Wednesday, June 15th, 2011
Margate’s Big Event takes place over Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 June 2011. It features air displays, live music, a fairground, and some “food” outlets along the sea front.
The kind of thing you can expect are a Vulcan (that is illogical Captain) and the Red Arrows who will be painting a Union Jack in the sky using multicoloured pollutants. There’s also some other different aeroplanes, some of which will be parachuting people into the sea.
On Saturday evening there’s more live music and fireworks and on Sunday there’s a raft race.
The TDC website (where we’ve basically copied this information from) also lists ‘convenient car parks’ as part of the event. It’s unclear whether they’re moving the car parks nearer for the weekend or just making use of car parks in their existing locations.
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Did you go to Margate’s Big Event? Tell us what you thought! http://bit.ly/l02LfA
We’ve been infiltrated by TDC. That’s never happened before.
Asking the question reminds ‘one’ of Prince Edward’s asking the press what they all thought after ‘It’s A Royal Knock Out’
What did you think of it, DFW? The Big Event, I mean, not It’s A Royal Knock Out.
Only caught a glimpse I1. Household bugged up. But once you’ve seen one.. If you venture into Margate on airshow day it’s all precision manoeuvres in the air and Special Brew and oversized joints on the ground I find. Around the funfair area at least. They sensibly separated the main funfair from the display area this year.
Last year watched from Botany
Was your household under surveillance?
Yes, something like that and to add to the acute paranoia I kept hearing sounds above the house like a plane or helicopter or something. For a moment there I was Ray Liotta at the end of Goodfellas..
It’s a good film though I don’t think much of their pizzas.
I can believe it but those pizzas are probably as Italian as a Gucci bag bought for a tenner in Ramsgate market
Now I think about it, legitimate Gucci bags themselves are probably made in a factory in China next door to the bootlegs anyway. It is a shame that Donatella can’t cream off some of the profit from the organisation for some high-end plastic surgery. Under normal circumstances I would caution against but in that unfortunate case..
I hope all this is helpful, TDC.
Wouldn’t worry. Was probably a TDC posting-bot asking the same question in various locations while the staff focused on their teas and box of Family Circle biscuits
We didn’t go to the Big Event. We went to Dickens Week instead.
Ah, Dickens Week – a great big car boot sale in fancy dress.
Helpful feedback, Janet. That’s gold for the TDC press office.
Most of my weekend was spent down the dump, but it was just as fun watching all the men with recyclables in one hand and binoculars in the other as it was seeing the Hurricane scaring the sparrows.
It is a bit of a general question, so hard to answer sensibly. I thought it was good that 80,000 people came to an event in Thanet, but not so good that it involved the military. It doesn’t sound like much effort was made to encourage visitors to visit shops and attractions away from the beachfront, though.
80k! Saw a similar figure in the local paper too alongside a picture of Margate sands with a handful of stragglers. |How can you tell? Crowd density software, turnstiles at the station, stiltwalkers counting heads, a specially crafted piece of linoleum that counts steps??
Best way to get people to remain and spend TDC might be some type of weekender not a none day event but then where would they all stay? Get Jools Holland back again or someone like that to do a Margate Meltdown at the TC and other smaller events elsewhere.
I can hear LO now “bloody DFWs, why don’t they mind their own business?”
“Wassa meltdown”
http://meltdown.southbankcentre.co.uk/
They should of cut down on all the visiting traders like crap perfume sellers and burger vans and direct more people to the Old Town to support local businesses as I thought that was one of the reasons why the event was moved?
@Popoff
My dear Madam, I think it depends on the type of events held. The masses who come for the free “cor, blimey” of whizz, bang and multi-coloured smoke will no doubt not be overly keen to spend money on vintage clothes (only on Primarni) nor on vintage cheddars and wines but rather on sausage rolls and Stella. Which, to be fair have their place but not, probably, in your changing rooms.
@DFW, blimey – ‘My dear Madam’ – have you been spending too long hanging round the Dickensians?
Just running with the choice of name i1, but yes does sound a little too sub-Wildean, pseudo porsche I’ll grant you.
Just orf out to place a coat over a puddle, hold on.
BTW thought I’d add that the ^ was not a pop at Popoff but a self deprecating pop, closer to home. Lastly, is it me or is ‘Madam Popoff’ not a somewhat erotic sounding construction?
Agree with @madampopof no need for the immense amount of outside traders in lorries along seafront. Blocking Margate shops who had the joy of looking out at back of a lorry, with generators running. We have seaside cafes, restaurants and shops for visitors. The feedback form doesn’t include the lorries/wagons on their feedback form on the section asking you where you spent your money. Yet they, TDC, like to focus on the large pitch fees for the day rather than assess how the events provide custom for local businesses.
MA, I think the number of outside traders is a common complaint about events throughout Thanet. Would be interesting to hear what TDC say – having asked for feedback here.
totally agree, we pay our business rates, electricity etc. & sit here In Feb when the tumbleweed blows down the High Street yet councils & others constantly think they are doing us a favour by importing some tacky catering van to come in & cream off the profits on high days.