Organised by volunteers from Gnosall Towpath Restoration (GTR), the festival welcomed well over 1,600 visitors across the three-day event which ran from 17th - 19th July 2026, making it the biggest event that CFest has ever seen.
And, after the vagaries of the British summer in previous years, the weather was firmly on our side. Volunteers, traders and historic boats arrived in glorious warm and dry conditions, with boats stretching along the canal between Cowley Tunnel and the old railway bridge.
Visitors began arriving soon after the festival opened at 10am on Friday, with noticeably more people attending than last year. By lunchtime on Saturday, the festival’s 300-space car park was full and volunteers had to extend it to accommodate the crowds.
Feedback from previous festivals had also been taken on board, with improved car park signage and additional toilets near Bridge 34. Small changes perhaps, but ones which visitors certainly appreciated.
A towpath buzzing with life
The canal itself was at the heart of the weekend.
Twenty free narrowboat trips carried around 150 people, from youngsters experiencing their first canal journey to a VIP trip for the Mayor of Stafford.
Passengers travelled beneath the old railway bridge, past Bridge 36 and towards Cowley Tunnel, with several trips accompanied by a heritage talk explaining some of the less obvious lumps, bumps and features of the canal landscape.
Judging by the smiles aboard, the passengers enjoyed themselves, although we suspect the GTR volunteers crewing the boat may have enjoyed it just as much.
Back on the towpath, trading boats reported a welcome surge in sales, while historic narrowboats invited visitors aboard to discover what life was really like for the families who once lived and worked on Britain’s canals.
There was even a rather special four-legged visitor on Saturday afternoon when the historic working boats were joined by Flower, a real-life canal boat horse, courtesy of Dave Ray.
Food, crafts and a floating market
Throughout the weekend, the towpath became a colourful floating market, with demonstrations including hand carving, decoupage, candle making and traditional canal-ware painting.
Nobody needed to go hungry either. Curry, pizza and cheese boats served visitors throughout the festival, while Joanna and Scorcher kept everyone supplied with hot and cold drinks, barista coffee and ice cream.
The Boat Inn and Navigation Inn also rose to the occasion, offering breakfasts, food, drinks and entertainment, as well as putting on additional outdoor facilities to cater for the extra visitors.
Music beside the canal
The Festival Garden provided free live music throughout the weekend.
The Magpies and Simple Folk entertained visitors with selections of their favourite songs, while local organisations set up stalls around the garden and welcomed people stopping by for a chat.
Saturday evening saw the return of the ever-popular Earl Grey and The Charwallahs, who delivered another lively and engaging performance to an appreciative crowd enjoying the summer evening.
Down at the Boat Inn, acoustic guitarist Dan Firman entertained visitors with a crowd-pleasing collection of songs, while Sunday afternoon belonged to Unlawful Men, with their energetic mixture of sea shanties, nostalgic covers and campfire anthems.
Plenty for younger festival-goers
Our younger visitors weren't forgotten.
More than 50 children got stuck into free crafts, making pirate hats and string dragonflies and having a go at brass rubbing.
A new addition this year was the Festival Duck Hunt, which quickly became a favourite as children (and more than a few competitive adults) searched the festival site for the names of hidden quackers.
A record-breaking raffle
Another highlight was the festival raffle, which raised more than £560 on Saturday alone - yet another new record year.
Every ticket bought helps support Gnosall Canal Festival and enables GTR volunteers to continue putting on a community event which remains free for everyone to enjoy.
A huge thank you therefore goes to the many local businesses who generously donated prizes and supported the festival. Their contribution makes a genuine difference.
Free local transport was also provided by Community Link over the weekend. While take-up was lower than hoped, it gives the team something useful to build on for future festivals, particularly around awareness and promotion of the service.
Thank you, Gnosall!
Perhaps the nicest feedback came from the traders themselves, with many commenting on how friendly, busy and well organised the festival had been.
Events like this don't simply happen, of course. Behind the boats, bunting, music and ice creams are volunteers giving up their time to organise the festival, prepare the towpath, welcome visitors and deal with the countless jobs that crop up over the weekend.
So, to everyone who volunteered, performed, traded, donated a raffle prize, provided food, brought along a boat, helped behind the scenes, or simply turned up and enjoyed themselves. Thank you.
You helped make this the biggest and best Gnosall Canal Festival yet.
And perhaps we'll see you beside the canal again next year.
Fancy joining us?
You don't have to wait until the next festival to get involved with GTR.
If you fancy helping to keep our stretch of canal and towpath looking loved, tidy and welcoming, come along to one of our Tuesday or Saturday work parties from 10am.
There's fresh air, good company and the considerable satisfaction of seeing the difference you've made.
And, perhaps most importantly, there's usually a hot drink and a beautiful piece of homemade cake waiting for you.
We think that's a pretty fair reward for a morning on the towpath.
