Canal Cavalcade in Little Venice

GoBoat at the Canal Cavalcade

The UK's biggest narrowboat festival comes to Little Venice (2-4 May 2026). We're running a special extended route so you can experience it from the water.

Every May bank holiday, over a hundred narrowboats and historic canal boats gather in the Little Venice for a weekend of celebrations, boat handling displays, and the famous illuminated parade. It's been running since 1983 and draws thousands of visitors. One of London's best waterside events, and our Paddington base sits right on the doorstep, which means you can get a front-row seat from your GoBoat.

(Departure slots are extremely limited around the event timetable. First come, first served.)

How it works

Because the cavalcade uses Little Venice for its events, we have limited times we can pass through. Instead, we're offering a unique experience that takes you through the festivities at specific times, guided by our staff, and then allows you to explore the Regent's Canal by yourselves.

All trips during the cavalcade weekend are 2-hour sessions on this fixed schedule.

Your route

1. GoBoat Pontoon to Little Venice: One of our crew hops aboard and begins your driving lesson, taking your boat through the cavalcade festivities. You get to take it all in from the water.

2. Through the Maida Hill Tunnel: Our crew guides you the right way, taking your boat through the tunnel, completing your handover and driving lesson along the way.

3. Regent's Park and Cumberland Basin: Your crew hops off and you take the helm. Cruise through Regent's Park, with views of London Zoo and the park's gardens. Turn at Cumberland Basin and head back. Our safety boat will be on hand if you need anything.

4. Back through Little Venice — Your crew re-joins you at the tunnel and guides you back through the cavalcade to our pontoon.

Before you Book:

This is a special event format, so please have a read before you book. We want you to have a great time and not be caught off guard:

2-hour fixed route only. All cavalcade weekend trips follow the extended canal route. We aren't able to offer the usual 1 or 3 hour hires on these dates.
Please arrive on time. Boats depart in groups at set times to coordinate with the cavalcade. We aren't able to hold departures or offer late starts, so please aim to arrive at least 15 minutes before your slot.
Limited availability. We run a small number of boats per departure and slots will sell out. If your preferred time is gone, it's gone.
Crew on board for part of your trip. A GoBoat crew member will be on your boat for roughly 40 minutes of the trip to teach you how to control your boat (through Little Venice and the tunnel, both ways). The rest of the time, we will leave you to it, as usual.

Canal Cavalcade begins in

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(Bookings are first come, first served and evening slots will likely sell out before the day.)