Safety fears sink Canalival: plug pulled on floating festival

An empty stretch of Regent's Canal that was due to host the Canalival event tomorrow (Saturday). Photograph: George Steptoe.

It was billed by promoters as the “Atilla the Hun of flotillas” and – somewhat ominously – a “caravan of calamity”.

Canalival, a huge canal-based party in which buoyed-up revelers would clown about on dinghies, lilos and other inflatable vessels, was due to set sail tomorrow (Saturday).

But now the floating festival has dramatically run aground at the eleventh hour, leaving punters high and dry.

The festival, publicised via social media, was due to drift down Regent’s Canal from Gainsborough Studios to Broadway Market tomorrow (Saturday) featuring DJs, performers and art boats.

But late last night the loosely organised group behind the party warned of potential safety risks due to unprecedented crowds expected to turn up.

A message on the Canalival’s Facebook page stated: “Without stewards and lifeguards, having thousands of people on boats and on the towpath could create a genuinely dangerous situation.”

And today the Canal and River Trust torpedoed the event, saying it had made clear to promoters its “serious concerns”, adding that the combination of alcohol and a high number of revellers on the waterway was “a recipe for disaster”.

According to the Spacehive crowdfunding website where over £3000 was pledged to stage the event, Canalival was organised by a group called Animal Control which also stages flashmobs.

A spokesman for the festival told the Hackney Citizen “key stakeholders” were no longer endorsing the event but that the “authorities” had been positive about Canalival.

He would not elaborate further, saying: “We can no longer speak to media about this.”

All donations made via Spacehive are expected to be refunded.

The canalival Facebook page said organisers had now disavowed themselves of all responsibility for the event and accepts no liability in relation to it.

Despite the Canalival’s Facebook warnings about “waterborne pathogens” and “concealed sharp objects” many partygoers are understood to be determined to hoist anchor regardless after having splashed out on expensive dinghies.

The cancellation has drawn ridicule on Facebook, with people lamenting the lack of foresight and planning, and bemused as to why the potential risks had not been previously considered.

Alistair Tait wrote on Facebook: “Why have you spent the last three months promoting the hell out of this event (which was almost at capacity last year with almost no promotion) only to pull it at the last minute??? Didn’t you see this problem coming?

“We all did. People have now spent lots of time and money getting ready for this and you have to imagine the vast majority are still going to turn up tomorrow.”

Haggerston resident Max Thurlow, 27, is resolute about making good on his investment.

He said: “I’ve spent £230 on an 8 man rubber dinghy. There’s no way I’m not going to head down anyway. I suspect that the organisers are trying to wash their hands of any responsibility in case anything goes wrong, but it’s a fantastic idea and it’ll be a great day out all the same. I can’t wait”

Rose from Peckham who has spent £45 on an inflatable rubber boat was equally outraged.

She said: “The organisers keep telling everyone not to come on Facebook but this just has the effect of a parent telling a rebellious teen not to do something – it’s made me and my friends want to go even more! I’ll be there with my dinghy. I didn’t pay £45 for nothing!”

The Canal and River Trust said: “While we love people coming and having a good time on our waterways, and host hundreds of events every year, we cannot authorise or support ‘Canalival.’

“We, the police and Hackney Council met with the event promoters this week and explained our very serious concerns about the inadequate planning that has gone in to organising such a high-risk, unsafe and unlicensed event.

“Drinking alcohol while using an inflatable boat is never clever. Having hundreds of people doing this on a canal, without adequate safeguards, is a recipe for disaster.

“The event organisers accepted that they had been unable to put in adequate safeguards for the numbers of people expected to attend and have cancelled the event.”

The Canal and River Trust said it had discussed the event with promoters together with Hackney Council and the police.