This year during Skandia Cowes Week, visitors on Cowes Parade, can expect a ‘fun for all the family’  event. The perfect location to soak up the atmosphere of the world’s oldest sailing regatta, will be buzzing with live music and street entertainment courtesy of the Isle of Wight Council.

A host of fantastic local acts have been booked, including Jimmy’s Big Fish, Los Fantasmus, Derek Sandy and Skybus.  Weird and wonderful street entertainment artists including The Balloonatic, Jason Maverick and a dynamic group of dancers who will be bringing a colourful carnival vibe to the Parade and elsewhere in the town throughout the regatta.

Cowes Parade is a great location to relax, take in the race starts and enjoy the day’s activities. There will be a variety of food outlets based on the Parade along with the Sail for Gold Bar and BBQ, supporting the British Olympic Sailing Team and the Green’s Champagne, Seafood and Oyster bar, a new luxurious addition for 2008.

Free one hour sailing taster sessions ‘Try Sailing’ organised by Skandia are also run from Cowes Parade, giving anyone the chance to get afloat and try their hand at sailing. The regatta’s official charity The Ellen MacArthur Trust is also based at the Parade, running a charity rowing challenge throughout the week.

As well as arranging live music and street entertainment the council has also been busy organising this year’s Friday night firework display which starts at 9.30pm on the 8th August.

Behind the scenes it has been busy putting traffic management and crowd control systems in place to cater for the thousands of visitors who will descend on the town for the annual firework event.
 
In addition to the ‘Sailbus’ park and ride scheme operating in West Cowes all week, on Friday 8 August an additional service is being run in East Cowes from Victoria Recreational Ground down to the seafront at East Cowes, one of the best places from which to view the display. All proceeds from the East Cowes Park & Ride will go to the Pavilion Youth Project, which is based at Victoria Rec.

The council has been very involved in the operational aspect of Skandia Cowes Week, organising licences for the food outlets, bars and street entertainers and bringing in additional staff to keep the town’s public areas tidy and presentable, ensuring it remains a safe environment for families throughout the week.

Elsewhere in the town, the Cowes Business Association has organised music and entertainment for all the family including a Punch and Judy show at the Wishing Well, The Cut, along the High Street and outside the Harbour Office in the centre of Cowes.

Cllr George Brown Isle of Wight Member for Economy, Planning and Property said:

Skandia Cowes Week brings thousands of visitors to the Island and provides a huge boost to the local economy through increased trade and tourism, so vital to achieving our Eco-Island vision.

The Council works closely with the event organisers, to ensure the shore side aspect of the regatta runs smoothly, and that services and entertainment is put in place to enable people of all ages to enjoy Skandia Cowes Week whether they are sailors or not.

Live music starts at 12noon and runs until 10pm daily, with the street entertainers performing between 1pm and 4pm.