Festival focus

Festival focus Festival focus

Success for first Pirate Day on Eastbou

Organised by Drop In The Ocean (Pub On The Pier) in Eastbourne, a successful Pirate Day took place on 14 August in aid of St Wilfred’s Hospice, an independent charity providing palliative care to local people. Also benefitting from the event’s piratical activities was the town’s Bonfire Society.

Eastbourne falls between Bognor Regis and Hastings as the sunniest town in England and the Pirate Day didn’t disappoint, with good weather for visitors, who had dressed up to enjoy a variety of free entertainment and down a drink or two in the open air at the Rum Bar (Pimms Bar for the wenches).

During the morning, lusty buccaneers were treated to a performance by Cherry Dance Studio, which holds dance and fitness classes at its premises in Wish Road, Eastbourne, and they were followed by an earnumbing broadside from the Pentacle Drummers.

At noon, The Shamolies, a fun-focussed festival band, struck up the music, followed by The Jackals, who play

Pirates were on hand to save performers from the Cherry grave under Eastbourne Pier (picture courtesy of Rob She

blues with bite, but the evening belonged to The Captain’s Beard, who played to a packed pub until the sun went down beyond Beachy Head.

Those who attended Pirate Day on Eastbourne

The Military Odyssey held at the Kent Event Centre in Detling spans a vast period of global conflict from the marching legions of Rome to the battle tanks of modern warfare. The 200acre site is promoted as ‘the most flexible and versatile event space in Kent’, with over 7,000 square metres under cover, but it almost never hosts weddings.

As mentioned in the feature on Sheppey Pirates in the previous issue, the

A ‘marriage’ on the fie crew would be returning to camp at the Military Odyssey at the end of August and decided that two of their members deserved to be wed on the battlefield. Tim Jones and Lisa Bradley have been attempting to tie the knot for three years, but have been constantly scuppered by the plague from Far Cathay and Lisa’s Father becoming seriously ill before passing away. So, it was planned to hold

Following a successful pirate festival at Zülpich in 2019, Winterhoffs, the German organiser of Pirate Rendez-Vous, was forced to postpone in 2020 due to the

New venue for Germa effects of the plague from Far Cathay. Then, following protracted negotiations, had to cancel its participation with Seepark Zülpich GmbH this year.

urne Pier

Dance Studio from a watery earing).

Pier hope that that Drop In The Ocean will repeat this enjoyable event next year.

eld of battle a mock wedding without the bride knowing and on the fateful day, the two were ‘married’ in front of 100-150 re-enactors as witnesses and celebrated with a swig or two of rum, followed by a run between the crossed swords of fellow pirates as a cannon was fired to substitute for a peal of church bells! One of the witnesses later remarked that it was a very odd day, but filled with lots of love and a great deal of fun!

an event

Renamed Piraten Abenteuer (Pirate Adventure), the festival moved just 10 km away to Vlatten Castle situated in a large park at the

Festival focus Festival focus Mutiny at Matlock Bath

The Pirate Mutiny (number seven in the series) returned to Matlock Bath from 31 July-1 August to celebrate all things piratey.

The organisers’ mission is to create a community event, which will attract visitors and locals to the land-locked Derbyshire town for a festival of re-enactment displays, music, market stalls selling pirate gear and gifts for all the family and, of course, face painting for young buccaneers. This year, there were also a number of new attractions, including a fully-rigged ship’s mast, two of Frank Sharman’s Sea Dragon pirate ships afloat on the River Derwent and Wayne Truman’s customised pirate truck.

Although the event was a slightly scaleddown version of previous Mutinies and the weekend was lacking in sunshine, it was well-supported by members of The Pirate Brethren from all over the British Isles. Until the pandemic, Matlock Bath Pirate Mutiny was beginning to establish an international reputation amongst cosplay pirates from across Europe and as far as the USA, so the festival is looking forward to better weather next year in every sense of the words.

picturesque village of Heimbach-Vlatten.

A major advantage for thirsty pirates was quick access to a rustic drinking den in the vicinity known as the Rusty Cutlass Tavern!

Every man keeps a hand on his weapon at Matlock Bath’s Pirate Mutiny (no sniggering at the back).