Things to do: Silent Book Club, Junkyard Gaming, Kerosene

The London Illustration Fair (November 29-December 1) is looking for exhibitors, be that illustrators, zine makers, publishers, graphic designers, or crafty folk. Deadline to apply September 2. Find out more.

Broadstairs Folk Week’s Poets’ Breakfast returns every festival morning 10am-11am until August 16. Held at Smoked Street Kitchen and Bar on the High Street, come and listen to poets read their work, and you’re very welcome to read your own, or someone else’s poetry too. 

Swing by Broadstairs’ Pierremont Hall tonight at 8pm to catch a free, outdoor show by stand-up poet, storyteller and theatre maker Jonny Fluffypunk. Inspired by lockdowns, ancient myths and Grayson Perry’s Art Club, the show is about finding the hero inside yourself. If the weather takes a turn, the show will move inside. 

Broadstairs welcomed a new restaurant this week, Fifteen Square Metres. It’s a gluten-free small plates affair, partly headed up by chef Tony Rodd, of Margate’s Pomus. Find it at 15 Oscar Road, Broadstairs, CT10 1QJ. As the name suggests, space is limited, so be sure to book ahead.

Margate Vintage Furniture & Flea Market is on again at Dreamland’s Hall by the Sea, Monday, August 26, 11am-4pm. Have a rummage through mid-century finds, vintage doodahs, and retro stuff as well as antique and industrial stuff. £2 advance ticket or £3 general entry, £4 early-bird entry, or free entry after 3pm. Get your tickets here.

Want to join a book club but only want to read your own recommendation, and don’t actually want to talk to people? The Silent Book Club in Folkestone is one dedicated hour of reading in the company of others, but reading your own book. While there’s no pressure to chat after the  introvert-friendly reading session wraps up, you can. The next one - marking the event's first anniversary - is on Wednesday, August 14 at The Board Room, from 7pm-9pm. 

Margate All Dayer is on August 24. A deceiving name, the string of gigs start at 6pm and go until 11pm at the Leisure Centre. Come down to catch TARMAC, TRAPS, NO TV, Cool Hot Rockers and Grungers and AUTOHAUs. Tickets £9. 

Keep your eyes peeled while walking the streets of Margate. Not just so you swerve the many dog turds, but so you stumble onto Margate Queer Writers’ Queering the Margate Map. Currently, 51 pieces of writing on queer experience are dotted around town at the locations where those moments took place. 

Fancy yourself a retro gaming champ? Junkyard Gaming is hosting a charity Mario Kart tournament at the Tom Thumb Theatre in Margate tomorrow, August 11. Get down at 4pm for other retro gaming fun in the upstairs bar - the tournament will begin downstairs at 6pm. Entry is £5 and all proceeds will be donated to mental health service SpeakUp Thanet. 

Margate Old Town ice cream shop Follow The Swirl will be setting up their barbecue for a New Zealand-style sausage sizzle on August 17. There will also be a raffle with prizes donated by seafood restaurant Angela’s, artist Charlie Russell, Sea Scrub Sauna and more. Proceeds from the event will raise funds for Wilderness To Wonderland, which revitalises neglected green spaces. 

A way off yet but a date for your diary nonetheless, the next Margate Ceramics Market will take place at the Turner Contemporary on November 9-10. 

Legendary DJ Norman Jay will be coming to Faith In Strangers in Cliftonville this autumn. He’ll play a set of disco, house and rare groove on Friday, October 25. Early bird tickets are on sale now for £18.17 via Dice.

Broadstairs’ Kinder Collective will host The Pirates Are Coming! story time and draw-along with Thanet author John Condon’s whose picture book is about a boy who is a very serious pirate hunter. It’s on Monday, August 19, at 10am at the Nelson Place shop. Suitable for kids 3-8 years old.  It’s free, but you must book. 

Another Kinder Collective thing, this one all about how nice it is to care for the environment, on Friday, August 30, the team are hosting a family-friendly beach clean sesh before heading back to the shop for a snack and a story about just how good nature is. High-vis and litter picking stuff will be provided, but make sure appropriate footwear is on, and dress for changeable weather. Turn up to the Lookout on Viking Bay Pier (near the Jetty) at 9am. Should finish by 10.30am. All ages welcome. This one is also free, but book. 

Ramsgate wine bar, Penelope will host rock and roll party collective TWITCHY’s Owen Thomas today, Saturday, August 10, from 5pm to 8pm. He’ll be playing jazz, blues and soul. Head down. 

Canterbury’s bOing! International Family Arts Festival returns for the 10th time, Saturday and Sunday, August 24 and 25 at the University of Kent. It comes with a stack of free outdoor performances and things to do, and features an international collection of artists. Ticketed indoor events are also on. Across indoor and outdoor programming, expect film screenings, guided walks, dance workshops, craft sessions, theatre, science experiments and other fun stuff. Accessibility wise, noise cancelling headphones are available to adults and children, and there’s BSL interpreted and captioned events, as well a non-verbal shows. boingfestival.com

Ramsgate alternative club night Kerosene returns to Salon du Miel on Saturday, August 25. Hosted by the Filth Collective, entry is £5. While you can expect some alt bangers, they won’t be playing any hits from the musical creeps and sex pests of the world, because in their words, it’s “probably about time the scene put its money where its mouth is and actually took some accountability and make sure it's not a safe space for assholes and abusers”. 

Fancy helping out at the friendly lit festival by the sea? Margate Bookie, on Sept 26 - Oct 6 is looking for volunteers to cover all sorts of things, from on-the-day-help to digital design, social media and event photography. Volunteers will also have access to a programme of arts-management focussed events and fun stuff. For more information or to join the lovely team, email zita@margatebookie.com. 

ICYMI - previously tipped events happening in the next week

The Vagina Museum’s takeover of Margate’s Crab Museum takes place this weekend, having kicked off last night with a sold out launch event. 

Broadstairs Folk Week is underway, running in venues around the town until August 16. As well as all the gigs, there are plenty of family-friendly activities taking place too. Check the website for full details. 

It’s your first chance to see Three Trapped Tigers live in years on August 13 at Ramsgate Music Hall. It’s also one of your final chances, as they prepare to officially split. Tickets £15. 

Open mic poetry night Babeslam will be back at Where Else in Margate on August 14. Tickets are £6.44 on Dice, or £5 on the door. 

Post punk feminist music night Riot Gull is on in Folkestone’s Quarterhouse on August 16, as part of grassroots event, Compass Music Festival. Tickets are on sale for £20.91 via Dice.