Things to see and do in Thanet, September 27-29

Macmillan Coffee Morning

September 27, 10am to noon, Carlton Cinema Westgate

In aid of Macmillan Cancer Support

Then pop over to Westgate United Services Club for their Macmillan coffee afternoon and bingo from noon until 5pm.

Broadstairs Food Festival

Friday 27 to Sunday 29 September, 10am – 6pm, on Broadstairs’ Victoria Gardens.

Entrance is free.

A full programme of award-winning exhibitors and a vibrant festival theatre schedule.

Food and drink lovers can explore a broad range of some 100 exhibitors, stock up on ingredients and take inspiration from industry experts.

The 2024 Festival Theatre is bigger than ever. Visitors can enjoy free demonstrations from two of the county’s celebrated chefs making much welcomed return visits: Michelin starred chef Stephen Harris from The Sportsman in Seasalter and Matt Sworder of the Corner House, Canterbury, both appearing Saturday 28 September.

Other free events include a coffee masterclass with Ramsgate-based expert Daisy Rollo and a demonstration from Ryan Jacovides, creating small plates from Pomus in Margate, paired with a signature aperitivo.

Ticketed events include Taste of Tuscany with Heritage Cheese/Il Palagiacco; Margate-based Mariachi’s tequila tasting with a twist, and a fun-filled blind wine tasting with Alex and Jake, formerly of No.1 Oscar Road, Broadstairs.

For details of all events, visit: broadstairsfoodfestival.org.uk

Clock House Museum Exhibition

27th September – 29th September, at Arch 6, Military Rd, Ramsgate, noon to 5pm.

Learn about the history, heritage, and people of Ramsgate’s Royal Harbour while admiring a variety of objects selected by the volunteer curators who audited the collection of Ramsgate Maritime Museum.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560818399264

The 900

27th September, 7.30pm, Ramsgate Music Hall

Entry Requirements: 14+ (under 16s must be accompanied by an adult)

The 900 are the UK’s first and only Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater cover band.

Expect to hear tunes spanning all the games including AFI, Alien Ant Farm, Bad Religion, Black Flag, CKY, Dead Kennedys, Goldfinger, Green Day, Lagwagon, Less Than Jake, Millencolin, Motorhead, NOFX, Papa Roach, Powerman 5000, Rage Against The Machine, The Ramones, Refused, Suicidal Tendencies, System of a Down and many more!

Tickets £19.83 Book now

The Critic 15

Palace Cinema Broadstairs

A deliciously dark and sharp-witted comedy thriller set in 1930s London. When a feared theatre critic (Ian McKellen), finds himself in the cross hairs of a new boss, he strikes a sinister Faustian pact with a struggling actress (Gemma Arterton).

Friday 27 September to Tuesday 1 October. Details here

Casting The Runes and A.I Storm

27th September – 29th September, Sarah Thorne Theatre, Broadstairs

Friday 27th – 7.30pm

Saturday 28th – 7.30pm

Sunday 29th – 2.30pm

“Casting the Runes” by Roger Smythe is an adaption of the M.R. Jame’s classic ghost story.

“A.I Storm” is a modern comedy by Andrew Nolan.

Tickets £13 + £1 booking fee advance, £15 on the door

Book now

Mermaid Chunky

27th September, 7pm, Where Else? The Centre, Margate

The danceable, costumed, curiosity rich duo of artists Freya Tate and Moina Moin

Tickets £11.85 Book now

Ear­ly Doors Launch Par­ty: Mar­gate with Matias Aguayo, Aun­tie Flo & Andrew Thomson

27th September, 8.30pm, Faith In Strangers Cliftonville

Andrew Thom­son of Hunt­leys & Palmers joins Faith In Strangers in Margate for an evening by the sea­side to cel­e­brate the launch of forth­com­ing Ear­ly Doors compilation

This is an 18+ event

Tickets £8.50 Book now

Margate Unbound

New ideas and explorations

Pie Factory Margate

A group of established artists and makers from Hampshire, and their Westgate-based friend and collaborator, Shoreline’s Sarah Gibbon, decided to shake themselves up and challenge each other with new ideas and techniques to enhance their current practices. Work on display represents what they are known for plus some of this year’s experiments, sketchbooks and final outcomes.

