The Coastal Currents opening party invites you to attend – dressed in black and white

Coastal Currents opening night is in glorious black and white

After the success of last weekend’s Bottle Alley Art Market, the local creative community is now looking forward to the start of Coastal Currents 2024. In the first of a series of articles, Erica Smith encourages you to dial down the colour and dress in black and white for the opening party at the White Rock Theatre on Friday 30 August.

Coastal Currents is a Hastings institution. Founded in 1999, this year is its 25th anniversary. Tina Morris, the festival director, has been involved with Coastal Currents since 2011.

She says: “Penny Precious, the Hastings Borough Council Arts Officer, steered this crazy ship for a good few years until Creative Coast – a collaboration between the incredible artist Lorna Crabbe and entrepreneur Sarah Yates took over in 2011. These guys were legendary with making Coastal Currents something really special, celebrating the uniqueness of this part of the coast whilst involving the whole community.”

In 2017, Tina took the festival on when Hastings Borough Council stopped supporting it financially. This will be the eighth festival that she has delivered independently – always creatively – sometimes with very little funding. Tina is a giant of a woman in all ways… tall, usually in high-heels, with long, dark, curly hair and a love of reggae (hence her company name, ‘Sweet and Dandy’), animals and big engines! She also chooses to step out of the limelight in favour of the artists that she works with. You don’t see many photographs of Tina – but you can’t miss her in a crowd.

Light artist Dhona Lumiere will be playing with photons at the opening event.

Debra Watson of the Poetry Brothel is one of the acts at the Opening Night party. Photogaph @katyclarksonphotography

Lily Kim from Message from the Ravens will be performing a solo set at the Coastal Currents Opening Party

If you want to meet her, your best opportunity is to dress in black and white and come along to the Coastal Currents Opening Party on Friday 30 August at the White Rock Theatre. Tina promises us that it will be a multi-media sound and music event. Artists include Debra Watson, MC of the Poetry Brothel, Message from the Ravens’ Lily Kim and light artist Dhona Lumiere.

The event is free, and everyone is welcome. Get there early because capacity is limited to 300. There are rumours of an after-party, but you’ll have to be there to find out more.

The Coastal Currents Opening Party is at the White Rock Theatre Studio on Friday 30 August from 7–11pm. Come along to find out about everything that the festival will offer throughout September.

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