Festival of Water and Light axed after council pulls out

The future of a popular waterways festival which attracts more than 12,000 people to a Black Country canal has been thrown into doubt after this year's event was scrapped.

Bosses at Dudley Council today admitted that they had cancelled the annual Festival of Water and Light – which has been held at The Waterfront, Brierley Hill, for the past 12 years – as funding was increasingly difficult to find.

The announcement was met with disappointment from boating fans who traditionally stage a parade along the canal as part of the evening.

But instead they rallied together and seven boats staged their own mini celebration at the canal.

Council leader Les Jones said they were working towards finding a way forward for the music festival, which also features fireworks, dance groups and a fun fair.

"The agreement the council had with a private event management company came to an end following last year's festival," he said.

"The event was run at cost-neutral for many years as it was supported through private sponsorship.

"In recent years due to the economic climate, this private investment has inevitably been harder to secure.

"The council is not looking to continue its involvement."

However, he added, a private company had shown interest and is currently in discussions with the council over taking on the running of the event in the future.

Waterways enthusiast Paddy Grice – who is also director of the Black Country Boating Festival – said boaters had become increasingly concerned when he was unable to find out any information about the future of this year's festival.

He rallied other enthusiasts, including members of Dudley Canal Trust and Birmingham Canal Navigations Society, to stage a replacement event over the past weekend.

Instead of the usual venue of The Waterfront, they moored their narrowboats along the Dudley Canal next to the Merry Hill Shopping Centre on Saturday night.