Visitors Dive into Water Festival

The weather didn’t dampen any spirits over the Bank Holiday weekend as over 1000 people flocked to Malvern to attend the four day water extravaganza.

The Great Malvern Water Festival took place from Friday 28 April to Monday 1 May, it was a joint project between Malvern Hills District Council, Malvern Town Council, Freedom Leisure and The Malvern Spa Association, and celebrated the role water played in shooting Malvern to worldwide fame.

The event kicked off on Friday where 55 wells were dressed throughout the Malverns with the theme Tree of Life.

On Saturday there was a Health and Wellbeing Fair in Rose Bank Gardens, an Arts and Food Market and minibus tours of the various dressed wells across the town.  

A procession of donkeys took place on Sunday to celebrate the key role donkeys played in Malvern’s heyday as a Victorian spa town and resort by carrying people up to take waters at the various healing springs.

Big Splash Monday took place in Priory Park where hundreds of visitors enjoyed a whole host of entertainment including a witty theatre show inside an aluminium whale, a flash mob, zorbing, a water music workshop and other watery fun games.

Simon Smith, Economic Development Manager at Malvern Hills District Council, said: “We are delighted that this year’s well dressing and water festival was another huge success, it was great to see so many people enjoying the celebrations and the colourful dressed wells.

“The festival is also an excellent opportunity to celebrate the history and heritage of Malvern, and we look forward to supporting the event in the future”.