The Weekend - Broadstairs Folk Fest & Margate Soul Weekend

Pretty good for me, I think, I didn't get out as much as I'd hoped but managed to nip over to Broadstairs on my bike and soak up the ambience of the Folk Fest, and a had a pleasant rare break from work.

The festival always seems good natured and the people well behaved not sure why local business or the police feel it necessary to support a "Dispersal Zone" seems like a sledgehammer reaction to demonise teenagers. Yes kids are irritating and obnoxious but this anti social legislation wouldn't be out of place in any totalitarian society no surprise this was a Labour bit of control freakery

Rather disappointed to see banner advertising at such an important event after the councils crack down, particularly given the sensitive nature of Broadstairs Folk I must say this banner was particularly shocking, promoting as it does the wonders of Westwood Cross, given the complaints and ballyhoo about similar promotional items around the shopping centre. I just hope these have "official sanction" of the council otherwise, I'm afraid Cllr Simon Moores is going to have make another statement.

Anyway the Folk Festival gives this area a big boost, encouraging much positive promotion for the area like BBC South East Today "infotainment" show , again thanks to all the hard work of the organisers.

I walked into Margate, to take a gander at the Soul Weekend, spent an hour or so on the "Piazza"  the weather wasn't the best, although the music played by the InterSeptors was very good I particularly enjoyed "Proud Mary" and "River Deep Mountain High"  and well worth standing in the light drizzle afterwards had some deluxe cider (handmade by some noble family in Suffolk since the dawn of time) which was marvellous in that new bar adjacent the Piazza.

The Margate Carnival Soul Weekend certainly offers something different to the Folk Festival and it's not on the same scale however it dragged me into town, and understand quite a few travelled from up norf. I hope the everyone had a good time, unfortunately I couldn't get down on Sunday but understand that the carnival was as good as ever.

A few things in Margate could do with tweaking, one the TC's cafe seemed to be employing sales prevention methods, looking for somewhere to sit out of the rain, I took a command decision and dragged my family toward the Contemporary from outside Barnacles, on arrival about two thirds of the Cafe had been rendered out of bounds with "Reserved" notices now I understand they do an evening dinner from 6pm onwards so it seemed a tad overzealous around 4 ish .

A couple of contentious items part of Margate main beach been corralled by fences for what I understand (despite no signage) will be a permanent volley ball court (more on this later) with three new huts and more possible  "illegal"?   advertising and is it time to restore public toilet facilities in the old town which used exist at the back of the old Margate Council building.

Finally a thank you is in order to the Bar/Cafe owner who allowed non customers, the use of his facilities, also a thank you to one of my readers kind enough have a good word for this blog, it is much appreciated.