Incoming: The Libertines, Hot Girl Hike, Frozen cocktails

The Libertines at Rochester Castle, a Gal & Gather hike, and the return of frozen cocktails. Lots of dates for your diary.

The Libertines will take the stage for a headline set at Rochester Castle on Saturday, July 4, alongside Maximo Park, Kid Kapichi and Opus Kink. It’s expected the night will sell out, with early bird tickets going on sale yesterday. Tickets £45. 

Gal and Gather host Hot Girl Hike on March 21. Meeting at 1pm at Staple Stores in Broadstairs (ladies, there’s a coffee and cake combo deal available via DM), the group will walk along the beach to Margate, which is around 10k, and estimated to wrap up around 3pm. 

Hibernation is over. Little Swift’s frozen cocktails are back from March 15, for boozy sunsets on Margate steps. 

A garlicky, dribbling kebab (or souvlaki, not picky) is one of 3am’s simple pleasures. Not exclusively a late night meal though, you might find me running down to The Souvlaki on The Parade in Margate to nab myself a free one on Saturday, March 14. For the restaurant’s grand opening special, the restaurant is giving away 100 souvlakis on a first come, first served basis. If you miss out, it’s still 2 for 1 on wraps all day. 

Small, but busy, there’s lots going on at Ramsgate’s Alley Bar. Ex-Margate drag performer Pretzel Cage performs Drag Neurosis on Saturday, March 21. Exploring psychoanalysis, interpretation and transformation, tickets for the 7pm show are £15. 

Also at Alley Bar, performer Amber Topaz runs a burlesque course from March 24 -April 14. With a hefty dose of humour, participants will release their creative spirit in a safe space with no holds barred. Places £50.

On Friday, March 13, you can find funny woman ELZ in Ramsgate High Street with a typewriter, ready to write a poem on any topic you give her. She’ll then perform the poems later that night (7pm) at the Alley Bar. Tickets £7.50 or free for Alley bar members.

A very long way off, but Chump’s Comedy is bringing funny woman Harriet Kemsley to Margate on Wednesday, February 24 next year. Yes, you need to buy a 2027 diary already. Playing at Where Else, the Last One Laughing comic will perform her new show, Floozy. Tickets £20. 

Much sooner, Chump’s is also branching out into a new town later this month. It launches a new night in Faversham at The Hot Tin on March 18. Headlining will be Felicity Ward, with Pravanya Pillay and Jack Barry also on the bill. Tickets £15. 

The Music is Black: A British Story, opens at V&A East on Saturday, April 18. Looking at how Black British music has shaped British culture, the exhibition boasts more than 200 instruments, sculptures, paintings, photos and fashion-y things that date back to the 1900s. Tickets from £22.50.

Steak is good, but it’s better when it’s cheap. You’re in luck because the Bedford Inn in Ramsgate has a buy one steak get the second half price deal on its upcoming Steak Night, Wednesday, March 18. The slab of carcass also comes with as many fries as you would like to shovel into your gob, so it’s best to book for this one. Who says romance is dead? 

While there’s no downward dog or vinyasa flow, a Laughter Yoga session will still see you feeling energised and good by the end of the class. It sounds glorious and bonkers - playful laughter exercises, gentle movement and deep breathing and meditation, along with sharing some joy with strangers. Classes are on at HOLD Creative Spaces in Ramsgate on Wednesday, March 18 at 9am, and Monday, March 30 at 6pm. Tickets £6.

Margate’s HOFFS hosts Margate Record Connection on Friday, March 27, for a night of vinyl, vinyl and more vinyl. Before Adam Bartlett, Leon Nesta and Dartos Balata step behind the decks to play most things, from 80s acid house to techno and electro, punters are invited to bring their own records along as part of an open decks session for the first hours of the evening. From 9pm.