Music Month runs from Valentine's Day to St Patrick's Day and encompasses the UK's largest Mardi Gras celebration Fat Tuesday and the Hastings International Piano Festival as well as many other gigs and concerts in venues in the area.
Big-name highlights this year include Fairport Convention at the De La Warr Pavilion, Baxter Dury kicking off the Fat Friday Launch Party, Craig Charles headlining Le Grand Mardi Gras Ball, and Rufus Wainwright and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Hastings International Piano Festival – all at the White Rock Theatre.
Fat Tuesday is a five-day celebration of the music culture of Hastings and Rother, with a packed programme of events leading up to the main Fat Tuesday Tour, on Shrove Tuesday itself. On the big night, 12 venues host a rotation of live gigs, with 24 bands each playing 20 minute sets in three of the venues.
The Hastings International Piano Festival alternates every other year with the Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition. This year it's the turn of the festival, with a two-week celebration of the piano involving pop, jazz, classical and contemporary musicians.
Alongside these musical giants, intimate gigs with local musicians will be taking place in packed pubs and venues across Hastings and Rother – particularly Kino Teatr, The Stag and The Jenny Lind – many of them free. Browse the listings below to see what's happening this year.
