Dan Thompson of Marine Studios spills the tea about First Fridays

In a town that’s always obsessed with what’s new and what’s next, the few things that have lasted a little longer take on an extra significance. 

At 15 years old, First Fridays isn’t as long-running as the 120-year-old Margate Carnival, but it’s older than Turner Contemporary, most of the town’s shops, and all of Margate’s other arts events. It has taken place on the first Friday of every month (except January) since late 2009 - that’s an estimated 140 events.

First Friday is both a monthly event at Marine Studios, and a broader umbrella for galleries, studios, and arts organisations to come together in their programming and hold their own events on the same day.

As such, it’s been a showcase as the town’s creative renaissance started, a loose network that led the town’s revival after a global pandemic, and many people’s first introduction to Margate’s complicated cultural ecology.

First Friday origins go back to when Marine Studios opened in 2009.

The town’s first co-working space, Marine Studios occupies one floor of a building that used to be a casino, and before that was the Thanet Restaurant, and which was originally a boarding house for the gentry. The building’s uses have marked Margate’s evolution, from traditional seaside resort to an economy based on creativity.

Marine Studios was part of a series of cultural and creative spaces opened ahead of Turner Contemporary - others included Crate, Limbo, and Skylight Studios. Marine Studios was set up by a London-based design company called HKD, who specialise in designing exhibits for museums, historic buildings, and science centres.

First Friday was made in the spirit of their work - each month, an open inquiry into a topic or a question, which different people would respond to.

There have been writers, like Travis Elborough, Tristan Gooley, and David Usborne.

There has been work by artists including Sophie Herxheimer, Bryan Kneale RA, Tracey Emin, Paula Rego, Seb Lee-Delisle and Guðrún Sigríður Haraldsdóttir, and there have been performances from the likes of poet Harry Baker, storyteller Bernadette Russell, and miniature theatre master Robert Poulter.

It has been a place for showing new work, for research and development, and for unlikely collaborations.

Very quickly, though, First Friday broadened from being a Marine Studios event to being the evening when everyone held private views, previews of new work, or just opened their spaces to the public.

In the early days, with at most half-a-dozen galleries and studios in town and a much smaller audience, it created a buzz across Margate as people moved from one event to another. It was an important coming-together for locals (and a vital part of building networks the town needed), and a chance for visitors to see the town’s potential.

Paradoxically, as more spaces opened, from 2015 onwards the idea that everyone would take part in an event like First Friday fell away, but the event continued at Marine Studios.

Then the pandemic happened, and many of Margate’s businesses came together in the Don’t Visit Margate campaign, inspired by rising covid cases, the Kent variant, and Margate’s health inequalities. After the worst was over, a series of big First Fridays were a sign of the town’s reopening and a statement of intent. 

Led by a loose coalition of Marine Studios, The Bus Cafe, and former Old Town boutique Little Bit, dozens of shops and galleries opened late, Turner Contemporary held a series of special events, and there were performances in the market square.

The post-Covid First Friday marked a new generation of Margate businesses engaging with an established tradition. And it welcomed a fresh set of people, many of whom had moved to Margate in lockdown, who were looking for connection and community.

Four years on, and First Friday is exploring a new idea - an open invitation to businesses across the Isle of Thanet to join in, holding private views, late openings, or other events on the same evening.

The first Friday of the month.

That move recognises the importance of joining up the Isle’s different towns to visitors, who - staying for a weekend or longer,now the town has better hotels and guest houses - have more time to explore.

Whatever happens, it’ll be in the original spirit of inquiry, of collaboration, and creativity. 

So if you fancy some adventure on the First Friday of any month, visit Marine Studios on Albert Terrace, Margate after 6pm.

You’ll be part of something that’s brought people together, contributed to the town’s economic regeneration, created moments of magic and wonder, and helped shape Margate’s story.

Follow First Fridays on Instagram

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WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN FIRST FRIDAYS?

Any gallery, venue, bar or anyone else can host a First Friday event across Thanet. Get in touch with the First Friday team via their Instagram or contact Marine Studios for more details.