Open daily, 10am to 4pm, from 19th September to 1st October but closing at midday on the last day.

Fantasy Girls

Liminal Gallery hosting a solo exhibition ‘Fantasy Girls’ by Katie Tomlinson, in collaboration with Brooke Benington.

Now until 12 October, 34 Fort Hill, Margate. Open 11am-4pm, on Saturday hosting a mid-show drinks event all day.

The exhibition explores representations of femininity, blending mythological and art historical imagery with fantasy and science fiction.

Sarah Carroll exhibition

Now until  October 2, York Street Gallery Ramsgate

Sarah Carroll with her first exhibition.

Sarah’s a self taught painter who works predominately with oils and a there’s a sprinkle of acrylic paintings

Light Fantastic!

September 28, Discovery Planet HQ, Ramsgate High Street

Find out about the incredible properties of light, and how we can harness them to maintain good health.

Discovery Planet have teamed up with scientists from the University of Kent – the Applied Optics Group – to design a set of fun, hands-on activities to give you an insight into their research and how it is advancing medical knowledge. There will be people on hand to explain everything, and loads of entertainment to be had, whatever your age!

As usual, sessions are entirely free and take place at Discovery Planet HQ, 47 High Street, Ramsgate, CT11 9AG. There is no need to book; just drop in on the hour, every hour, from 10am to 3pm (which is when the last one starts).

The Light Fantastic workshop is just the start of an exciting programme of free activities for the whole community, from Discovery Planet, so check out their new website’s Coming Up page for details www.discoveryplanet.co.uk or follow them on Facebook @DiscoveryPLanetUK or Instagram @discovery_planet_0 to keep in touch.

The Discovery Planet team would like to thank players of the National Lottery and the National Lottery Community Fund, as well as the Science and Technology Facilities Council, for funding this event.

Anya Gallaccio: preserve

September 28-January 26, Turner Contemporary

This is the largest survey exhibition to date of British artist Anya Gallaccio. Opening 28 September 2024, the exhibition will span three decades of Gallaccio’s radical practice, restaging several iconic sculptures in addition to a new site-specific commission. It will reveal the artist’s consistent rethinking of the relationship between art and the environment by presenting works that connect with Kent’s natural heritage.

Due to the temporal nature of her work, much of Gallaccio’s practice is best known through documentary photographs and memory. This exhibition introduces her sculptures and large-scale installations.

Charity Quiz Night

September 28, 7.30pm, Westgate United Services Club

In aid of Community Kindness Thanet

Everyone is welcome to come and take part to help us raise much needed funds. We have a VIP team entered led by the Mayor Jack Packman who has also agreed to present the cheque at the end of the evening. Raffle & Disco will take place on the night.

Call 01843 831135 or email [email protected]

The Athelstan/Ethelbert alleyway activity day

The alleyway between Athelstan and Ethelbert roads in Cliftonville was a fly-tipping hotspot but residents have been working on creating a gated community garden and are holding a community activity day in the alley this Saturday September 28) from noon to 4pm.

The free event is open to everyone and will feature children’s and young people’s art, gardening activities, a wildlife event and barbecue and refreshments.

Mosaic Craft Event

September 28, 11am to 3pm, Birchington Baptist Church

BSL Interpreted Mosaic Craft Workshop with Mosaic Artist Suzy Wright.

Tickets £16 per person includes lunch.

Tickets available to buy at https://zfrmz.eu/rwCHA4L6J9ylZDFYfISg

Sarah Hale and Friends

Saturday 28 September, 7pm, in the York St Methodist Church, Broadstairs

This Friday, Sarah Hale is returning to perform on the Isle of Thanet where she once helped re-enact the most horrific event in the area’s history.

