City of York Council is proceeding with as many of the events planned as part of its Festival of Rivers programme as possible, despite the recent bad weather and flooding.

Unfortunately, the Syntan barge, which had been due to make an appearance, is currently stuck in the Selby Canal. Syntan will remain there until the flood barriers are lifted, allowing it to return to its home in Beverley. It is hoped that scheduled events involving Syntan can be rearranged for later in the year.

Thea Jacobs, who was due to perform on Syntan on Friday is ill and, sadly, will not be able to take part in the festival.

However, the good news is that the council is pressing ahead with plans for an Artist's Fair in Tower Gardens this Saturday (7 July) and the event has attracted more than 30 contributors.  The Pirate Party taking place in Rowntree Park on Sunday (8 July) will also go ahead, including the guest appearance by the famous 'Sheilas' from the car insurance advertisement. They will be joined by local bands The Valves, Liberation Project and Conflux for what promises to be a fantastic family day out.

Liz Topi, the council's events officer, said: "Unfortunately, a number of activities, including the duck race planned for last weekend, have had to be postponed. We are trying to arrange alternative dates for as many of these as possible and are pressing ahead with as much of the programme as we possibly can, despite the bad weather. We would encourage residents and visitors to the city to come along and enjoy the events planned for this weekend, which will definitely be going ahead."