The Royal Harbour of Ramsgate 200th Anniversary Festival Year
I am sure that you will all be excited about coming out of lockdown and that we, in Ramsgate, have an amazing set of events coming up very soon. You will also be pleased to hear that most things on the planned programme are going forward to create a great weekend in September.
The reason for this early report is to see who else wants to join our already amazing team of event makers of Ramsgate, as well as to tell you about the things that you need to know now so that you have time to book your seats for some great activities that will have a limited number of tickets available. So, here goes:
- Throughout the three-day Ramsgate 200th Anniversary Festival there will be many Family Fun Events and they are all free.
- We have the “Royal Harbour 200 Gala Variety Show” on Friday September 24 at 7pm in our “Big Top” Theatre Marquee on the Crosswall. This is a paid event – tickets are £8 for adults and £5 for children – there are only 200 seats, so book early.
- On Saturday September 25 at 11am, we are going to hold a Big Parade and Drumhead Service.
- We are holding a banquet on Saturday September 25 at 7pm in the “Big Top” Festival Banquet Marquee. This event, again has only 200 places and the cost for our three-course banquet and amazing cabaret is just £40. You have to book early. Tables of eight people are available.
- On Sunday September 26, we also have three more paid shows: In the morning the “Ramsgate 2020 Variety Show”; Gordon Clarkson’s Pantomime, “Simple Simon and the Golden Goose” in the “Big Top” Theatre Marquee; and in the late afternoon the “Thanet Obelisk Awards Gala Show”, the show that is like the TV’s OSCARS and BAFTA’s Awards Show. This one rewards Thanet people. All the shows are in the “Big Top” Theatre Marquee on the Crosswall and all seats are priced at £5 each. Book early or be disappointed!
- We have a Children’s Free Street Party on Sunday September 26 in the afternoon, but we can only take 200 children (aged 5 to 11 years), so book early or be disappointed.
- On Sunday September 26, we have the restaging of the famous Frith painting, “A Day at the Seaside ” which is of Ramsgate and hangs in Buckingham Palace and was presented to Queen Victoria in 1854. Most of the buildings are still there today. So, if you want to be part of this historic reconstruction and have a Victorian outfit, let us know ASAP. We need 100 Victorians on the Sunday afternoon!
- 80 plus years ago, the top hatted Mayor of Ramsgate, ABC Kemp, staged a special “Tea Party on the Sands” for the people of Ramsgate. He invited 1,000 people and 20,000 turned up, something you can see on a Pathe News Reel on Youtube. We held this tea party five years ago, so why not join us again for this free event on Ramsgate Main Sands on Sunday September 26 in the afternoon? We’re calling it “T.P.O.T.S – Tea Party on the Sands”. Either bring your own picnic or buy it from one of our great seafront venues.
We have all waited well over a year to get out and have fun, but it is definitely more enjoyable to be part of the Ramsgate 200th Anniversary Festival than to just watch it.
We are also running a Photographic and Art Competition with the Royal Harbour as the subject of all your work. To sign up, either go to our website: www.ramsgate2021.co.uk or email me at: [email protected] or ring me on 07969 672674.
This is the community of Ramsgate staging a get together Event for Thanet and beyond.
Our full Ramsgate 200th Anniversary Festival programme will be published in the September edition of this magazine. We would like to thank our two main sponsors, Ramsgate Town Council and Blueberry Homes.
Written by:
Ralph Hoult OBE,
Festival Director
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