Fifteen years ago Sarah starred in a film which told how the terrible plague known as the Black Death struck East Kent in 1348 and wiped out an estimated 30 per cent of the population.

In the “Black Death” film she played a peasant whose children died in the plague and looked on helplessly as her community was decimated.

Sarah said: “Much of the dialogue was improvised and all the actors were local people. It really felt like we were taking part in this powerful collective experience, a huge disaster that affected everybody. It was amazing.”

When she appears in Broadstairs on Saturday 28 September,  Sarah will be delivering a very different performance. She will be singing soprano with the Kent-based Ariodante Ensemble in the York Street Methodist Church. But coincidentally one of her songs has echoes of those dark medieval times.

Sarah said: “One of the songs I will be singing La Belle Dame Sans Merci based on the poem by John Keats, arranged by Paul Hindemith. It’s an eerie song about a femme fatale seducing and bewitching knights who end up in a living death. It certainly has a touch of the Black Death about it!”

The concert “Sarah Hale and Friends” will feature a selection of songs, violin and viola pieces from 1783 to 1945, by Brahms, Haydn, Hindemith, Mozart, Schubert, Nielsen and Strauss. Sarah will be joined by Tony Halstead on piano and Stelios Chatziiosifidis playing both the violin and viola.

Sarah said: “We haven’t managed to perform as a group since before COVID-19. It will be wonderful to be able to perform together again.”

The concert will at 7pm on Saturday 28 September in the York St Methodist Church, Broadstairs CT10 1PB. Entrance will be £10 (cash only) on the door. For more information about the concert email [email protected]. For updates see: https://www.broadstairsmethodistchurch.com/mays

Independents Day

September 28, 10am-5pm, Westwood Cross (Primark car park area)

Westwood Cross is set to host its first Independents Day showcasing 40 small businesses across Thanet and raising money for local mental health charity, East Kent Mind.

The one-day event, organised by East Kent Mind  will provide a platform to promote isle entrepreneurs and a space for visitors to take time out for their mental health.

The Primark car park at Westwood Cross will be transformed into a bustling hub of creativity, community and care. Visitors can explore stalls by independent traders including artisans, makers and small business owners whose pitch fee will be donated to East Kent Mind, directly funding mental health services in the area.

The Rock Orchestra By Candlelight

28th September, Dreamland Margate

Get ready to be taken on a journey through the Rock & Metal genres with the biggest tracks from the last 50 years at Dreamland Margate!

7PM – 11PM, last entry 9PM

This is a 14+ event. Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult.

Tickets from £37 Book now

Tom McRae

28th September, Ramsgate Music Hall. Doors Open: 7:30 PM

The Mercury and Brit nominated artist now returns with his 9th album, celebrating the release with some special solo shows…

Tickets £22.50 Book now

Ramsgate Northern Soul

28th September, 7.30pm, Ramsgate Small Boat Owners Association

Listen and dance to the fast paced Northern beat at Ramsgate Small Boat Owners Association

Cash bar

Tickets £7.50 Book now

The 900 – Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater Cover Band

28th September, 9pm, Justines Margate

The 900 are the UK’s first and only Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater cover band

This is an 18+ event

Tickets £19.83 Book now

Cry For Me

28th September, ARK – Cliftonville Cultural Space, 7.30pm – 10pm

A dystopian cabaret about migrant labour at ARK, Cliftonville’s Cultural Space

When all Romanians leave Romania in search of work, two babe bocitoare (bah-beh bow-chi-twa-reh) – professional wailers for the dead – decide to move to London in search of clients.

Drawing on Romanian folk traditions and interviews with migrant workers living in the UK, Cry For Me uses clowning, and a mix of scripted and improvised moments, to create a ‘rapid response’ cabaret night. It imagines a world in which crying can be outsourced to a cheap migrant workforce, to talk about very real labour conditions experienced by migrants in the UK currently.

