I don't know about you but I suppose it depends what Religion you are?
When I was a child Fat Tuesday was and still is the day when people eat pancakes, doughnuts or other treats before the big Fast on Ash Wednesday leading to Lent following the Catholic/Christian Tradition.
In fact as an Adult I still reach for the pancakes, lemon and sugar and gorge myself on Fat (Shrove)Tuesday. It is the only day of the year that I eat pancakes!.
Not so for the residents of Hastings, East Sussex, United Kingdom....apart from eating Pancakes of course.. they now also Party as Hastings has become the biggest venue for Mardi Gras celebration in the United Kingdom, known as Hastings Fat Tuesday.
The one day event started by local Musician Bob Tipler has now grown into 6 days of musical revellry. The event begins on the 4th February and carries on until 9th February.
The people of Hastings love to dress up..in fact it is part of the "norm". Hastings is fairly unpretentious and people really do not mind what anyone wears whether it is wigs, piercings, tatoos, men in dresses or even just stark naked! Most locals do not even "bat an eyelid." In fact, everyone and anything is welcome!. If you are Creative then even better as Hastings is full of Writers, Poets, Musicians, Celebrity Chefs, the Odd Fisherman and of course Drinkers! (Are they Creative?)
It is said that the musical buzz of Hastings was borne out of the unemployment and poverty in the Town. The locals turned to music to cheer themselves up. There certainly is an eclectic mix of musical genres....you can tap (literally) into anything in Hastings from Rock to Pop to Jazz to Indie to Folk and even into Classical.
One of the great advantages of listening to live music in Hastings is that a lot of the events are FREE.
On 6th February the pubs partake in "Unplugged Saturday" from 1pm to 6pm. The public can stay in one pub and the bands move from venue to venue. So, the only thing to do is grab a drink and watch band after band perform for around 20 minutes each. There are around 200 gigs in all around the Town.
You can enjoy some real Talent such as Hannah Bradbeer, Kevin Armstrong, Kid Kapichi, Sam Calver, Dr Savage, Vanessa King performing with the talented Soul Express....to name but a few.
On 7th February people can join the Umberella Parade from 12.00... again a FREE event.
It is a Creative and Musical Heaven.....
Fat Tuesday itself is launched from the Albion Pub in George Street, Hastings Old Town. The Events kicks off at 8pm with Matilda's Scoundrels. From 8pm until 11pm you can walk from pub to pub and listen to live music. And, again like Saturday the Musicians are moving every 20 minutes.
On the 9th February there is the After Party that starts at 10pm and goes on until late and features the very great Blair and friends at the Brass Monkey and Grand Elektra. The After Party event is one of the few that you have to buy tickets for. However, it is still cheap..just £10.00 and you can move between the two venues for that price.
If you miss it this year..then make sure you put it in the diary for next year and enjoy Carnival Hastings Style.
More information on www.hastingsfattuesday.co.uk
Jayne Watkins - Travel Writer, Radio Presenter and Band Promoter
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