Hastings 29 September to 1 October 2017

Well, with Hastings Week to start next weekend, you'd think this weekend would be quiet, but, of course, that would be silly of me to suggest! There will be the usual gigs in pubs and bars, numerous eating places in which to dine, you could visit the museums and parks, the aquarium, castle and caves, miniature railways, theatres, Pier of the Year and seafront (decent forecast for Saturday), oh yes! The Hastings & St Leonards Coastal Currents Arts Festival 2017 ends on Sunday 1st October, so still 3 days of that to go (see website for further details of individual events), and...

Skinny Lister

Hastings Music Month continues until the end of October, quite a long month indeed! To help celebrate Music Month, Stade Saturdays (website) features Skinny Lister (website) on the stage at the Stade Open Space tomorrow (30th September) from 7.30pm. For more details of Music Month events go to the website, an eclectic mix including classical music, folk and Lulu at the White Rock Theatre; do also note the error, though, as the Tune Raiders will be playing at the Dolphin Inn every Tuesday as they always do, and not playing at the Blue Dolphin fish & chip shop!

Continue to enjoy yourselves!

Another Busy Weekend in Hastings!

Hastings Music Month 2017, 8th September to 31st October (website), kicks off today with the 3-day Beano on the Sea event at Hastings Pier, including this evening one of my favourite bands of the Britpop era, with Great Things expected of Echobelly, Black Grape, and Embrace (see the Pier's website for further details and acts on Saturday and Sunday), shame about the forecast weather!

Hastings Fringe during September (website or see their facebook page) intermingles with Music Month, and the Coastal Currents Arts Festival (website): Burlesque at The Printworks Saturday 9th, theatre, film, dancing, and even more music!

Of course there are the usual events and places to see, including the penultimate Old Hastings Preservation Society (OHPS) 2017 guided walk of Hastings Old Town this Saturday 9th September, which meets up by the top of the West Hill lift at 2.30pm, with a wealth of historic buildings, twittens and cat-creeps to explore in the old town. The walk proceeds gently downhill, but there are a number of steps to manage too; see their website, which also gives details of their Stade Walks this Saturday and Sunday, meeting at 11.00 both days, outside the Fishermen's Museum in Rock-a-Nore Road, for a fascinating tour of Hastings Fishing Quarter.

The walks lasts about 2 hours and 90 minutes respectively, and are provided free of charge, though the OHPS would be grateful for all donations given to them or to Hastings Fishermen's Museum, many thanks. It's worth wearing comfortable walking shoes, obviously, and the forecast suggests it will be bright, certainly on Saturday, though maybe some rain on Sunday, so do be suitably prepared and enjoy the weekend! 

Busy busy busy Weekend!

The 2017 Hastings & St Leonards Coastal Currents Arts Festival (website) is now on for the month until the 1st of October. Because there is so much happening, I am providing links to the website, but for what's on today, 2nd September, go to here, and remember, many events are on for many days and/or weekends.

Meanwhile, the Pier nears the end of the school holiday season, and please remember that new opening times start from Monday the 4th (previous blog), but today, Saturday 2nd, from 5pm, is the Hastings Pier Jam Part 2: The Closing Party (website). Also, tomorrow (3rd), linked with the Arts Festival is the private launch of 'Wavelength' by Zeroh (website) in the Pavilion, sign up for an invitation on the website.

Enjoy the weekend!

Coastal Currents: Harriett Macaree...

The Arts Festivals are everywhere! Just now I was walking through St Andrews Square in the centre of town, and there was an "Open Studio" for Harriet Macaree (Coastal Currents website), who is also participating as part of the Azzur performance at the Stade Open Space this evening; see my blog earlier today! 

Worth a visit, art is everywhere in Hastings! 

Arts Festivals: Coastal Currents Does Root 1066!

To celebrate this October's 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings, Coastal Currents does Root 1066, and this photograph, taken yesterday morning in Bottle Alley suggests the beginning of this 3rd September to 16th October joint cultural exercise; sadly damaged, whether by philistines or weather conditions I cannot guess, though I have my suspicions! Actually, Coastal Currents finishes 2 weeks earlier, and, as there is so much going on, please click to this link for full details of events.

