About The City Brief Hastings

Your Personal Newsletter For All Local Events in Hastings

Hastings has long been shaped by its rhythms , seasonal celebrations, community gatherings and the quiet pulse of daily life across its distinct neighbourhoods. In St Leonards-on-Sea, West Hill, East Hill and the Old Town, events unfold with a steady rhythm throughout the year. The Hastings Old Town Carnival Week remains one of the town’s most enduring traditions, beginning in 1968 with a grand procession that draws crowds from across the coast each summer. This annual event is followed by Jack in the Green, marking seasonal transitions through music and ritual along the Seafront, while Voodoo Fest brings Halloween spirit to the Old Town with costume parades and live performances.

In St Leonards-on-Sea and Alexandra Park, community life centres around local initiatives such as Hastings Tap Takeover, which takes place across October at bars and venues stretching from Kings Road to Rock-a-Nore Beach. This event highlights seasonal brews and emerging talent in the town’s music scene. The BMX Battle of Hastings (BOH), held annually at Source Park since 2018, attracts competitors internationally while drawing spectators along A2690 near Hollington.

Landmarks such as Marine Court serve not only as architectural features but also as focal points during civic events , particularly when the East Hill Funicular Railway operates smoothly through autumn. The Stade regularly becomes part of larger community moments; it hosts performances for Hastings Contemporary and is central to the annual torchlight procession by the Hastings Bonfire Society on 14 October, culminating in fireworks over Rock-a-Nore Beach.

Hastings Pier remains a gathering place during weekends throughout summer, while events like Quentin Blake Exhibition at Hastings Contemporary celebrate local cultural figures through illustrative works tied to Roald Dahl’s legacy. Even coastal walks near White Rock Theatre are punctuated by the seasonal rhythms of Coastal Currents Arts Festival and Hastings Rocks film screenings in September.

You can find consistent activity: no single week goes unnoticed. From music in West St Leonards pubs to family-friendly activities at Fishermen’s Museum or interactive displays inside William the Conqueror’s First English Castle Remains , all are tracked with care, for those who want to know what’s happening simply because they live here and pay attention.

What we Cover

Each week The City Brief highlights events happening across Hastings – live music, theatre, food, family activities, markets and more.

Have a look at what's happening this week and this coming weekend.