May Bank Holiday in Broadstairs

• Written by: Lorraine
• Written on: April 17, 2016
• Filed Under: 2016 Events, Activities, Broadstairs, Children, Local Area

The Broadstairs May Fair is always great fun – the centre-piece is a traditional funfair on the seafront by the bandstand at Victoria Gardens, above Viking Bay, the town’s main beach.  Included in the fun you’ll find all manner of stalls, Sea Cadents, RNLI and live music – all together making for a great atmosphere in the town over the bank holiday weekend.

As is typical in Broadstairs it’s a very family friendly event and all very jolly. The whole thing is organised as a fundraiser and awareness raiser for an even bigger annual event, Broadstairs Water Gala, which takes place in August (Wednesday 17th August 2016).

This year there’s also the WildThings Family Day event taking place on 2nd May, up the hill in Pierremont Park, organised by Looping the Loop Festival.  Incorporating: a Handmade Fair; cakes from local bakers – The Great Broadstairs Bake Off; gourmet organic candyfloss; more tasty treats from Lola’s Van – a 1940s Citroen van catering business selling outstanding sausage rolls, good coffee and home made cakes and a whole range of activities and things to see. Children are invited to come dressed as a WildThing which will undoubtedly raise a few smiles straight away!

At midday and 3pm there will be performances of a show for small children, GRASS, all about the wriggling world beneath our feet, by Second Hand Dance ,a professional dance company. Expect outbreaks of ant dancing as well as puppets and projections in this fun production which has been devised to get the little ones enthused and engaged with mini-beasts like slugs, snails, grasshoppers, butterflies, ants and everything else that goes on beneath the grass in the park!

The Eccentric Explorers (street theatre team) will be leading expeditions around the park and there will also be a chance to help build a micro-cosmic cathedral. We’re not sure what that that is, but it sounds entertaining.

The park is a pleasant green oasis at the top of hill about half way up the High Street, as you walk from the beach towards the station.  The large white building in the centre of the park is the 18th Century Pierremont Hall, where the young Princess Victoria stayed as a girl when she holidayed in Broadstairs before becoming Queen. A smaller building off to the side was where she did her music practice.

Walking between the May Fair on the seafront and WildThings event will be about a ten minute leisurely stroll, or may take you longer if you want to check out some of the shops on the way.

Whatever way you look at it, Broadstairs has lots to offer this May bank holiday, for all members of the family. Hopefully we’ll also get some sunshine, it’s beautiful here today and we feel optimistic about a sunny summer ahead! Check availability of our holiday lets using the form on our home page, if you want to plan a break here – we’d love to see you but we do tend to get booked up quite well in advance so don’t leave it too late.

Waving to you from all of us at Beeches in Broadstairs.