For further details of the events of the full, 2 weeks longer, Root 1066, please click on this link. Of course, Stade Saturdays also links into the whole event, with, this evenings free event at the Stade Open Space, at 7.30pm, Azzur, "respected professionals from the Nice arts scene, specialising in jazz, improvised music and visual art." See Hastings Borough Council's website for further details.

Enjoy the weekend, and the next 6 or 7 weeks! 

Stade Saturday PLUS Coastal Currents continues...

Trevor Moss and Hannah-Lou will be playing at the Stade this Saturday 12th September from 7.30pm as part of the regular Stade Saturdays (website).

Of course, the Coastal Currents Arts Festival continues too! See website for further details of events.

Coastal Currents Arts Festival – Beach Huts!

I wandered down to Bulverhythe yesterday and came upon a part of the Coastal Currents Arts Festival at The Haven, Cinque Ports Way TN38 0FD, that is, in beach huts!  

This included hand printed textiles and felt work at Beach Hut 4, by Cara Hornett, Annika Jasse and Kate Dyer (I was a bit early, so not everything was set up yet, and not everyone here yet, so may well return next week, weather permitting).

See www.bumblebeasties.com and www.etsy.com/uk/    

I also popped into Beach Hut 10, to see the ceramic work of Andrew Topliss, paintings and ceramics by Andy Young, paintings by Mary Young, and cards by Rachel Tomlin.

The Beach Huts will again open next weekend, 12^th and 13^th September, probably best to go after 11.00, not the nearer to 09.00 when I visited yesterday!  

For more information of all associated events go to the festival website. 

BOREDOM! Coastal Currents AND Stade Saturday!

BOREDOM, by Hunt and Darton, is at the Stade Open Space, this Saturday 5 September, at 7.30pm (website). Jenny Hunt & Holly Darton bring their stage-show to Stade Saturdays, in their first outdoor performance of "Boredom." Boredom being an exploration into the highs and lows of being 'bored.' This means you experience some 'wise words', and some ‘you do it bits’, while promising lots of visual stimuli, just in case anyone gets 'bored.' Hunt & Darton think it’s a good idea to get bored and actively encourage you do, and laugh please! 

For more details of Coastal Currents events, see website.

Treasure Tots this Thursday's Coastal Currents newbie!

At Stade Hall this Thursday, for pre-school children, 10-12 noon, for under 12 year olds, 3-5pm; see website for further details of all events on. 

Coastal Currents continues; Rebeka Lord exhibition starts today

The Coastal Currents Arts Festival continues, of course, with many ongoing events (see website for more details); though an exhibition of Rebeka Lord's work, including photographs, drawings and paintings, starts today at the Oxfam shop in Western Road, Bexhill (see Rekeka's blog).   

Bottle Alley and "Point of Decay"

Since Friday, Bottle Alley has been converted into a scene of art, thanks to ZEROH as part of the opening ceremony of the Hastings & St Leonards Coastal Currents Arts Festival, see website. Here are some photographs I took yesterday...  

For continuing and new events go to the website.

Stade Saturday AND Sunday this weekend, and much more!

Yes! Stade Saturday includes a Sunday, this weekend! 

Today, Saturday 29^th August, from 7.30pm, at the Stade open space, as part of the Hastings & St Leonards Coastal Currents Arts Festival, which runs until 13^th September, is MANJUSAKA. This free performance follows years of development of the project by Yumino Seki and her team, and is drawn from Butoh, a form of Japanese avant-garde dance theatre.  

Tomorrow, from 1.30 to 8pm, at the Stade, the Anna Mudeka Band perform a unique fusion of Zimbabwean Mbira driven music to listen to, or dance the hours away, and take advantage to learn Zimbabwean dance moves in Anna's workshop!

For more details of what's happening over the next 2 weeks, eg today's Kids Kite Workshop at the Stade open space, go to the Coastal Currents website.