Festival of Cats brings joy through feline art

What could be more of a serotonin hit than a 15 minute doom scroll of ginger cats being ginger cats? Among other things, perhaps a weekend-long arts festival that has moggies as its muse? 

Created as a satellite event for the Turner’s 2018 exhibition Journeys with The Waste Land, Festival of Cats is a celebration of inclusive arts and the delightfulness of felines and all their silly splendour. 

This year, the feel-good festival returns as its largest programme yet. Events spill out of Margate, with a CatVideoFest screening at The Palace in Broadstairs and a new collection of artworks by Thanet graffiti artist Cat Neil on display at Dawnies Coffee Shop in Ramsgate. 

The flagship open call exhibition is back, boasting more than 200 artists this time round. So is Cat Drag Life Drawing, which can only be as eccentric as it sounds. 

While it may sound like a niche concept, the festival uses cats as a way to make creativity accessible, and harness community, as Festival Director Jemma Channing explains. 

Why cats? Why a festival of cats? 

The festival was born from a love of T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats and much like the book itself, it celebrates all of that; the behaviour, the mystique, the comedy of cats. We also think that cats provide an accessible way into creative spaces that can feel exclusive and intimidating for some people. [The Festival of Cats team] come from a working class background and work in the arts, so we wanted to create something that was fun, inclusive and open to all. We know the arts support health and wellbeing, as do cats, so what could be better than bringing them together!

How did the idea for the festival come about? 

We wanted to create something fun and accessible that connected to Eliot's work in a way that felt joyful rather than academic. Artists T.S. Eliot and Louis Wain both inspired the festival, Wain in particular is a particular favourite artists of mine. He famously spent much of his life painting cats and also lived in Westgate for some time, he felt like the perfect artistic touchstone alongside Eliot. Once we started the festival it kind of took on a life of its own. 

How has the festival grown and evolved over the years? 

It's grown enormously. Festival of Cats is now a Thanet-wide festival with thousands of visitors, and the full festival takes place every two years with pop-up events in between. What started as a small satellite event has expanded across multiple venues throughout Margate and beyond. The 2026 edition is bigger than ever, with a programme of exhibitions, events and workshops. This year we've got over 200 artists involved in the festival. 

We've also built a real community. Artists return year after year, and the audience has grown to include people who travel specifically for it. We know people coming from abroad just for the festival! 

What sort of artworks have been submitted for this year's festival? 

It's a real variation of content! The flagship exhibition features work by local and national artists including paintings, sculpture, photography and textiles. The work ranges from tender and earnest to surreal and comedic which is exactly right for a festival about cats. We're exhibiting established artists alongside emerging artists and people who have never exhibited before. I genuinely think everyone will be able to find something they connect with or enjoy in the show.

What event are you looking forward to most this festival and why?

There are so many wonderful events in this year's programme, it is hard to choose. But if we had to pick one we're most excited about, it would have to be Old Possum's Poetry Club. 

It encapsulates everything we set out to do when we started the festival back in 2018. Given the festival was in-part inspired by a book of poems, there's something beautifully full circle about having a poetry event that sits right at the very heart of the programme. 

What we love most about it is how accessible it is. Our host Kit Griffiths creates a warm, encouraging space where people feel genuinely safe to stand up, share and read aloud, whether that's a favourite poem, something they've written themselves, or a piece they've never shared with anyone before. In 2024 an attendee stood up and read her poem, afterwards she told me she had been writing poems for years but never had the confidence to read one out loud. I was so proud of her, and that we made her feel comfortable enough to share her work. 

There's something really special about the group. It's reflective, it's intimate, and it gives people an opportunity to connect with the words, with the festival, and with each other. In a world that can feel quite noisy and fast, we think there's enormous value in creating a moment like that. 

What have been some of your highlights over the years? 

The guided tours of the flagship exhibition, where we talk about how Eliot and Louis Wain inspired everything, tend to get really wonderful conversations going. And the Cat Drag Life Drawing where Margate's drag queens host an evening of drawing and performance, that's become something of a cult event. 

A huge highlight for me is exhibiting work by people who have never shared their work before, and watching their confidence grow and their practice develop afterwards. I think creativity is the greatest thing we can share, and to be even a small part in someone's journey in doing that is such an amazing feeling. 

I've also enjoyed the collaboration and the partnerships that have developed to make the festival possible. We have a beautiful team of talented volunteers who come back year after year, and we've been supported by local businesses too. This year we've been sponsored by The Job Muscroft Gallery, which has been great as it's enabled us to programme great events and support local artists. Max at Archive Print has always quietly supported us too, helping us with print, equipment and moving stuff around. Alongside too many other people to name! It sounds cheesy but that's what makes it possible, working together to make something happen for the community. 

Do real-life cats ever make an appearance at the festival? 

We've had a few cats attend the exhibition before, generally cats on leads who are happy to be outside. My cats would rather be at home eating my soft furnishings. We did have a very disappointed child storm out of the exhibition in 2024, incandescent with fury that none of the art was made by cats. 

This year's festival does feature Travis and Sigrid, a popular London-based cycling duo. Travis, an American expat, and Sigrid, his deaf white Norwegian Forest cat who became an internet sensation sharing their daily cycling adventures together, are making an appearance at Pie Factory Margate on Sunday, May 3. As a long term Sigrid fan, I'm pretty excited.

Do you have to be a 'cat lady' (or equivalent) to enjoy the festival?

Ha ha. Absolutely not (I say that as someone who is fully a cat lady). The festival is genuinely for everyone. There are free creative activities throughout, including colouring and creative workshops so it’s open for families and children. You can engage with the festival as art, as culture, as comedy, as community. The cats are the theme, but even the most hardened dog people have enjoyed it! 

Festival of Cats runs May 1-4, at Pie Factory Margate (opposite the Festival of Rats at Don’t Blink), and other participating venues. Visit festivalofcats.com for more information.