stalls look really interesting and engaging too. do join me for Country Kids, it is all about outdoor fun. Popping by this morning from Twinkly Tuesday
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Haha, I think you may be the first person to say Slough looks like something out of Cornwall 😀 It was amazingly pretty, and there was such a lovely community feel to the event. Wish they did them more often! Ahh Country Kids – I keep meaning to join in! xx
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It looks like a great day out (or two!) Lovely to have something so nice on your doorstep! Becky x #TwinklyTuesday
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It was a fab two days – I wish they did these local events more often! xx
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Looks like a really fun day, love that the guinea pigs had their own umbrella. I have a major fido-crush on that dog!
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It really was, and those guinea pigs were soooo cute! All the animals were under umbrellas as it was really sunny on the Saturday, they were huddled under the shade. And yes that Dulux dog – so fluffy in real life! Love him! xx
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What a lovely day! I love the picture of the sheep dog 🙂 #twinklytuesday
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Aw he’s a cutie that dog – so so fluffy! xx
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What a fantastic place to take the kids!!!! I LOVE days out like this. And so do the boys. The ‘Crafty Kids’ tent looks awesome! 🙂 Thanks for linking up to #TwinklyTuesday — much appreciated x
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Yes it was soooo much fun, I really wish they did these events more often! xx
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I can’t believe how fluffy the Dulux dog is, must need a huge amount of grooming. Sounds like your son got a good bargain on the Scout stall 🙂 #whatevertheweather
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Yes, seeing him in real life, he really was fluffy. And so good natured too, having random people taking photos of him! Yes my boy did get a good bargain – 50p! xx
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Oh this is such a sweet traditional festival! I love the wooden toys, my boys both love marble runs too and steam engines, I think O and Tyler would get on really well! So cute that the little guinea pigs all huddled together under the umbrella and the Dulux dog is gorgeous, I love how fluffy they are! I like the idea of a portable playground, that must be a great attraction at festivals like this. Aunties always like to join in with the crafts don’t they!! A great little festival to have just round the corner, I wish we had something as good as that!
Thanks so much for linking up to #Whatevertheweather 🙂 x
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Oh my god, I think they would get along well too! I was so surprised at the marble run, he was captivated for like half-an-hour or so, I felt like a right weirdo just hanging around their stall! It was so great to have it local, I wish these events were on more often xx
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What a lovely way to spend a weekend 🙂 I love things like this, and having a mooch around stalls. I also love wooden toys, so much nicer than all the plastic these days.
Stevie xx #WhatevertheWeather
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There is so much to do in Slough. I’m glad you’re writing about your area, i’m hoping you’re inspiring more people to visit because it sounds like a great place. I love festivals like this. It sounds like Tyler loved it too. I’m glad you got to go back a second time with your family. Festivals like this are so lovely to enjoy with your whole family because there is always so much for everyone to join in with. I love mooching around the stalls and looking at the animals. 😀 The arts and crafts tent sound like brilliant fun too. Thank you so much for linking up to #whatevertheweather x
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Aw thank you Chloe, I was just sick of all the negativity about the town on the internet, hopefully my posts will help change that! I love festivals too, especially when it’s nice weather too, fun for all the family 🙂 xx
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