The 2026 Brownhills Canal Festival brought colour, creativity and canal heritage to Silver Street over the weekend of 15–16 August, as crowds of visitors joined two lively days of activities.
Running from 10am to 4pm each day, the free festival showcased a mix of floating traders, historic narrowboats, craft stalls, food stands and family activities. Now in its sixth year under LHCRT’s stewardship, the festival has become a key celebration of Brownhills’ identity as a canal town and a highlight of the Trust’s community calendar.
A diverse line‑up of floating traders attended, including Candles on the Cut, Crooked Mouth Creatives, Nb Wakamatandoto, Over The Yarnarm, Tikova Crafts, Vintage & Modern, Watery Art and Crafts, and Winty Crafts, offering handmade gifts, crafts and canal‑themed products. Floating food traders such as Three Sheep Cheese Boat and Wildside Preserves added to the festival’s friendly, bustling atmosphere.
Historic narrowboats Nutfield (1936), Raymond (1958) and Roach (1935) drew strong interest from visitors keen to explore traditional working boats and learn more about the Midlands’ canal heritage.
On land, visitors could browse and buy a wide range of goods and also enjoyed hands‑on experiences with the water activities, gentle Brookhouse shire horses, while Wild Actors drew crowds with their giant snakes, huge frog and owl.
Food stalls such as Carlie’s Bakes, Tslices Refreshments and The Curry Cruiser (temporarily grounded by engine issues) kept hunger at bay, with sweet treats from local favourites Fairy Good Cakes and Aunty Lane’s Rocky Road adding to the festival buzz.
The festival also welcomed visits from local MP Wendy Morton and the Deputy Mayor of Walsall, who spent time meeting volunteers and traders along the towpath.
Christine Howles, Communications and Marketing Trustee, said:
“The traders, boaters, visitors and volunteers bring such warmth and energy. It’s wonderful to see this stretch of canal buzzing with life. Despite the heatwave, we had no issues with attendance from the boats, Even though boaters struggle at the best of times to travel the Wyrley & Essington, which is so rarely used it becomes clogged with silt, weeds and rubbish, they still love coming to Brownhills.
This is exactly why the festival is so important. It doesn’t just show people what the canal in Brownhills could be; it also raises vital funds for the restoration of the Lichfield Canal to help make that future a reality.”
