Dreamland announced as host venue for 2023 Margate Soul Festival

Margate Soul Festival was the last gig at the Winter Gardens before it closed Photo Frank Leppard

Dreamland has been announced as the main venue for this year’s Margate Soul Festival due to the continued closure of Margate Winter Gardens.

The annual festival, which is also being held at spots including Olby’s, the Imperial Bar and Sundeck, takes place from August 4-6.

The festival is now in its 21st year and is a massive date on the soul, funk and reggae music calendar.

Last year the festival, headlined by Emeli Sande , was the last show to be hosted at Margate Winter Gardens before the doors were closed and the building sealed up in preparation for surveys to determine its future.

The main gigs will now be held at Dreamland’s Hall By The Sea and Ballroom.

Organisers at Olby’s Creative Hub said: “2022 was a landmark year for several reasons, most memorable of which was our 20th-year celebration which was very special. Over 25,000 people, each day enjoying Soul music in the glorious sunshine on the streets and in the venues of Margate – phenomenal!

“But this is the time for pastures new. Following the closure of Margate Winter Gardens last year, we have worked tirelessly to secure new venues to host our live performances, club events and evolve the festival.”

Tickets, from £55, go on sale at 8am on February 24 when a number of the acts will also be announced.

Find more at: https://www.dreamland.co.uk/event/margate-soul-festival/

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14 Comments

      • Peter. I thought you has more sense than to make such a shortsighted comment. Dreamland has been a vital part of Margate’s regeneration and is still under development. Dreamland is still running at a loss, not helped by Covid which has cost the company millions. Dreamland’s future plans include: paying off their debts, refurbishing and restoring the cinema/ballroom complex and building a hotel in “Godden’s Gap” as well as expanding the park to include more rides, cafés, amusements etc. Why on earth should they set aside any profits for the Winter Gardens which has nothing whatsoever to do with Dreamland.
        A more sensible response would be that the council sets aside all the extra revenue that Dreamland generates through car parking etc. from this and all the other 40 events Dreamland is staging this year and put it in the Winter Gardens restoration fund.

        • An even more sensible approach would’ve been for TDC not to give all that money to Dreamland in the first place. But “TDC” and “sensible” are words that are rarely seen together.

          Either way, I won’t be giving my support to anything that goes on there, ditto GRASS.

          • GRASS has brought The Oval back to life after years of degeneration just as Dreamland has played a huge part in bringing Margate back to life. Perhaps you would prefer Margate to be as it was when Dreamland was closed, The Oval was desolate, The Turner Contemporary didn’t exist and Margate was a total dump but at least The Winter Gardens was open eh?

        • Rabbie – Dreamland creates no additional revenue to TDC through car parking.

          The Dreamland car park was sold to Dreamland in order to offset the £2.5m+ loss TDC made in compulsory purchasing the Dreamland site.

          Dreamland also has a lease on the Arlington car park.

          TDC therefore receives nothing from parking fees in either of the car parks adjacent to Dreamland.

  1. Don’t expect any refurbishment to start at the Winter Gardens for at least another year at the earliest, maybe a 2-3 years project? Reopening 2026/27/28?
    The TDC talking heads have conned us into believing it is all going to be OK – nothing will happen until a ‘commercial partner’ with plenty of money to invest comes forward. If they don’t then the WG will stand idle and rotting.
    Elections are in May – let them know what you think.

  2. it a joke dreamland has sort of f**k little events and the winter garden

    and soul weekend has all ways been in the old town of margate
    and all them little businesses won’t earn anyone . but then man who run it will soon run round them all asking to pay towards the event like he dose all the time

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