Matlock Bath Illuminations back in 2022 for 125th anniversary bash
ONE of the most popular Peak District events to take place in the Derbyshire Dales will be back in 2022, organisers have said.
Matlock Bath Illuminations is to mark its 125th birthday in the autumn, and Derbyshire Dales District Council has promised new innovations this year. A tunnel of lights across the pedestrian bridge and a silent fireworks finale are all planned for the big end-of-season event.
As is traditional, the unique parade of decorated boats, for which the event has become famous, will return along with a fireworks display every Saturday night in October. The event will return every Saturday and Sunday night from September 10 to October 30, 2022. Tickets will go on sale on July 1.
District council leader Garry Purdy said: “We are proud to continue to organise this fabulous event, which extends the tourist season here in the Dales.
“The aim as always is to boost the local economy at no cost to local council taxpayers.”
Along with the illuminated boats, created by Matlock Bath Venetian Boatbuilders’ Association, 2022 will also include the creation of a tunnel of lights over the pedestrian bridge. It will link Derwent Gardens with Lovers’ Walk and there will be 12 new specialist lights on the Lovers’ Walk side of the river. There will also be silent fireworks finale on Sunday, October 30.
The event, which dates back to 1897 when it was first held to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, was cancelled at the start of the coronavirus pandemic but returned in 2021 to sell-out crowds, with thousands more lining the banks of the Derwent to see the boats sail by.