Things to do: The Shakespeare, seaweed walk, Catch
Revolution Skate Park in Broadstairs has teamed up with Skateboard GB and Samsung to offer 50 free skateboarding lessons that come with all kit included. Dates range from August 21-31, in the evenings, and sessions are split between under 7s and over 7s. All ages, family and adult sessions are on Saturday, August 24 & 31. For more information email info@revolutionskatepark.co.uk or call on 01843 866707.
Margate Film Festival wants ideas for the November festival, be it a music performance, a talk, workshop or installation. If you’ve got an idea, get in touch with Kate and Martha at hello@margatefilmfestival.co.uk.
house at Faversham have put a call out to theatres and theatre-makers to join them at Pitch Up, a networking day for venues and artists to pitch ideas to each other, in the hope they’ll engender partnerships and opportunities. The next Pitch Up is at Canterbury, at the Gulbenkian Arts Centre on Oct 8. Deadline to apply is September 13. Find out more information here.
If you fancy making your own spoon, woodcarver James Robertson is hosting spoon-carving workshops open to people 16 and older with “reasonable wrist and hand strength”. Held on Sunday, September 22 at The Little Studio on The Street in Ash, near Sandwich. Tickets, which include materials and tools are £75. To book call 07856 080517 or email info@studioartdays.co.uk
The Shakespeare, one of Margate’s finest pubs, marks its first birthday today. Head down for drinks, cake and tunes, both spun and live, from 3pm.
Seaweed! What do you know about it other than its odorous pong and that last summer a glut of it almost swallowed up dogs? Seaweed expert and Natural History Museum guy Ian Tittley leads this guided walk through rock pools and chalk reefs at Dumpton Gap, pointing out the benefits of the stuff. The walk is on Monday, August 19, from 6pm-8pm and suitable for people aged 14 up. Free, but a donation of £5 is welcomed. Book here.
Margate Radio’s Block Party is back, at The Centre on September 7. Camping out at the Where Else Studio, live broadcasts will be sent out to the square from midday to 5pm for you to enjoy with a slice of Palms in hand, or a tequila, or as you tuck into a smattering of small plates from Pomus or into anything from the number of food and drink traders nearby.
Saturday, August 24 is Ramsgate Festival of Sound’s free family fun day at Ellington Park. Head down for workshops from This Bean Spins, Recordermania and Taiko dunlop as well as a sunset DJ set which leads into Americana from Wyatt Riot in the evening. There’s also more music, more workshops and more stuff, including the Ukrainian Choir who celebrate Ukraine’s Independence Day and The Sonic Trail which is made up of installations and performances from eight different artists. Check if you need to book for the various sessions.
Bedford Inn in Ramsgate is hosting a happy hour every day of the week, for the summer apparently. Head down from 5pm until 7pm to quaff cocktails at the bargain price of £13 for two.
Catch and Seabird have joined forces again for fishy-supper club at Ramsgate’s Radford House Fire Station on Friday, August 30. It’s a four-course dinner for £40 a pop. Tickets sold out last time, so get yours here, soon, if not now.
The Museum of London, currently getting a zhuzh-up at the Docklands and a new site at Smithfield, has launched its new logo, and some people think it stinks. The logo, or mascot perhaps, is a porcelain pigeon and a splatter of glittery poo. Sharon Ament, the museum’s director said the pigeon and its shit represented London’s "grit and glitter" and “speak to a historic place full of dualities”. Personally, I would have gone for a Mighty Hoopla porta-potty to illustrate that point, but sure.
Marble Arch welcomes a new contemporary art museum. Independent Moco Museum, opens in London, a sister site to the museum’s venues in Amsterdam and Barcelona. The museum takes over three floors on Oxford Street, and plans to line the wall with works by Kaws, Yayoi Kusama, Warhol, Basquiat, Emin, Banksy and the like.
Fancy a family night out that comes with a bang? Quex Park Fireworks return this year, on November 2 after being called off due to rubbish weather last year. More than just a raging fire, carbon dioxide and brief, but always dazzling, sparkles in the sky, the night, which starts in the afternoon, has a stack of rides, food and drink options. Tickets, from £1, are on sale at quexparkfireworks.co.uk.
ICYMI - previously tipped events happening in the next week
Head down to Follow The Swirl in Margate’s Old Town today (August 17) for a New Zealand-style sausage sizzle. The barbecue aims to raise funds for Wilderness To Wonderland, which revitalises neglected green spaces.
The Palace Cinema’s series of film-focussed walking tours makes it to Margate this Sunday, August 18. Discover the locals of the town’s many former cinemas. Tickets £8.
This Bean Spins will be hosting a circus workshop in Ramsgate’s Ellington Park on August 20. Places are £4 per child. DM to book.
Ramsgate Festival Of Sound returns this week, running August 22-25. There will be an opening concert from Look Mum No Computer, the annual sonic trail, and many more events to check out. Full programme here.
Louie On Sea teams up with Broadstairs Italian outfit Cornicello at the Turner Contemporary on August 23. £45 per person.
Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures dance company will be bringing free outdoor performances Doorstep Duets to Margate and Ramsgate next week. Catch it at various locations in Margate on August 23 and Ramsgate on August 24. Find out more here.