| Where: | Ely, Cambridgeshire outside Cathedral, city centre and Jubilee Gardens |
| When: | Saturday before May Day Bank Holiday |
| Time: | 10.30am - 4pm |
Ely takes its name from the eels living in the waterways around the city and each year this heritage is celebrated on Eel Day. The eel parade, led naturally by a giant eel, winds its way around town from the Cathedral to Jubilee Gardens where there are stalls, music, games, morris dancing and various other entertainments including competitions such as eel throwing (animal lovers can rest easy in the knowledge that no live eels are used, just toy ones). As the locals are aware that eels can be an acquired taste, other food options are readily available. An eel catcher may well be there with his equipment, and tanks of live eels.
Helpful Hints
In 2024 it should be on Saturday 4th May.
All are welcome to join in the parade – it’s a family friendly event. Eel Day itself is the Saturday before May Day Bank Holiday, which is the one at the start of the month, and the festival now lasts over the whole weekend (check the website link below for the full schedule). Look out for the metal eel sculpture in Jubilee Gardens.
Click here for more info : http://visitely.eastcambs.gov.uk/
and here for up-to-date info on this years event :https://www.visitely.org.uk/visit-ely-events/
Thank you for advertising our Ely Eel Festival. This year it runs from 2nd-5th May and more details can be found here. Please can you update your details, thank you
http://visitely.eastcambs.gov.uk/events/ely%E2%80%99s-eel-festival-weekend-may-2014
Thanks for the update – I’ve added the additional dates and the link to this years event. Looking forward to attending for the first time this year!
Best wishes,
Averil
I live in USA. My maiden name is Ellsworth. My father told me name is rooted in a town in England that had eels in it’s lake. Am assuming it’s Ely. For that reason I would love to come to the festival. Could there possibly be a different town in England with a lake of eels or is this the only one?
Well I’m no expert in etymology, but I think the eels that Ely was probably named after were wild in the fens rather than kept in a lake. Lots of monasteries and great houses in medieval times kept “stew-ponds” for storing live fish before consumption, so maybe your lake of eels could have been one of those? Eels were a popular food back in the old days.
Thank you for your response.
Please can you let us have details of a charity stall for Eel day 29th Apr 2017.
Thank you
Jenny Ellis
President
Littleport Lions Club
Hi Jenny,
If you follow this link you’ll get through to the festival organisers:
http://elyeelfestival.co.uk/eelday/eel-day
where you’ll find a contact form for stalls.
Best of luck!
Averil
Good Afternoon,
This year the Ely Eel Day will be taking place on 5th June so to coincide with the Platinum Jubilee celebrations 🙂
Thank you again for advertising our beloved event.
Matt
Visit Ely
Many thanks Matt,
I’ll get that date up on the site straightaway,
Very best wishes,
Averil
Good Afternoon, Ely Eel Day & Parade 2023 will be taking place on Saturday 29th April 2023. For more information visit – https://www.visitely.org.uk/visit-ely-events/
Many thanks for the confirmation Daniel and the new link- much appreciated!
Best wishes,
Averil