Hastings Fat Tuesday Tour 4th March 2025

Tomorrow evening, Tuesday the 4th of March is the day, Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras/Shrove Tuesday, whatever you want to call it, and Hastings hosts the biggest Mardi Gras festival in Britain: For the Fat Tuesday Tour 24 acts will be playing at 3 venues each from the following 12, from the Carlisle in the west/town centre to the Dolphin Inn in the east/old town, and all free, but don't forget to drink!😉

Albion, 33 George Street TN34 3EA;

Hastings and St Leonards Angling Association, Marine Parade TN34 3AG;

Carlisle, 24 Pelham Street TN34 1PE;

Dolphin Inn, 11-12 Rock-a-Nore Road TN34 3DW;

Dragon Bar, 71 George Street TN34 3EE;

First In Last Out, 14-15 High Street TN34 3EY;

Jenny Lind Inn, 69 High Street TN34 3EW;

London Trader, 4-7 East Beach Street TN34 3AR;

Lord Nelson, 1 East Bourne Street TN34 3DP;

Porters Wine Bar, 56 High Street TN34 3EN;

Pump House, 64 George Street TN34 3EE;

Royal Standard, East Beach Street TN34 3DW.

Each of the 24 acts will play 20 minutes sets in 3 of the venues, and each venue will have 6 acts, from 8.00 pm until 11.00/11.30 pm; please go to the Hastings Fat Tuesday website for greater detail for each act and each venue. In addition, from 8.00 pm until 1.00 am, opposite the Lifeboat Station at East Hastings Sea Angling Association, The Stade TN34 3FJ, will be the Reggae Room.

If you want to play it by ear, just walk around the Old Town and don't be surprised by the quality of free live music available, have fun and party. However, I recommend people consider their favourite venues and what they sell drinks-wise, consider who they'd like to see, then decide on getting to one venue early, and stay there, it will be busy!

For full details of all events (there is more!) go to the website.

If you haven't already read it, I wrote more about Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras and the history of Mardi Gras in last Thursday's blog.  

Enjoy free live music and party folks!

Hastings Fat Tuesday Tour 13th of February 2024

Tomorrow evening, Tuesday the 13th of February is the day, Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras/Shrove Tuesday, whatever you want to call it, and Hastings hosts the biggest Mardi Gras festival in Britain: For the Fat Tuesday Tour 24 acts will be playing at 3 venues each from the following 12, from the Carlisle in the west/town centre to the Dolphin Inn in the east/old town, and all free, but don't forget to drink!😉

Albion, 33 George Street TN34 3EA;

Hastings and St Leonards Angling Association, Marine Parade TN34 3AG;

Carlisle, 24 Pelham Street TN34 1PE;

Dolphin Inn, 11-12 Rock-a-Nore Road TN34 3DW;

Dragon Bar, 71 George Street TN34 3EE;

First In Last Out, 14-15 High Street TN34 3EY;

Jenny Lind Inn, 69 High Street TN34 3EW;

London Trader, 4-7 East Beach Street TN34 3AR;

Lord Nelson, 1 East Bourne Street TN34 3DP;

Porters Wine Bar, 56 High Street TN34 3EN;

Pumphouse, 64 George Street TN34 3EE;

Royal Standard, East Beach Street TN34 3DW.

Each of the 24 acts will play 20 minutes sets in 3 of the venues, and each venue will have 6 acts, from 8.00 pm until 11.00/11.30 pm; please go to the Hastings Fat Tuesday website for greater detail for each act and each venue. In addition, from 8.00 pm until 1.00 am, opposite the Lifeboat Station at East Hastings Sea Angling Association, The Stade TN34 3FJ, will be the Reggae Room.

If you want to play it by ear, just walk around the Old Town and don't be surprised by the quality of free live music available, have fun and party. However, I recommend people consider their favourite venues and what they sell drinks-wise, consider who they'd like to see, then decide on getting to one venue early, and stay there, it will be busy!

For full details of all events (there is more!) go to the website.

If you haven't already read it, I wrote more about Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras and the history of Mardi Gras in last Wednesday's blog.  

Enjoy free live music and party folks!

Pickled Quails' Eggs!

OK, the jar had already been relieved of a few eggs by the time I took this photograph, but I couldn't resist the pickled quails' eggs that were on sale yesterday from the bar of the Albion (website), and which I've written about before (eg blog), they're wee and they're very tasty! And many thanks to Claire for her generosity, cheers m'dear! 👍

It's not just a great place for ale, pies and pasties in Hastings Old Town... 

Just £5 for a tastefully packaged and well-packed jar, I'll be back!

Hastings Tap Takeover 2022!

By Steve the Beermeister...

This weekend, Friday 7th to Sunday 9th, is the 2022 Hastings Tap Takeover (website), which, in effect, means that there is a beer festival, but at 15 different venues in Hastings & St Leonards, with each venue having its taps taken over by a different independent brewery!

I'll list the breweries below in alphabetical order, as the organisers have on their website, with the corresponding venue; opening times will vary so check with the venue as appropriate. Cheers!

