Hastings Pirate Day - everything you need to know including road closure

Hastings will be overrun by hundreds of swashbuckling buccaneers when the annual Pirate Day takes place on Sunday (July 21).

​And local people are invited to dress up and join in the big Pirate Parade.

Pirate Day has been a popular and colourful local event since 2009 and Hastings still holds the world record, previously held by Penzance, for the most pirates in one place.

The procession forms in Robertson Street, in the town centre, from 11am and leaves at noon, heading along the seafront to The Stade Open Space in the Old Town, lead by drummers and one of the Hastings giants.

The A259, from Harold Place to the Stade, will be closed to traffic between noon and 1pm.

There will be pirate themed live music at The Stade on Sunday afternoon with acts including, Completely Scuppered Shanty, Noble Jacks, Brian Stone and the Masters of None, The Captain’s Beard and Jolly Roger.

A Pirate’s Day fundraising event takes place at East Hastings Sea Angling Club, at the Stade, from 6pm on Saturday (July 20), with an Adele tribute act and DJs. Tickets £5 on the door.

There are two bands playing at the Jenny Lind pub in the High Street to celebrate Pirate Day. Caboose play from 4pm and The Gulls are on stage at 7pm.

Organiser Anton Burton-Windsor said: “Over the years we faced challenges from Penzance, Germany, North Carolina and Virginia USA but 12 years on we are still the pirate capitol of the world.

“This much-loved and well-attended event in our town’s calendar promises to put on a great weekend of entertainment along the foreshore and beyond: from Rock-a-Nore to the Goat Ledge with much going on in-between.

“However, our voyage is in stormy seas. Without the kind support of local businesses and the generous sponsorship from our main sponsors Love Hastings Ltd, Lightning Fibre and Arthur C Towner Ltd this event simply wouldn’t happen.

“We still face a significant hole in the coffers and it’s still not too late for other local businesses to get on board and for those companies with deeper pockets looking for a worthy cause to support.

"Individuals can support us by chucking a doubloon or two into the official collection buckets. Hastings Pirate Weekend receives no direct funding from local authorities, but we are determined that this legacy and proud heritage are to be maintained for the years to come.”

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