Here are a selection of photographs from Riverfest, a recent summer vaguely pirate-themed fête held on the Isle of Wight in the capital Newport's quayside. This had the usual entertainment found at such events including an array of marching bands, samba bands, local pop singers and as the main attraction, a star from CBeebies. With my sister helping out at a stall and my brother-in-law displaying a classic car, I thought I'd pop along and see what was there.

One of the first things to see was the usual horde of reenactors. You can tell they are portraying Vikings and not opera singers through the lack of horns on their helmets, which were first introduced for productions of Wagner. When I was young they used to be Anglo-Saxon reenactors, but sadly the term 'Anglo-Saxon' has been misappropriated by racist Americans when it should only be used to describe England between 450-1066AD. Vikings still counts, as they did frequently raid the Isle of Wight, after all.

Having the Vikings next to the bouncy castle was an interesting choice, as while it might help give a degree of anachronistic mediæval ambiance, I can't help but suspect that instead of having solid swords and axes waved around energetically next to a large inflatable, it would be better to have inflatable swords and axes waved around energetically next to a solid castle, such as the one at Carisbrooke a couple of miles along the road.

Also on display were a selection of classic vehicles. Oh, and old tractors, for people who like old tractors. There was a good display of 1950s family cars along the quay.

Additionally, there were a small number of gigantic, impractical foreign cars too, which it must be said looked incredibly shiny. Possibly because they've not really had a chance to go anywhere if they've been kept on the Isle of Wight, as through being the size of a bus they definitely don't look designed for narrow, twisty, turny country lanes - and they didn't fit into the standard-sized parking spaces either. But while on a day-to-day basis you can't really drive them anywhere, park them anywhere or take them on a ferry without having to remortgage your home, a fête is perfect. Their owners often use these cars to raise money for charitable causes, so you cannot deny that they do good. The stripy one has little skulls on the front, which really fitted the overall pirate theme.

And for those wanting to see vehicles with a much smaller carbon footprint, there was a Sentinel steam-waggon from 1920.

But despite my not seeing any Morris Dancers, there was still someone in the traditional tricorn hat-wearing horse skull costume¹, which inevitably was the best thing at the fête. After all, you can't beat a dead horse.

Bluebottle

27.05.24 Front Page

Back Issue Page