Bikes, Boats And Beats...Great Days Our For The May Bank Holidays

Adam jones presents a round-up of the best may bank holiday events and ideas for days out taking place across essex this month.

- Adam Jones

NAUTICAL BUT NICE

Don your matelot T-shirt and Breton cap and sail over to the Fambridge River Festival

When: Sunday, May 28 Where: Fambridge Yacht Station, Ferry Road, North Fambridge CM3 6LR

You don’t need to be a salty old sea dog to join in this action-packed day of fun on and off the water. The River Festival is a celebration of that great British tradition of messing around on boats and expresses a love of the River Crouch. Expect to see classic and historical boats, gig racing, a traditional village fete and displays of various marine services that keep the river safe.

GET YOUR GROOVE ON

Promising ‘the best 100 bands you’ve never heard of, with the 1,000 best friends you never knew you had’ the wonderfully named Cosmic Puffin Festival is a creative extravaganza that raises money for local charities.

When: Friday, April 28 to Sunday, April 30 Where: Mersea Youth Camp, Mersea Island CO5 8SX

Anxious parents need not worry, Cosmic Puffin is as child-friendly as a music festival can be and its name is an amalgam of Children of St Mary’s Intensive Care (COSMIC) and Basildon Hospital’s Puffin Ward for children. Blending music from more than 100 bands, dance and craft-based workshops, Cosmic Puffin primarily gives young, up and coming bands a chance to play in front of an audience other than their mates down the local youth club. The Kids Area features Gunpowder Gertie and Mosschops, plus the infamous Art Cannon and rag-taggle band of merry men and women. Come take part in, ‘The Greatest Show on Earth created by you, the festival folk!’

BE A CRAFTY SEW AND SEW

This increasingly popular show returns to a beautiful corner of the county for the eighth time and is the perfect place in which to find a unique gift or object for your home.