Abyss (website) of Lewes will be at The Piper, 1 Norman Road TN37 6NH (facebook).

Arbor (website) of Bristol at The Tower, 251 London Road TN37 6NB (facebook).

Beak (website) of Lewes at Collected Fictions, Unit 1, 6-8 London Road TN37 6AE (Nicelocal).

Drop Project (website) of Mitcham at The Seadog, 32 Station Road TN34 1NJ (website).

Floc (website) of Canterbury at The Imperial, 119 Queens Road TN34 1RL (website).

Good Chemistry (website) of Bristol at The Jenny Lind, 69 High Street TN34 3EW (website).

Hand (website) of Worthing at The St Leonard, 16-18 London Road TN37 6AN (website).

Only With Love (website) of Uckfield at The Crown, 64-66 All Saints Street TN34 3BN (website).

Overtone (website) of Glasgow at Eel & Bear, 28 Waldegrave Street TN34 1SJ (website).

Pig & Porter (website) of Tunbridge Wells at the Albion, 33 George Street TN34 3EA (website).

Pohjala (website) of Estonia at The Jolly Fisherman, 3 E Beach Street TN34 3AR (website).

Revolutions (website) of Castleford at 1200 Postcards, 80 Queens Road TN34 1RL (facebook).

Sureshot (website) of Manchester at The Courtyard, White Rock TN34 1JA (website).

Track (website) of Manchester at Heist Market, 22-26 Norman Road TN37 6NH (website).

Verdant (website) of Penryn at The Marina Fountain, 26 Caves Road TN38 0BY (website).

Cheers!

Hastings Tap Takeover 11-13 October 2019

By Steve the Beermeister:

This weekend, to help kick off Hastings Week (website) with a bang, twelve venues in Hastings, from The Dolphin Inn in the east to The Tower in the west, will be holding 'tap takeovers' by twelve different breweries (Hastings Tap Takeover facebook page). Each venue will be helping to celebrate 'exceptional independent breweries'  from near and far, with great real ales, and crafty keg beers too!

For full details of the venues and breweries involved, either go to the Steve the Beermeister blogspot, or to the Hastings Taptakeover facebook page. 

Hastings Jazz & Blues Festival 2-4th June 2017

Hastings Winkle Club's Jazz and Blues Festival returns to The Stade Open Space this weekend, Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th June 2017. Free music starts tomorrow (Saturday) at 2pm with the Helen Sharp Jazz Quartet, culminating with the world famous, multi-award winning, Liane Carroll Band, 7.30-9pm. 

Sunday entertainment starts with the Jazz Breakfast, yes, includes food, tea and coffee being available, 10.30am at The Stade Open Space, and winds down with The Tom Fitzpatrick Band 6.30-7.30pm; see website for full details of the free music at The Stade. There will be collection buckets for people, encouraged to make donations to the Winkle Club, who support local charities and poorer folk and people in need (website).

There are 8 other official venues with music starting this evening (Friday), ie the Albion, Anchor, Dragon Bar, Jenny Lind, Old Market, Porters, Nelson and Trader (website for individual gig information). Of course, we're blessed with plenty of live music around the town centre and old town, I know there is music at the Dolphin Inn this evening, and with an act from the Stade crossing the road tomorrow evening (Saturday) to continue their gig! Also, music at the East Hastings Angling Club tomorrow evening! If you know of any further music venues, please let me know, cheers!

Albion Plays On...

No, not Brighton & Hove Albion, though they have, but I was shown round the Albion in George Street yesterday by Adam, cheers! There's still some work to be completed, but it's looking very good, indeed, eg the new fascia...

Rebuilt in the 19th century, as I wrote recently, and signs of the Victorian influence can be seen around the building, including unveiled William Morris wallpaper upstairs; to acknowledge the historical Arts & Crafts features, they have commissioned bespoke wallpaper in an appropriate style, which includes images of Hastings Castle too! This original wallpaper is in the larger room at the back/opposite the seafront, whilst the tartan and wood panels from the Youngers time here, and the newly built stage, remain in the George Street bar.

6 handpumps, for those who like their ale (like me); yesterday there were 4 different ales available, East Sussex brewed Harveys Sussex Best and Dark Star Hophead, plus Timothy Taylors Landlord and Theakstons Old Peculiar. I was assured that the availability of more local ales is being looked into, cheers!        

The Albion reopens!

The Albion in George Street, reopens at 7pm today, according to their facebook page, with a gig by the (London band?) Congo Faith Healers: "The Congo Faith Healers are like nothing you have heard or experienced before, and combine down and dirty swamp infested gypsy blues with wild savage guitar playing voodoo vocals, latin american drum and trumpet grooves with rockabilly swing double bass and hooks that you will be singing for days..."

However, I've been advised that 8pm may be a better time to turn up... 

Tomorrow, Saturday, will be "a festival of traditional Irish Music, and Sunday afternoon the London based Dirty Spoons will play Skiffle music!" 

Oh yes, and they'll be selling ale...

Good luck to Bob and Adam et al, et ale even!