It is the May Bank Holiday again, so that only means one thing – the Ely Eel Festival is here! This is the biggest day of the year, where the entire city comes alive with colour and fun, and honestly, the atmosphere is just electric. If you are thinking of visiting Ely for the day then this is the time to arrive!

The Eel Festival has been running for twenty years now, proving to be a popular staple loved by locals and visitors alike. It celebrates Ely’s rich history from back when it was a waterlogged island and the entire economy thrived on eels.

Back then, the area was home to dozens of snigglers (professional eel catchers), and it is great to see that heritage kept alive. I have been coming here for as long as I can remember, and there are few cities or towns that offer anything quite like it.

Watch my YouTube video from last year

This free event is open to everyone, starting with the parade that kicks off from Ely Cathedral and winds its way down to Jubilee Gardens. The star of the show is our beloved Ely Eel, which is hand-made by local volunteers (and even better, worn by local volunteers 🤣).

Watching it dance through the streets followed by community groups and different chapters of Morris dancers creates a real exciting display of cultural pride that you just do not see anywhere else.

Food Stalls

Food stalls are plentiful, along with the other local businesses staying open for the day, adding a variety not seen at any other time of the year. Being a hardened foodie, I was straight down to the food vans at the end of the parade at Jubilee Gardens.

Maya Rainbow Cuisine

I couldn’t help but stop by the Maya Rainbow Cuisine van. When a place has “Rainbow” in the title, they’ve set the bar high for presentation, and they certainly didn’t disappoint.
The beef kebab was thick and crispy adding a real caramelised flavour to the bite. The meat is served with a variety of colourful side sauces that give the spot its rainbow name. Looking down at the tray, you’ve got vibrant greens, bright orange, and even blue – it is like eating through a paint box. It is a brilliant way to add life to the plate, and everything tasted fresh and punchy. Proper decent street food that stands out from the crowd.

Some Cultural Enrichment @ The Greedy Toad

You cannot come to an eel festival and not try eel, making this my cultural dish of the weekend. I stopped by The Greedy Toad, a mobile kitchen known for their focus on local, seasonal produce and honest cooking.

I went for their smoked eel bagel. The bagel itself was provided by the legends at Bagel Or Biegel, a regular at Ely market and Foodie Fridays, so you already know the quality is there. It was a proper combination of flavours with smoked eel which is then paired with a vibrant beetroot and kohlrabi remoulade, a punchy hit of horseradish, and apple for that added sweetness.

Though I’ll admit that this won’t be for everyone, the bagel was colourful and vibrant. It was light, smoky, and felt like a real nod to the city’s history. This wasn’t just a novelty eel dish for tourists but felt like genuine love and care had been put into executing it. If you have not tried it yet, you are missing out on a genuine Ely rite of passage.

Chock Shop Brownies

I finished things off with a visit to the brownie stall. There was a wide variety of different choices available, each one more indulgent than the last. The best thing about this stall is that you can smother the brownie of your choice in melted chocolate and whipped cream.

Oh yes!

As Fun As It Is Cultural

Unlike many events that practically force you to dump your money and run, there is an abundance of free activities here. You have got eel throwing (not real eels before you ask!), historical demonstrations, and arts and crafts. It is brilliant for families or anyone on a tight budget who still wants a proper day out.

What I particularly love about the event is how it makes use of the riverside. You have the boat trips, tea rooms, and restaurants all buzzing, alongside that always popular, wholesome activity of feeding the ducks. Seriously, I lost count of the number of children having the time of their lives doing this.

To top it all off, I ended the day with an ice cream from a rather charming and historic ice cream van that is usually set up outside Peacocks. I then took a stroll through Cherry Hill Park and spent an hour admiring Ely Cathedral. It was the perfect end to a day that brings the whole community together.

If you missed it this year, make sure it is on your calendar for next time. It is a proper showcase of what makes Ely so special.

Watch the video of my day out