Northampton Dragon Boat Race Festival due to take place this weekend cancelled due to flooding

Billing Aquadrome was due to play host to the event on Saturday (September 28), however, due to a flood alert that has been issued for the holiday park, event organisers have decided to cancel.

Heavy rain over the weekend and Monday (September 23) has caused water levels in the River Nene to rise, which has led to the Environment Agency issuing a ‘red flood alert’ for Billing Aquadrome. Flooding is expected at the holiday park.

A statement from the event organisers said: “We’ve been in touch with the venue over the past few days, and while we hoped it wouldn’t come to this, we’ve just received word this morning that Billing Aquadrome is under a red alert for flooding. Unfortunately, this means we’re unable to hold the Northampton Dragon Boat Festival this Saturday, which is disappointing as we were looking forward to a fantastic day.

“Given the situation, we plan to reschedule the event for May 2025.

“We truly appreciate your understanding during these unfortunate circumstances. We’ll continue to promote the event over the winter months and hope to attract even more teams for 2025.”

The event – the first of its kind in Northampton from this organiser – was due to see 30 teams of 10 take part in the 200 metre race. There was also due to be entertainment, food stalls and activities for all the family, and it was going to raise money for Ailsa’s Aim.