Sad Distraction...

After the wonderful distractions of the excellent Hastings Fat Tuesday Music Festival, I am now distracted by events in Ukraine, and in Russia! Whilst the news of the escalation of violence in Ukraine, not to forget the deliberate assault on a nuclear power station with Russian rockets/bombs is so very scary (BBC), the news coming out of the violent prevention of protest against the war by Russian police adds anger to the mix, notably when an older woman, Yelena Osipova, who survived the siege of Leningrad by the Nazis during WWII, is arrested for protesting against the war (Guardian with video).

My thoughts and best wishes are with the people of Ukraine... 

Fat Tuesday Tour This Evening!

Tuesday the 1st of March, today. is the day, Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras/Shrove Tuesday, whatever you call it, and Hastings hosts the biggest Mardi Gras festival in Britain: 24 acts will be playing at the following 12 venues mainly in Hastings Old Town:

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 Party.

If you want to be 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. I'd 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, venues will be busy!

If you still have energy to carry on, the Fat Tuesday After Party is from 10.00 pm until 3.00 am at The Brass in the town centre, 18 Havelock Road TN34 1BP (website). Go to the link to purchase tickets from eventbrite which cost £11.01 (£10 + booking fee).

If you haven't already read it, more about Mardi Gras in last Wednesday's blog.

100th Birthday Celebration, Fat Tuesday Cometh & More!

If you wondered what all the singing was about on Tuesday at Winkle Island, then I can advise you that it was a rousing chorus of "Happy Birthday" in celebration of George's 100th birthday, many congratulations to him, and quite a few glasses were raised to him yesterday as well! 

Sadly, George died on the 10th of January 2023, R.I.P. 😢

Indeed, the Hastings Fat Tuesday Music Festival 2022 is soon to be upon us, from the 25th February to the 1st of March, 2 years on from the last Fat Tuesday, which was the final major event in Hastings before the first COVID-19 Crisis lockdown (blog). The festival kicks off with the Fat Friday Mardi Gras Ball on Friday 25th, culminating with the Fat Tuesday Tour of 13 pubs and bars in the Old Town on the evening of Tuesday 1st March; more details will follow here, but if you can't wait, see their website.

Hastings Fat Tuesday is the largest Mardi Gras celebration in the UK, which, like the usually impressive New Orleans and Rio de Janeiro Mardi Gras, were all cancelled last year due to the pandemic. This year most of the parades in New Orleans will be shortened, and the Rio Mardi Gras has been put back to April the 20th to the 30th. 

On Tuesday I noticed a very significant Police and PCSO presence around Hastings and particularly in the town centre, this being a continuation of Hastings Police high-vis patrols, engaging with Hastings folk and maintaining an eye on the area (twitter).

And a warning, as if you didn't already know, that Storm Eunice will be upon us overnight and tomorrow, with an Amber Weather Warning that wind speed down here is forecast to reach up to nearly 50mph, with gusts of up to more than 70mph! Rain is forecast between 02.00 and 10.00 (Met Office), which will feel unbearable, I imagine, noting wind speed, so batten down the hatches and stay safe!