For its eighth year,
Ramsgate Festival of Sound is on the move in more ways than one. Firstly, it’s moving its dates from August to September 12 - 14.
Festival Director, Gemma Dempsey, says “
This is due to many locals being away in August and the extra production costs associated with putting on an event over a busy bank holiday weekend – and to keep the summer festival feeling going!”
Secondly, the popular feature ‘Busk at Dusk’ has not only changed its time slot, (now 12noon – 6pm, Saturday September 13), but has also gone mobile – reimagined as ‘Busk Until Dusk’, with bands on tour around Ramsgate. Inspired by Hastings Fat Tuesday’s unplugged event, Alex Gillings of The Great Malarkey Band and owner of Salt House barbers approached the festival organisers with the idea, and they loved it.
As Alex says, “
What better way to bring music to this town than through its pubs, which, anyone could argue are the beating heart of the community here in Ramsgate.”
The list of brilliant performers will include Morrison Ford, Andreas Jensen, Adventurine, Lo Barnes and Gaddzukes, alongside up-and-comers such as Take Too and Kingfisher as part of ‘Ramsgate Introducing’. Slice Restaurant, on Harbour Street, will be the hub for Busk Until Dusk as well as the venue for Saturday’s after-party.
Festival of Sound Schedule: September 12 – 14
The Love Booth (daily) at The Shed in Ramsgate Harbour
Exhibition of photographs collected by The Love Booth during the festival.
Sonic Trail: Acoustic Architecture (daily from 12noon – 4pm)
These specially commissioned installations at various locations around the town, coincide with English Heritage Open Days theme of ‘architecture’. These are free events.
Friday September 12
'Afro Blue- Listening in Colour' (7pm - 10pm)
A celebration of the legacy of black music, produced and performed by Sabina Desir alongside her band of some of the UK's finest jazz musicians. The performance sold out at the London Jazz Festival 2024, so it will be a hot ticket!
Saturday September 13
Busk until Dusk (12noon – 6pm) at pubs and venues around Ramsgate.
The Anti-Gravity Groove Machine (6pm - 9pm) at Winterstoke Gardens
These are the headliners at Winterstoke Gardens and are back by popular demand with their highly anticipated third instalment in The Future Psychedelics trilogy. Blending elements of futurism, psychedelia and raw hypnotic rhythm, the experience will leave the audience questioning the very fabric of space, time and the power of the groove itself. This event is free.
Sunday September 14
The Big Gospel Sing and Brunch with Sabina Desir and Jessica Lauren (11am – 2pm) at St George’s Church.
Come and enjoy a delicious brunch followed by a gospel singalong with Sabina and Jessica. Brunch will be ticketed but the gospel event is free.
Michael McEvoy returns with The Metanoisia Collective
Performing ‘an immersive audiovisual meditation on the beauty of Ramsgate’s natural environment’.
Andrew Dennis’ ‘Teenage Kicks’ (Afternoon) at Slice Restaurant
An initiative providing a showcase for emerging music talent for those aged 16 – 19 years old.
Film Screenings (4pm – 6pm) at Ramsgate Community Cinema
They’ll screen two films with scores by Ramsgate based composers:
- The Jazz Ambassadors, the Peabody award winning documentary, directed by Hugh Berkeley and scored by Mike McEvoy.
- The Swimming Diaries by Susan Thomson, scored by Donna McKevitt.
For more details, please check our website:
www.ramsgatefestival.org or Instagram and Facebook pages: @ramsgatefestivalofsound.