Hastings Old Town Week is an annual summer event celebrated in the
Old Town
In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...
of
Hastings
Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England,
east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...
,
East Sussex
East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East Su ...
. The Old Town week typically occurs during the first week of August and is officially opened on
Winkle Island. During the week events such as concerts, street parties, charity races and
Morris Dancing take place. The week ends with the Old Town Carnival procession, which contains 'floats', dancers, majorettes and marching bands and ends with a firework display in the evening.
The carnival was first started in 1969 after Old Town residents felt the original Hastings Carnival should have included the Old Town in its route and decided to set up their own carnival. The Old Town event gradually got more popular and bigger, whilst the Hastings event became less popular and eventually stopped. As a parting gift the Old Town organisers were allowed to title the Carnival Queen "Miss Hastings". In 2018, the Carnival Court was rebranded the Sea Court and expanded to include a King, who carries the title Mr Hastings.
Events
The Seaboot Race is a race in which each entrant has to run from the start/finish line around a lobster pot and back, wearing
seaboots and a
top hat
A top hat (also called a high hat, a cylinder hat, or, informally, a topper) is a tall, flat-crowned hat for men traditionally associated with formal wear in Western dress codes, meaning white tie, morning dress, or frock coat. Traditionally m ...
.
The Bike Race is another race where the entrant has to ride up the steepest road in the Old Town, using a Butchers Bike in the quickest time possible, without taking their buttocks off the saddle. This event is undertaken in memory of a local fisherman who died during the
Great Storm of 1987.
Other events include the Pram Race, Best Dressed Window Competition, the High Street party, various eating competitions, a Gurning championship and the concluding Carnival Procession.
External links
Carnival Week EventsOfficial Carnival SiteHastings Borough CouncilCarnival PhotographsOld Town Carnival Week SiteCarnival program, entry forms and related information.
Hastings
Festivals in East Sussex