Whitstable Oyster Festival - Art, Heritage, Family, Food and Drink.

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2011 Events by Day

Check frequently for additions!

Building up to the Oyster Festival, plenty to do …

You’ll find a lot to do before and after the festival as well as during festival week. The Whitstable Brewery Bar beer festival begins on Thursday 21st July with cask beers, barbecue and Hullabaloo performing in the evening, followed by the same all day fun on Friday with Rubber Biscuit as the evening headline.

If jazz is more your style, then visit the Duke of Cumberland on Friday lunchtime for a jazz Brunch with Burt Butlers Jazz Pilgrims. For Blues go to Deco 5 on Thursday night to enjoy the Big Blooze Jam; for classic rock try the Leigh Heywood Band at the Duke of Cumberland on Friday night; and for reggae it’s Deco 5 again, this time on Friday night with the Riddimatics.

Whilst you are relaxing in the daytime you can make a start on Whitstable Reads Framed. Festival week is a great opportunity to share a great story with your friends and family, and Whitstable Reads brings the whole community together to read, celebrate and enjoy the same story.

Leading up to, and during the festival, listen to Red Sands Radio, real community radio which surround you with the sound, culture and people of Whitstable and the surrounding area. Daily programme updates will be broadcast during the festival. Tune to 87.7 FM or visit www.redsandsradio.co.uk

And then the start of the Whitstable Oyster Festival….

Saturday 23rd July

The first day of the festival is always busy, with streets, beaches and open spaces buzzing with performers, artists and exhibitors. Make sure you visit as many places as possible, and plan to stay later so you can take in the post parade celebrations in Oxford Street before embarking on your evening choices. The 2 day food Epicentre starts in Whitstable Harbour.

Sunday 24th July

More Festival traditions today with the infamous Mud Tug and equally infamous Oyster Eating Competition. For those with a more delicate cultural constitution there’s also plenty more street theatre, all sorts of music to enjoy and some great arts activities to try.

Monday 25th July

Celebrate a Monday off work by indulging yourself with a creative sort of day today. Children are especially well catered for with a wide variety of fun things to make and do, but adults are not neglected. In fact, who’s to say too can’t gatecrash some of the more interesting looking kid things? This Festival is anything but height-ist.

Tuesday 26th July

Tuesday is a pot pourri, mainly made with arty things but with quite a bit of heritage and exercise mixed in. Preparations for the Friday finale are beginning to ramp up, the Oxford Street end of town becomes a popular place for small people to be, and there’s a diversity of music on offer at night.

Wednesday 27th July

There is a distinctly literate feel to the day today with several writing workshops, and a fascinating evening at the Horsebridge where anything anyone could possibly wish to know about Whitstable’s history and heritage will be answered by one of a collection of local experts. Talking of experts, there are gardening experts at the Castle, craft experts at the Horsebridge all day, and crabbing experts on the beach.

Thursday 28th July

Today Whitstable’s heritage really comes to the fore, with a showcase of traditions unique to this coastal town. The Blessing of the Waters is an annual favourite as is the making and lighting of Grotters….but who is the mysterious mermaid?

Friday 29th July

It’s the final day of the Festival so don’t forget to make your Whitstable Wish before it’s too late. It really is last chance day today ….last chance to make something for the finale or have street theatre fun. Last chance for traditional seaside pursuits like Punch and Judy and kite-flying. Last chance for big band music and saving the last dance… but let’s not be too sad. It may be the very last day but that means – yes! A festival finale!

… and immediately after the Oyster Festival - Do hang around or visit again

Saturday 30th July - Whitstable Harbour Day 2011. The harbour fills again with a plethora of stalls and the boats assemble for the 2011 Whitstable Harbour Match where 100 year old Oyster Smacks and Thames Barges race off-shore.

A week after the Oyster Festival - Saturday 7th August 5pm - Whitstable Carnival 2011.
Now in its 114th year a revitalised Whitstable Carnival threads its way from Tankerton through to the High Street and beyond. Find a spot along the route to enjoy the colour and sound of an old favourite event. website

Two weeks after the Oyster Festival, Whitstable Regatta 2011 comes to town! The enormously popular annual event will be on Tankerton Slopes and in Tankerton Bay for Saturday 13th August & Sunday 14st August, and is full of Whitstable favourites.

This year the Regatta includes a fair ground, Yacht Racing in the Bay, craft and charity stalls, all topped off with a spectacular firework display off shore on Saturday night.

2011 marks the 219th Anniversary for Whitstable Regatta so expect something very special. The Regatta is organised by Whitstable & Herne Bay Lions Club. Contact 01227 274313

If you should need an excuse for re-visiting Whitstable during the summer and beyond then here’s another reason:

Anytime - The reason is just Whitstable. It has an appeal that takes you back a decade or two when life ran at a slower pace, yet it always feels different as the beach side view changes by the hour, the day and the season. Its specialist shops defy the blandness and conformity of modern shopping centres and the food is, as you would expect, amongst the freshest and tastiest you can experience.

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