No Tri, but Soap Boxes to return for Festival

Following on from the confirmation that the Kilcullen River Festival will return for 2017, we can now provide a few more details on the event, writes Brian Byrne.

Although plans have not yet solidified, it is understood that the Soap Box Derby which was inaugurated in the 2015 event will again be part of the day’s entertainments on the Sunday.

The Triathlon which was a feature of two Festivals will be replaced by a 5K/10K Run on the Saturday evening, partly because of difficulties in getting contestants into the river because the wooden dock at Riverside Manor has been dismantled.

The dock was built as a temporary measure for the Canoe Club while their current premises was being built, and it had become rotten in places and unsafe.

For similar reasons, there’s still a question over the Raft Race, a perennially popular element of the River Festival, though it’s thought it may still be possible to run it.

The Tug O’War, a traditional finale to the Sunday’s proceedings, will not be making a return, for safety and insurance reasons.

Over the next few months, the organising committee will be firming up the programme for the Festival, which will be held on the weekend of 26-27 August.