Fat Tuesday Music Festival
HASTINGS FAT TUESDAY RETURNS IN FULL!
28 FERUARY – 4TH MARCH 2025
Hastings Fat Tuesday Music Festival will once again deliver five days of music, mayhem and Mardi Gras across Hastings and St Leonards from February 28 to March 4. The five day town wide celebration will present over 350 free gigs, gatherings, parties and parades alongside ticketed events, with internationally acclaimed artists from across the globe appearing alongside a wealth of local bands.
Tickets are on sale for LE GRAND MARDI GRAS BALL (28 Feb) at the White Rock Theatre; a full-on night of fancy dress, fabulous feathers, beads and masks embracing the spirit of New Orleans. Pick up a ticket HERE. Don’t forget to get your ball outfits at the Frock Up Market Place at the Observer Building the weekend before.
Earlier the same day the UNCONVENTION one day grassroots music conference takes place at the East Hastings Sea Angling Association, with panelists from across the music industry sharing their experiences and identifying some of the challenges for artists in the Modern Era. £5 tickets for the whole day available HERE.
The ever popular Saturday UNPLUGGED TOUR (1 March) hosts more than 300 free gigs at pubs, bars, cafes and shops across Hastings Old Town and central St Leonards featuring a wealth of musicians and singers from all genres – folk meets punk meets pop, rock and sea shanties! This year the White Rock Theatre are hosting a very special COMEDY, CABARET AND DRAG BINGO in partnership with Hastings Comedy Festival- check it out and get your tickets HERE, or you can catch some emerging acts at the Under the Radar night at the Pig. And for all things electronic and experimental our SONICS team has curated a weekend of DJ’s and live music at the Pig.
The highlight for Sunday is the FAMILY UMBRELLA PARADE and PRESERVATION SUNDAY where festival-goers gather together and the rivalry of the second line brass bands comes to a head in a dramatic play-off at the White Rock Theatre. Take the opportunity to decorate your umbrellas ahead of the Parade at one of four free community workshops.
Join King Size Slim for a chilled out SLIM MONDAY at the Nelson, then get ready for Tuesday, when the five days of festival revelry culminate in FAT TUESDAY itself, (4 March) a free night of music and madness across Hastings Old Town. Tuesday also plays host to the REGGAE ROOM Party, at The East Hastings Sea Angling Association and the infamous AFTER PARTY at The Pig with late night DJs.Tickets HERE
Read more about all the events, venues and artists HERE
Don’t miss it!
While we’re pleased to announce that some funding has been secured to support the delivery of the full festival, we still need some extra help to allow us to keep the main elements free for all, including our community and school umbrella workshops, our family parade and the main music tours, on the Saturday and Tuesday.
Please consider adding a donation on to your BALL TICKET, or you can support us through our CROWDFUNDER to ensure we can keep all these elements free and to support the 500 + musicians who perform across the five days.
Stay tuned or sign up to the MAILING LIST to stay up to date with more festival news.
Tuesday also plays host to the REGGAE ROOM Party, at The East Hastings Sea Angling Association featuring a host of guest selectors on the decks and singers on the boards until 1am. And to ensure the festival goes out on a high, the infamous AFTER PARTY at The Brass featuring high-calibre live music from renowned Hot Drop plus late night DJs.Tickets HERE