Festival of Sheppey

Festival of Sheppey Celebrating Kent's Holiday Isle throughout the month of June since 2026

Whatever happened to West Minster?Once there was a thriving community with pubs - and a beach - along Brielle Way just b...
09/06/2026

Whatever happened to West Minster?
Once there was a thriving community with pubs - and a beach - along Brielle Way just before Blue Town.
Then the council demolished all the houses.
Now there is just bramble-covered wasteland.
And what of the homes at Warden Point which have, over the years, disappeared over the edge of the cliff. You can still find their sea-worn bricks on the beach below.
Oh, and have you heard what happened to Elmley? Not the nature reserve but the hamlet with its own school, church and cement works?
These are the Lost Communities of Sheppey.
Today (Tuesday, June 9) Big Fish Arts recreates them with dramatised tales from the past at the Criterion Blue Town at 7pm as part of the Festival of Sheppey.
Tickets £5 on the door.

How did that happen? It's Week Two of the Festival of Sheppey. A huge thanks to everyone who has taken part so far.We ha...
08/06/2026

How did that happen? It's Week Two of the Festival of Sheppey.
A huge thanks to everyone who has taken part so far.
We have had a brilliant response.
Here's a detailed look at what is on this week...

Festival of Sheppey - Day 7Sunday (June 7)10am – Classic Car Show and Family Day. Swale Vehicle Enthusiasts Club takes o...
07/06/2026

Festival of Sheppey - Day 7

Sunday (June 7)
10am – Classic Car Show and Family Day. Swale Vehicle Enthusiasts Club takes over the football pitches at Sheppey Sports Club, Halfway, (formerly the Stevedores Club), for its annual family day out raising money for local charities. There will be trade stalls selling vehicle parts plus commercial vehicles and motorcycles from yesteryear. The Isle of Sheppey Band (formerly under the St John Ambulance banner) will be making its first public performance at 10.30am in its new uniforms. £5 on the gate (u-16s free)

10am – 4pm Big Lunch. Celebrate summertime with a giant picnic at Eastchurch cricket club’s Shurland Meadow ground organised by Eastchurch Parish Council. All-day lure demonstrations from the K9 dog club begin at 10.15am. 10.30am – Criterion Strummers ukulele band. Noon – Annie Love. 1pm – Sheppey Song Signing Academy. 1.30pm Sports Day fun for children and adults in the arena. 1.45pm Isle of Sheppey Band making its second appearance of the day after a quick dash from the classic car show. 2pm Danspiration dancing display. 3pm Annie Love. 3.30pm Tug of war. Plus bar, cakes, ice cream, beat the goalie, axe-throwing and children’s corner.

11am Coasts in Mind workshop for the unemployed at Queenborough Guildhall organised by the Museum of London Archaeology. Later session at 12.15pm pm open to all. Join Archaeologist from Museum of London Archaeology will help you explore archaeological features and artefacts from the Isle of Sheppey and Swale Estuary.
The first hour of the workshop will be spent learning how to handle, identify and record archaeological finds using 3D photogrammetry.
In the second hour, participants will be led on a short excursion to find a significant archaeological feature which survives in Queenborough. They will apply their new 3D photogrammetry skills to rapidly record the feature and learn how archaeologists record and identify in-situ archaeology. Book paces by emailing Harry Farmer at [email protected]

Isle of Sheppey Town Crier making appearances by Bruce Horton throughout the day at Queenborough

2.30pm – Costumed history walk. Members of Sheppey-based Big Fish Arts bring stories of murders, smuggling, royalty, Lord Nelson and elephants to life. Join them at Queenborough Guildhall. For details visit www.quenboroughsociety.org.uk

Had a quick look at Nicole Mollett’s open studio and art exhibition Voyages at Queenborough today.There are 12 artists w...
06/06/2026

Had a quick look at Nicole Mollett’s open studio and art exhibition Voyages at Queenborough today.
There are 12 artists who have their work on show at the former Sheerness Economical Society shop in the High Street.
In all, there are 35 exhibits. Most, if not all, are for sale. They range from watercolours, sketches, oil paintings and acrylics to the most amazing Global Village made by Laurie Harpum out of driftwood, cement and metal.
Which ones do you fancy?
The gallery will be open every Saturday during the Festival of Sheppey…

Don’t forget this special talk at and about Eastchurch’s All Saints church tonight (Saturday) by Sue Hopper at 6.30pm fo...
06/06/2026

