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MATLOCK BATH (ILLUMINATIONS/VENETIAN NIGHTS) - (26/07/04)

At weekends from August/September until the end of October Matlock Bath in Derbyshire hosts it's magical illuminations and Venetian Nights. These photos are from our visit on Sunday 26th September 2004.

The annual celebrations in Matlock Bath predate the Blackpool Illuminations, first beginning in Victorian times to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.
As well as the lights along the banks of the river Derwent there is a procession of spectacular illuminated boats around the Derwent Gardens area of the river.
There is plenty of other entertainment going on with Morris Dancing (as photos above), stalls and a small fairground. The entertainment starts at 7pm with the boats beginning their procession around 8pm.
More photos of the boats above and centre photo shows reflections in the river from the lights. When the boats first sailed in Victorian times they were not lit by colourful bulbs as today but by candlelight.
The illuminations and Venetian Nights are attended by a great number of people, successfully extending the tourist season right through the Autumn. On some nights throughout the illumination season there is also a cliff top firework display with a Park and Ride Scheme in operation.
Left photo above shows the dodgem's in action at the fair, the other two views are of the main street from Jubilee Bridge and the banks of the river lit up to great effect. There are more photos featuring Matlock Bath during the daytime on the page from the 15th May 2004, to visit click here.