A Curious Town is teaming up with the St Leonard’s Church market to put on a Saturday market with a whole bunch of curious added extras!
Come along to browse the local sellers - all selling wares along the festival’s theme of Growth - and explore the church while you’re at it, to discover the curioddities on offer. If you’re looking for fun things to take part in, here is the full programme of what’s on offer:
Decorating the church aisles with Laura Ribbons!
10am-1pm
Laura will be helping people of all ages make collaborative community artwork down the aisles in between the gorgeous church pews. Come and make your mark!
Acoustic music from Karim Etchells
10am-10:50am and 2:30pm-3:30pm
Come and enjoy the music by local up-and-coming musician, Karim Etchells.
Interactive Sensory Storytelling with Helen Tozer - ideal for ages 2-8, all welcome
10:30am-11am
How do sea creatures see underwater? How long can humans hold their breath? Could you battle a sea monster? Come and dive beneath the waves at this interactive family session with professional storyteller Helen Tozer and learn all this, and more!
‘To Listen or to Write?’ - Poetry with Grace Pilkington
11am-12pm
Come and meet Hastings poet Grace Pilkington and tell her what you're in the mood for. She will either offer you a pen and a prompt to get you writing a poem. Or she'll offer you a seat, where you can put your feet up and listen to her read her own...
Louise Whitham’s ‘The No Project’
10am-12:30pm
Come along and pose for an open shutter Polaroid that you get to take home with you for FREE, as part of Louise Whitham’s ‘No Project’.
Louise’s ‘No’ portraits feature Hastings women shaking their heads, expressing the idea that many women have found it hard to say ‘No’ in their earlier lives. These images record the joy of finally saying ‘No’ and mark the transformation from quiet acquiescence to confidence, freedom and joy. This ongoing ‘No Project’ is also inspired by protesting early Suffragettes', who would shake their heads to prevent cameras from capturing recognisable images of them.
Jazz violin by Sam Brown
11:00am-11:45am and 12:45pm-1:15pm
Come and hear violin like you’ve never heard before…!
Esme the Singing Nymph
11:15am-11:45am and 3:15pm-3:45pm
Ever met a singing woodland nymph? Well we’ve got one on our church balcony!
Wild Poets
12pm-1pm and 2pm-3pm
Performances & readings of creative writing inspired by Hastings & Rother nature, ecology and climate change. Find them on the balcony!
Tygermylk
12pm-12:30pm and 1:30pm-2pm
Local girl, always tired. Feast your ears on the awesome original music from the fantastic Tygermylk!
Tarot Readings
12pm-3pm
Need some help or guidance from the universe? Get your tarot cards read and interpreted by astrologer and tarot reader Ruya Sarfas.
Pole Fitness with Jojo Fox!
3pm-4pm
If you’ve never tried it, now’s your chance! Drop into the family friendly, walk-up-and-try-it Pole Dancing station, and let Jojo teach you the basics.
OR, DROP BY ANYTIME…
Bunting Decoration Station
If you’re feeling arty, pop by the ‘bunting decoration station’ to create your own bunting for the Village Fete event on Monday 27th (and then pop by on Monday to find yours in the space!)
The Curiosity Cabinet of Plants
If you have any plants at home that have special meaning to you, or a story behind them, bring along a small cutting of that plant and add it to our ‘Curiosity Cabinet of Plants’. By the end of the day, we’ll have a community cabinet filled with glorious stories from our community.
The Department of Grumbles
The Gloucestershire-based Curious Company has come all the way to St Leonard’s to hear your grumbles! The Department of Grumbles are here to listen to your complaints, big or small, and give credit to the word on the street because, after all, the grumblers are the ones who care.
Whilst you’re exploring all that’s on offer in the church, interact with the walkabout performers!
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Event details:
Location: St Leonard’s Church, London Road
Date & time: Saturday 25th May, 10:00am-4:00pm
Free entry