Hastings Good Grief Festival gets underway this weekend with Stade Marketplace

Good Grief is a new event organised in partnership with St Michael's Hospice, by local arts company 18 Hours, the team behind the popular St Leonards Festival.

It aims to help people explore and have conversations about grief with a series of events throughout the town.

Kate Watts, from 18 Hours, said: “When people think about grief, they don’t usually picture a puppet show, dancing or an outdoor performance by the sea. But that’s exactly what the Good Grief Marketplace is creating in Hastings this weekend.”

Taking place on Saturday 23 May at the Stade Open Space, the Good Grief Marketplace is part of the wider Good Grief Hastings festival (22–25 May), offering a free, drop-in programme designed for all ages. It brings together performances, hands-on activities and community organisations in a space that gently opens up conversations around grief, love and loss.

Throughout the afternoon, visitors might encounter a miniature puppet show experienced one person at a time, step into a silent disco, or pause to join in a singing workshop with local charity Soundcastle. For younger audiences, The Thing About Goats by Baby Panda offers a playful introduction to themes of loss and new beginnings, followed by a hands-on bell ringing workshop.

Elsewhere in the space, local actor Ben Watson presents The Griefcase inviting participants to follow a trail of lost words, clues and challenges, helping piece together emotions that are often hard to express.

Visitors may encounter The Story Collector gathering moments and memories and turning them into shared narratives. There are also opportunities to take part in a collaborative weaving project or experience how Tai Chi can be a support in navigating grief and loss.

Alongside the creative programme, the Marketplace also brings together organisations, practitioners and local makers offering information, support and discussion around grief, loss and wellbeing. You will find local doulas, celebrants and funeral directors sharing insight into the support they offer, alongside handmade ceramics, candles and other locally crafted objects.

The Good Grief Marketplace is one part of the four-day Good Grief Hastings festival. The full programme includes talks, performances, live music, film screenings, community singing, exhibitions and outdoor events. All events are free to attend, with some requiring booking due to limited capacity.

Explore the full programme and book at www.18hours.org.uk/good-grief-festival/

Good Grief Hastings is produced by local events organisation 18 Hours, in partnership with St Michael’s Hospice, Good Grief Festival CIC and the University of Brighton, as part of the national Coastal Community and Creative Health research project. It is supported using public funding from Arts Council England, the Coastal Community and Creative Health project and Hastings Borough Council, with help in kind from St Michael’s Hospice and Good Grief Festival CIC.