Things to do: National Cinema Day, Ellie Taylor, Collage & Cocktails

It’s National Cinema Day today! Cinemas up and down the country are offering cheap tickets. Local cinemas involved include Westgate-on-Sea’s Carlton, the Curzon Westgate in Canterbury, and the Vue at Westwood Cross. The Carlton will actually be doing a £3 offer, because £4 would be an increase on its already unusually cheap ticket prices. Find out more on the NCD website. 

Mash Report and Strictly Come Dancing star Ellie Taylor has just announced that she will be performing her new solo show Palavering at The Granville Theatre in Ramsgate on Friday, May 16 2025. A way off yet, sure, but tickets have just gone on sale.

A bit sooner at the Granville Theatre, Dylan Moran, Nick Helm, Tom Deacon and Matthew McAloone will be appearing at the venue’s XL Comedy Club on Friday, September 13. That is indeed quite an XL line up. Tickets are still available for £27.50. 

Guardian writer and author Stuart Heritage will be at Waterstones in Canterbury on Sunday, September 1. Marking the release of his new children’s book Attack of Aunty Enchanty, he’ll be hosting a free workshop for 5-8 year olds and signing copies of the book. More info here. 

Margate’s Sun Deck has a takeover by Lau.ra’s Wonk nightclub today (more on that below), but if you fancy keeping the dancing going Justine’s has a night of what is promised to be “nice people dancing to good house music” until 3am. Spinning those tunes will be Derrick Patterson, Jonathan Henfrey, Greig Gaskill, and Randy Watson. Tickets are £5 in advance. 

Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard will back at Ramsgate Music Hall for the third time on Friday, December 13 for an all night set of disco, house and techno. Previous shows have sold out well in advance, so fire up Dice now if you’re interested. 

Margate Arts Club will be celebrating its ninth birthday on Saturday, September 21. There will be DJ sets from Shirley Ottou, Mantawoman, Holly K, Gaëtan Gauthier, and James Vacuum Cleaner covering a vast array of genres. Tickets are just £5 in advance. 

The Walpole Aquathon returns 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. There are a number of different difficulty levels and entry costs between £12.50 and £25. Find out more here. 

Heritage Open Days returns nationwide from September 6-15, 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. 

If you like the idea of making collages while drinking cocktails, you should head down to Louie On Sea at the Turner Contemporary on Thursday, September 19. Why? Because local artist Megan Metcalf is hosting a workshop where you’ll get to do just that. Places cost £35, which includes a frame, all materials, one cocktail and two mocktails.

Everything Everything have just announced a show at Dreamland on Wednesday, December 4. Tickets go on sale next week, with a pre-sale opening to Dreamland mailing list subscribers opening at 10am on Wednesday. 

Are all your bluegrass covers of classic rock songs needs currently being met? No, well good news: Hayseed Dixie will be playing at The Booking Hall in Dover on Wednesday, October 16. Tickets are £23.50. 

The brilliant USA Nails will be returning to Ramsgate Music Hall on Saturday, September 21. They’re so good, last time they played there I crashed my car on the way home. Wouldn’t recommend that, but if you like it loud then you should grab yourself a ticket. (The ST legal team has asked me to point out that I crashed because I’m an idiot, and not because of USA Nails.)

Artist Katie Tomlinson will open her latest solo exhibition at Margate’s Liminal Gallery on September 7 until October 12. Fantasy Girls “representations of femininity, blending mythological and art historical imagery with fantasy and science fiction.”

The next edition of the always excellent Margate Electronics night will be held at Margate Arts Club on Friday, October 4. Performing this time around will be Jasmine Morris & Thomas Judd, Jorja Chalmers, and A’Bear. It’s going to cost you just £7 to get in, so it would actually be rude not to go.

Arts project The Body As Data will screen a film documenting the various movement workshops and walking events it held across the Kent coast earlier this year at Where Else in Margate on Sunday, September 8. There will also be music from Falle Nioke, Tom Tegento and Surya Chandra, and poetry reading by Josie Carter. Tickets here. 

I’ve had Hot To Go stuck in my head all week, so this can’t come soon enough. Camp in Cliftonville is hosting a night of Chappell Roan karaoke on Friday, September 13. Tickets are £6 in advance, and there’s a prize for the best dressed attendee (dress code: Midwest princess).

Pomus in The Centre, Margate is teaming up with Ashford’s Pleasant Land Distillery for an evening of gin tasting on Wednesday, September 18. As well as the spirits, there will be a selection of cheeses and charcuterie. Limited places cost £45 a head, email enquiries@pomus.co.uk to book. 

The Margate Bookshop has announced a new live event, which will see poet Raymond Antrobus in conversation with Emma Dabiriat at the Tom Thumb Theatre on Thursday, September 19. He’ll be discussing his new collection Signs, Music. Also appearing for some extra poetry action will be Hibaq Osman and Kareem Parkins-Brown. Entry is free, reserve your place here. 

Cliftonville’s Rosslyn Court has announced two new shows. Singer-songwriter Odette Michell will be performing on September 19 and folk musician Cohen Braithwaite Kilcoyne will be at the venue on October 3. If you can’t attend, both gigs will be livestreamed. 

Smoking Apples Theatre are bringing their award-winning children’s show Kinder to Ark in Cliftonville on Saturday, October 26. Telling the story of the Czech Kindertransport, the audience sit inside the set as the show unfolds around them. Tickets from £5.

If you fancy getting out of Thanet for some music, may we point you in the direction of producer Taahliah’s debut electroacoustic show heavenrise at the ICA in London on Wednesday, October 30? The performance coincides with the release of her new album Gramarye and looks to be something really special. Tickets are available now for £20.50.

Stanton Warriors will be pulling an all-nighter at Faith In Strangers in Cliftonville on Saturday, November 9. £15.50 tickets are available now on Dice. 

Margate drag queen Alotta Hell’s One Hell Of A Night will return to Margate Arts Club on Saturday, November 16 to raise money for trans awareness charity Not A Phase. Tickets are on sale now for £15. 

It feels like the last one only just happened (mainly because it did), but if you’re wondering when the next Margate Soul Festival will be, they’ve just announced August 1-3 as their 2025 dates. 

ICYMI - previous tipped events happening in the next week

Smugglers Festival is already well underway, but there are still some last minute day tickets on offer if the mood has suddenly taken you. Grab them here. 

DJ and producer Lau.ra brings her Wonk club night to Margate’s Sun Deck for Wonk Beach Party 24 today, 2pm-10pm. Entry is free. 

Little Simz is guest curating this month’s Tate Lates at the Tate Modern in London tonight. There will be music, conversations, workshops and more. Entry is free, full details on the Tate website. 

Immersive theatre production You Me Bum Bum Train is returning to London this November after eight years away. Ticket ballot goes live at 10am on September 3.