Things to do: Blur v Oasis, Robin Ince, London Film Festival

Members of the public who bought shares in Banksy mural Valentine’s Day Massacre may soon see a return on their £120 investment. An offer has been made to buy the artwork, which originally appeared on the side of a house in Margate last year and has been valued at £6 million. If sold, Thanet-based charity Oasis Domestic Abuse Service will also receive £100,000.

Cute new cafe for Broadstairs, Little Wave has opened. Menu items include ricotta doughnuts and a beach-ready meze box loaded with falafel, tabbouleh and fresh pitta. There’s also coffee and cakes. Find it at 2 High Street. Follow on Instagram here.

This year’s London Film Festival will take place from October 9-20. The full programme for this year’s event has just gone live, including the premieres of Steve McQueen’s latest film Blitz and a documentary following Elton John’s final US shows. Check it out here. 

Another film festival, the Folkestone Documentary Festival has also launched its 2024 programme. The event will run from October 17-20, showcasing 12 feature documentaries, each paired with a short film. See the full programme and buy passes here. 

Fewer films, more molluscs, this year’s Whitstable Rocks Oyster Festival is on next weekend, September 13-15. Kicking off with the annual landing of the oysters ceremony, there will be family-friendly activities, live music, and fireworks display at more. Find out more on the festival’s website.

Comedian Robin Ince will be heading to Margate’s Crab Museum on Friday, October 25 to give a talk entitled The Universe and The Neurodiverse - Stories from Outer and Inner Space. Tickets are available now for £16.96. Grab them quick before they sell out. You can also catch him at Margate Bookie on Sunday, October 6. 

Speaking of Margate Bookie, tickets have gone on sale for the festival, which takes place September 28 to October 6. Lisa Jewell, Harry Baker, Robin Ince, Jeremy Deller, Helen Lederer and Daisy Buchanan are among the big names on the bill. There’s a children’s programme, a poetry slam and a diverse mix of events throughout the week too. Have a look at the programme here. Tickets from £5. And you can volunteer for the festival too. Get in touch at zita@margatebookie.com for more information.

Musician Peter Gill will perform the best-loved songs by American satirist songwriter Tom Lehrer at the Sarah Thorne Theatre in Broadstairs on Saturday, October 26. Largely written in the 60s and skewing the establishment of the time, these songs still remain painfully funny today. Tickets are £18. 

New Rumours, a project archiving the experiences of those who attended Margate’s 80s and 90s gay venues Rumours and The New Inn, will be celebrated at Sundowners on Friday September 13. There will be free zines detailing the project’s research and the premiere of a new short documentary. Free entry, doors at 7pm. 

Following a break over the summer, new writing night Inkling will return at Margate’s Tom Thumb Theatre on Wednesday, September 11. Head down at 7pm to see a range of writers perform work in progress, or get up and read some out yourself. Entry £3. 

Project Seagrass and Art For Our Sea will host a talk on the importance of seagrass to the coast’s biodiversity and the viability of a restoration project in the Kent area. It will take place at Margate’s Visitor Information Centre on Friday, September 13. Free tickets and more information here. 

Mexico City-based experimental rock band Sunset Images will be headlining Margate’s Tom Thumb Theatre on Monday, September 9. Support comes from local acts AUTOHAUs and Melinda Bronstein. Tickets £7. 

It may not be as drip to you as it is to Gen Zs with rizz, but the 90s revival is the big thing at the moment. So how about a bit of classic Blur v Oasis manufactured feuding? Blur screen their new concert film Live At Wembley Stadium in Vue cinemas tonight - it’s showing at the Westwood Cross branch at 8.30pm. Or, if you like a bit more notice and travelling further, The Old Queens Head in Islington is showing Oasis Live By The Sea - capturing the band at Southend’s Cliffs Pavilion in 1995 - on Monday, September 30. Tickets for that are free and (unlike Oasis reunion tickets) won’t have the price unexpectedly ramped up when you try to book them.

ICYMI - previous tipped events happening in the next week

This year’s nationwide Heritage Open Days project is now up and running until September 15, giving free access to local history and culture. There are loads of events going on in Thanet, including at Broadstairs’ Palace Cinema, the Ramsgate Tunnels, and Draper’s Windmill in Margate. Check out the full programme here. 

Margate Radio’s Block Party takes place at The Centre in Margate today, September 7. Enjoy live broadcasts from the Where Else Studio played into the square from midday to 5pm as you enjoy food and drink from the surrounding bars and restaurants. 

The Walpole Aquathon takes place on Sunday, September 8, if you fancy testing your running and swimming abilities while also raising money for Rise Up Clean Up and Margate pride. Find out more here. 

A film documenting forced migration-focussed arts project The Body As Data will be premiered at Where Else on September 8. There will also be music from Falle Nioke, Tom Tegento and Surya Chandra, and poetry reading by Josie Carter. Tickets here. Check out our interview with director Sidonie Carey-Green here. 

Tunng’s Mike Lindsay begins a UK tour in support of his new solo album Supershapes Vol 1 in Reading on Tuesday, September 10. It’ll finish up at the ICA in London on September 15. If you missed the show in Margate earlier this summer, it’s well worth making a trip for. Read our interview with Mike here. 

Dylan Moran, Nick Helm, Tom Deacon and Matthew McAloone will be at the Granville Theatre in Ramsgate for XL Comedy Club on Friday, September 13. Tickets are still available for £27.50. 

Camp in Cliftonville is hosting a night of Chappell Roan karaoke on Friday, September 13. Tickets are £6 in advance.