Motor home spaces now available at Fort George for Maritime Festival visitors

To extend the range of accommodation options for visitors, this year event organisers have announced the availability of overnight Motorhome parking, with 40 spaces being made available at the Fort George site per evening.

The space will enable more visitors to access cost friendly accommodation within close proximity to the event at a secure site with pedestrianised access to all the waterfront action.

The Foyle Maritime Festival is one of the country's biggest events and is delivered by Derry City and Strabane District Council with support from Tourism NI, Foyle Port, the Loughs Agency and Diageo, running from July 20 -24.

This is the first year that overnight Motorhome parking has been made available for the event and it will make the event even more accessible to visitors hoping to soak up the atmosphere over a few days.

Event Co-Ordinator with Council, Helena Hasson, said she was delighted to be able to extend the accommodation offering at the event.

"We are anticipating a huge turnout for this year's Foyle Maritime Festival, after the suspension of the 2020 event. It's always a major boost to the local economy, and with the Foyle Cup also taking place over the course of the festival, we are expecting accommodation to sell out over the five days.

"We're always looking at new ways to enhance our offering for visitors and designated motorhome parking will provide an additional cost effective accommodation option, and will allow people to extend their stay and enjoy the full festival experience. It's going to be a fabulous week for the City and District."

Spaces at the Fort George site will be available for £10 per night which can now be booked online. The council says that while there are no facilities available on site, fresh water, waste water and toilet disposal are all available at Foyle Valley Railway Carpark.

While barbeques, chairs and tables are prohibited, there are plenty of food stands and market stalls located throughout the Festival village, and new picnic tables and seated areas along the quayside. The site is open to motorhomes only, not touring caravans or tents.

The five-day Foyle Maritime Festival offers an exciting medley of maritime activity, as the riverfront is transformed once again into a vibrant and bustling international marina.

Maritime Festival: The return

This year's Festival theme 'What Lies Beneath' will have a strong conservation message with a raft of measures being introduced to help visitors reduce waste, reuse and recycle while attending the event.

A major element of the Maritime Festival is the Clipper Race stopover and the arrival of the first yacht into port traditionally signals the start of the festivities. The main Maritime Festival programme officially begins on July 20 featuring the lively Maritime and Merchant Markets, al fresco performance on the Festival Village stage, and plenty of riverside family fun activities, from workshops to funfair attractions.

The festivities will reach a spectacular pinnacle at the Festival Showcase Event on Friday evening, July 22, with a magical evening of music, dance and theatre culminating in the enchanting Parade of Light on the River Foyle set against the backdrop of a stunning pyrotechnic display. Finally, the Clipper Fleet will leave our shores once again as we bid them Bon Voyage in the dramatic Parade of Sail on Sunday July 24th.

Find out more about all the magic of the Foyle Maritime Festival at www.foylemaritime.com/

To book motor home places at Fort George go to www.foylemaritime.com/motorhomes/