Ely Eel Festival 🐟☀️

Yesterday was… honestly incredible. Not only did the sun show up for a full shift, but the people of Ely (and plenty from further afield!) absolutely showed up too — and I’m still a bit blown away by it all.

From the moment I arrived, everything just worked. Dream parking. Smooth set-up. Even my notoriously unpredictable pom-pom curtain behaved itself. A strong start. And then the crowds came.

What followed was one of the busiest — and most joyful — pop-up portrait days I’ve ever had. I barely stopped painting, chatting, booking time slots, wrapping jewellery, answering questions, laughing, and occasionally wondering if attempting all of this solo was perhaps… ambitious.

There was a brief internal wobble somewhere mid-afternoon where I nearly overwhelmed myself juggling painting, selling, admin and future portrait bookings — but I’m proud to report: I did not cry.

Victory.

By the time the live portrait slots filled, I was taking orders to paint and post later, which means I now have a very lovely pile of creative ‘homework’ waiting for me. But the best part wasn’t just the sales, it was the conversations.

The stories behind the portraits. Meeting familiar faces again. Hearing how people found my work. Learning far more about eels than I ever expected to know.

Festival highlights included:

Sunshine absolutely delivering
Incredible organisation from the event team
A lifesaving gazebo (true hero energy)
Live music that made the whole day feel faintly Disney-esque
A ridiculously good salt beef brisket cheese toastie from Good Times Café
Emergency caffeine and water rescues from Chocolate Tiger
The magnificent carnival arrival of the giant Eel (a sentence I never thought I’d type)
And a stall neighbour who kindly tolerated my enthusiastic chaos all day

By closing time my cup wasn’t just full - it felt like I was absolutely drowning in feel-good energy and gratitude. THANK YOU to everyone who stopped by, chatted, commissioned a portrait, bought jewellery, or simply shared a smile.

I’m now taking a day or two to recharge before diving into painting all those portraits - and I honestly can’t wait.