Don’t forget this special talk at and about Eastchurch’s All Saints church tonight (Saturday) by Sue Hopper at 6.30pm followed by old photos of the village presented by Martin and Rosemary Hawkins at 7pm.
A great opportunity to see the church’s famous stained glass aviation window and original alms box…

Hooray! Finally tracked down The Coffee Pot in Leysdown to drop off some our remaining Festival of Sheppey programmes…
06/06/2026

Hooray! Finally tracked down The Coffee Pot in Leysdown to drop off some our remaining Festival of Sheppey programmes…

Thank you Eastchurch Aviation Museum for taking our last Festival of Sheppey banner.It now greets festival-goers visitin...
06/06/2026

Thank you Eastchurch Aviation Museum for taking our last Festival of Sheppey banner.
It now greets festival-goers visiting the museum who are taking advantage of its two-for-one Tuesday and Friday entry specials throughout June…

Lots of events going on today despite the rain showers and gusts of wind.Queenborough is looking particularly busy with ...
06/06/2026

Lots of events going on today despite the rain showers and gusts of wind.
Queenborough is looking particularly busy with tours of the church’s bell tower this morning and the opening of Nicole Mollett’s new art gallery and nautical exhibition this afternoon. It’s open until 5pm.
The team has been out to breathe new life into our Eastchurch banner which took a bit of a battering.
Thanks for letting us know about it…

A huge thanks to all you closet Wombles out there for taking part in the Festival's Sheppey Wombling Day to help clean u...
04/06/2026

A huge thanks to all you closet Wombles out there for taking part in the Festival's Sheppey Wombling Day to help clean up the Island.
Volunteers battled against the wind and rain showers but still managed to fill loads of rubbish bags.
Our only sadness is that there was any rubbish to pick up in the first place!
Have a look at the teams from Minster on Sea Parish Council, Leysdown On Sea Parish Council, Queenborough Town Council, Seashells Children & Families Centre in Sheerness and our own Chief Womble Phil Crowder who seemed to turn up everywhere including the Blue Town Criterion Wombles who snuffled up 12 bags full of rubbish (32.3kg)!

Festival of Sheppey Day 5 (Friday, June 5)Start of Queenborough History Weekend celebrating the town’s royal links. It w...
04/06/2026

Festival of Sheppey
Day 5 (Friday, June 5)

Start of Queenborough History Weekend celebrating the town’s royal links. It was named after Queen Phillippa of Hainault by her husband King Edward III in 1360. Unfortunately, one of its MPs, Sir Michael Livesey, went on to sign King Charles I’s death warrant, which was a bit rum. More details from Caroline Howard at [email protected]
9am – noon – Children’s art at Queenborough railway station. Free
11am – Coasts in Mind workshop at Holy Trinity Church, Queenborough, for unemployed 18- to 25-year-olds. Harry Farmer of the Museum of London Archaeology will explain how to catalogue exhibits for museums. Free
1pm - Coasts in Mind workshop at Castle Connections, Queenborough, for under-18s. Harry Farmer of the Museum of London Archaeology will explain how to catalogue exhibits for museums. Free. Email [email protected] to book a place.
1pm – Film Friday. Great Expectations (2015) starring Helena Bonham Carter as the conniving Miss Havisham in Mike Newell’s version of the Charles Dickens’ classic rags-to-riches tale. Ralph Fiennes plays the scary convict Magwitch who some believe was based on a real-life character from the Island. Some scenes shot at Queenborough. Criterion, 69 High Street, Blue Town, ME12 1RW. £5 on the door.
2pm – Children’s art trial at Queenborough Library. Free.
6.30pm – Talk about HMS Queenborough at Queenborough Guildhall. £2 (free to Queenborough Society members). The Q-class destroyer was built for the Royal Navy in 1942 at a cost of £725,000. After being converted into an anti-submarine frigate it was given to Australia before finally being scrapped in Hong Kong in 1972.
7.30pm – Talk. Sheerness Dockyard the Glory Years. Jeremy Thornton on the growth of Sheerness Dockyard compared to other Royal Dockyards. Sheppey Little Theatre, Meyrick Road, Sheerness. £5 on the door. Part of the Festival of Sheppey
10am-3pm Festival two-for-one offer. Take a friend for free to discover why Sheppey is called the cradle of British aviation. Learn about the real magnificent men in their flying machines and why they picked the Island to build Britain’s first aircraft factory. Aviation Museum, Wright’s Way, HMP Standford Hill, Eastchurch, ME12 4AA. £2 (buy one, get one free)

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Criterion Blue Town
Sheerness
ME121RW

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