Don’t Miss: Gotta Get Thru This festival
A new six-week grassroots festival is landing in Margate this spring and it’s designed for exactly the times we’re living in. And it’s free.
Gotta Get Through This festival kicks off 8 March
Gotta Get Thru This runs from 9 March to 19 April and promises a glittering, heart-fuelled celebration of nurturing, care and hope as radical, shared acts.
Curated by critically acclaimed theatre-makers Brigitte Aphrodite and Quiet Boy, the festival brings together bold performances, immersive installations and workshops created with local artists and community groups across Margate and Thanet.
All events are free and unticketed unless otherwise stated. No booking needed. Just turn up.
A Six-Week Celebration of Radical Care in Margate
Expect big feelings, bright moments, DIY glamour and acts of collective care all wrapped up in a showbiz bow.
The Gotta Get Thru This programme spans performances, installations, family-friendly events and late-night showbiz turns across venues including HOFFS, Margate Arts Club, Union Church, Camp and Where Else.
Funded by Arts Council England, the festival is produced by Margate-based theatre company Crescendorious, co-led by Brigitte Aphrodite and Quiet Boy (Gaz Tomlinson), known for their punk-joyous gig theatre style and immersive community collaborations.
Brigitte Aphrodite and Quiet Boy have launched their own festival
festival launch at hoffs
The festival opens on 9 March at HOFFS with Balmy Army by award-winning Margate-based artist and activist ‘the vacuum cleaner’.
Originally developed with more than 100 young people in Greater Manchester who had been failed by the NHS, the performance lecture transforms isolation into community.
From 9–11 March, HOFFS also hosts SAD Audio, an immersive installation by Quiet Boy exploring grief, hibernation and light cycles.
On 10–11 March, Tom Adams presents Escape Room, blending headphone storytelling with live musical accompaniment from his cult audio series.
On 11 March, head to Sea Scrub Sauna for Sauna Poems, followed by Schmooze back at HOFFS.
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Workshops, Families and Showbiz Nights
Creatives can attend Prop Drop In at Quench Gallery, a free workshop with Gemma Pharo helping performers get stage-ready. Booking is advised due to limited spaces.
Families can head to The Big Day Out at Margate Arts Club on 22 March, featuring performances from Hickory Dickory Tots, Roxanne Tataei and Tom Tegento.
Union Church will also host a Showbiz Fair of Care, a village fair with extra sparkle, music, talks and treats.
On 20 March, A Camp Night Out at CAMP delivers bold new theatrical turns from Dame Jame, Shelly Grotto and Nora Alexander, hosted by Brigitte Aphrodite and Quiet Boy.
The festival closes on 19 April at Whereelse with House of Life by Ben Welch, a cult rave-theatre hybrid combining immersive storytelling and music. (This event is ticketed.)
Prop Drop In Workshop
Gemma Pharo will help performers get stage-ready.
Radical Imagination Across Margate
People Dem Collective’s Radical Care, Radical Imagination programme runs 11–12 April, supporting creatives to build sustainable practices.
Throughout the festival, multidisciplinary artist Megan Metcalf’s Sunshine illustrations appear on doors and windows across Margate, creating a town-wide art trail to discover.
For more check the whole programme for Gotta Get Thru This or follow them on Instagram.
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