
Dr. Savage
Despite funding cut Fat Tuesday is back: 9-13 February
The Hastings Fat Tuesday Festival is a local favourite. Now Britain’s biggest Mardi Gras is returning, a celebrated late-winter musical blowout that also has a wider programme of activity to support the communities of Hastings and St Leonards. Hastings Fat Tuesday (HFT) is supported by trustees and managed by a small team. Bernard McGinley reports. The 2024 Fat Tuesday was in jeopardy following the announcement from Arts Council England that they would not be supporting the event. An HFT crowdfunder led to generous donations and support by local people and East Sussex County Council’s Community Wellbeing Fund: the event can go ahead, though with a smaller programme than in recent years. That still means a five-day town-wide celebration with over 350 free gigs, gatherings, parties and parades alongside ticketed events. Dr Savage (pictured above) is a particular favourite.
Unplugged Saturday

Sonics: a feast of experimentation at the Pig on Saturday and Sunday.

When I moved to Hastings I felt an instant connection that I can’t explain. We moved our entire business and our families here and Hastings Fat Tuesday Music Festival was a big part of that. We make records. We recognise that Hastings Fat Tuesday has always supported the development of local artists and I wanted to find a way to support the continuation of the festival and support the local scene. My idea was to give the local artists a platform on vinyl and donate all the records to Hastings Fat Tuesday so as to facilitate funding for the festival, which by coincidence, is needed more this year than ever.
Further afield As well as the main festival, there’s the biennial Sonics electronic music festival and a range of live music events and community sessions and workshops to support musicians and young people, and provide engaging cultural experiences for all. Hastings Fat Tuesday CIC [Community Interest Company] is a not-for-profit organisation. Cheeringly the Fat Tuesday Festival even has a fringe. Get down.
King Size Slim: the regular HFT favourite is at the Lord Nelson on Monday evening.
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