Tickets £14 plus £1.80 booking fee, Concessions £10 plus £1.60 booking fee. Book now

Street Soul

28th September, 9pm, Olby’s Soul Café Margate

Featuring the legendary DJ Bigger and the renowned Aitch B from Soul360, this event promises to deliver a night of smooth grooves, timeless R&B, and uplifting soul music.

Tickets £10 plus booking fee Book now

Anya Gallaccio

28th September – 26th January 2025, Turner Contemporary

Turner Contemporary will present the largest survey exhibition of Anya Gallaccio’s practice to date

Open Tuesday to Sunday 10am – 5pm (plus Bank Holidays)… Last entry 4pm

Exploring her radical rethinking of the relationship between art and environment over the past 30 years, the exhibition will also celebrate and connect to Kent’s natural heritage.

Gallaccio creates site specific sculptures and installations often using organic materials such as flowers, apples and trees, that naturally transform and decay over the duration of display. Inherently interested in the process of making and the physical qualities of materials, Gallaccio has shifted the boundaries of what sculpture could be and embraces the unpredictable results this brings.

A new commission will be presented alongside works from throughout her career.

The exhibition will be accompanied by An Apple A Day, a wide-reaching schools programme.

(Browser image: Anya Gallaccio, The Inner Space Within, 2008, chestnut tree, bolts, stainless steel. Installation view, Camden Art Centre, London © Anya Gallaccio. Photo courtesy the artist and Thomas Dane Gallery)

Free entry

Margate Bookie

28th September – 6th October

Margate Bookie presents a nine day celebration of books, reading and writing.

Festival taking place across a number of events in Margate

Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 September – a weekend of creative writing workshops

Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 October – a host of big name authors presenting at Turner Contemporary… Join Helen Lederer, Jeremy Deller, Lisa Jewell, Robin Ince, Pauline Black and Daisy Buchanan. Plus a two-day Children’s Festival, a literary walk and many bookish surprises.

Discover the Margate writing scene, feed your curiosity and be inspired!

The Big Weekend at Turner Contemporary (October 5th & 6th) is chockfull of amazing star authors. The Bookie features the thrilling and chilling Lisa Jewell, Turner Prize winning artist Jeremy Deller, Selecter singer Pauline Black and Bibliomaniac Robin Ince. Plus Daisy Buchanan hosts comedy legend Helen Lederer in an exclusive live recording of the You’re Booked podcast.

The nine-day extravaganza also includes creative writing workshops, showcases for local writers, the Poetry Slam headlined by Raymond Antrobus, a Children’s Festival and so much more! And all this literary goodness takes place beneath Margate’s beautiful Turner skies.

Don’t miss the free-to-attend events like Bee’s Bookshare, Billies’ Tea Party and the Farewell Walk with Will MacLachlan. All Margate Week events are pay-what-you-can between £3 and £5. The Bookie Slam is just £5 for what promises to be the poetry event of the year!

For full details of the festival including timings and tickets, visit www.margatebookie.com.

Fantastic Pleasure & Where Else? 6th Birthday Party

28th September, 9pm, Where Else? Margate

Celebrating 6 years of hard graft, long days, late nights, and legendary parties at Where Else? in Margate

Fantastic Pleasure’s ever reliable combination of resident DJs DORIS and the in-house creative team will once again be coming together for the celebrations.

18+ Tickets £8.50 Book now

Cycle del Mar – Season Finale

28th September with Col’s Kent Bike Tours

Balearic sunset ride, run & skate along the Margate coastline.

Meet outside the Turner Contemporary for a 6.45pm start

If you are looking to make getting active fun then come and join Col’s Kent Bike Tours to ride and see the Margate Sunset. They have a live DJ on a Rickshaw leading the ride, with 3 ride leaders if you need confidence to get cycling again. There is also space on the rickshaw for 2 non-riders to enjoy the experience.

This is a flat ride suitable for beginners along the viking trail and will be a great way to meet new people to cycle with.

Children are welcome to join with an adult.

Please contact: [email protected] with any questions.

Bikes are available to hire for this event from The Bike Shed Margate please email: [email protected]

Weather dependant – Check Facebook for updates

The OhSoRetro Show

29th September, Palm Bay Rec. Event open 10am till 4pm

Over 1,500 classic and retro cars, scooters and motorcycles will be on display.

Throughout the day there will be live music, over 60 trade stands and 25 autojumble pitches to browse, special displays and lots more

Public entry tickets available on the gate – CASH ONLY Adult £10, Under 16s free.
Public parking opposite site for a £2 donation.

Cliftonville Farmers Market

29th September, 10am-1pm, Walpole Bay Lawns

Cliftonville Farmers’ Market was established in 2001 by the Cliftonville Residents Association and is run entirely by volunteers.

Award-winning Farmers Market, now with 40+ stalls, where producers sell bread, cheese, honey, fruit & juices, vegetables, fresh meat & wild game, and much more.

Celebrating its 23rd anniversary at this weekend’s market.

Bootfair Safari

September 29, 10am to 2pm, Palm Bay and Northdown

Sellers outside homes across Pam Bay and Northdown. Proceeds donated to QEQM’s special care baby unit.

Map from 17 Upchurch Walk

Crafty Cuttings and Saving Seeds Workshop

29th September, 11am-4pm, Powell-Cotton Museum, Quex House and Gardens, Brchington

Join the garden team at Quex to learn how to propagate plants from cuttings.

This is the time of year to make sure the many different varieties of show plants are raised again for next season.

With a wide choice of material available you can enhance your garden with a variety of pelargoniums, salvia and many of the tender plants we use in our pots and glasshouse displays.

Tips on compost mixes, what to choose and how to strike new plants will all be shared, as well as a variety of material to take home and grow on for next year.

All materials and equipment provided.

Suitable for ages 16 or over.

Tickets £35pp – Members: 10% off

Pre booking essential  Book now

Margate Cultural Walking Tour

29th September, 1pm, starting at The Shakespeare Pub

This 60 minute seafront walking tour into Margate’s Old Town covers the town’s history from 900 AD, through its history as a holiday getaway, then as a haven for artists, lovers (and the occasional rockstar) in more recent times…. to the spot it is today.

A fun tour whether you are a local or a visitor – starting at The Shakespeare Pub, near Margate Train Station, then taking a gentle stroll through the spots along the seafront that feature in these historical tales… ending in Margate’s Old Town. And those who stay on afterwards will have the option to taste some of the local wines, ales (and cheese!) together at Little Swift.

Its a fun and witty talk, that should give a whirlwind tour of Margate’s colourful history.

Tickets £10.00

Tai Chi Movements for Wellbeing

29th September, Monkton Nature Reserve, 10:45am – 12pm

TMW (Tai Chi Movements for Wellbeing) with Lesley Richardson at Monkton Nature Reserve

The special price of £10 includes day entrance to the reserve for you and your family, or friends. Please head to the Reception upon arrival

Tickets £10 Book now

Weird Photo Walk

29th September, The Margate School, 11am – 3pm

Bring your digital camera and Ed Thompson will guide you through the delights of flâneur-ism and psychogeography in the centre of Margate. That might all sound rather silly…. but Ed has been a pro photographer for over 20 years, been published in National Geographic Magazine, BJP, The Guardian, Huck and exhibited work this year at the Saatchi Gallery. Ed is also tutor on The Still and Moving Image course at The Margate School.

A selection of your photos from the Weird Photowalk will be shared on The Margate School social media platforms.

Meet at The Margate School at 11am.

Optional: Bring a personal stereo and headphones.

Tickets £40pp Book now