May Day is always a great day to be in Hastings Old Town, but this year was extra special as we celebrated the 40th anniversary of Jack in the Green.

 

The four day, fun filled festival hosts Morris Dancers performing at various times around the town, drumming bands and folk singers entertaining in and around the old pubs. The festival culminates in a spectacular parade on Bank Holiday Monday, wending its way through the winding streets of the Old Town.

There are varying tales of the tradition’s inception, but today it is seen as marking the end of Winter and the beginning of Summer, and nowhere celebrates better.

At the head of the parade is Jack (who signifies Winter) bedecked in green foliage and escorted by his minders, the Green Bogies, protecting his passage through the narrow streets.

 

The air is filled with music from the groups of Morris dancers as they dance for the waiting crowds. Bells on their socks jingling as they clash their sticks together or wave hankies high above their heads. The rhythmic beat of the drumming bands reverberates through your body as they march on passed.

Groups of revellers bedecked from head to toe in green, search out onlookers and dab their noses with green, drawing them into the celebrations. From ravens to chimney sweeps and giants, the parade has it all. The magnificent costumes fill the Old Town with colour, and some of those lining the streets are bedecked in their own extravagant outfits.

The fun and laughter is infectious, with the crowds dancing to the music, enjoying the spectacle of it all. The celebration also draws the biking fraternity to town, filling the car parks and lining the streets with their huge machines.

 

At the end of the day the parade heads high above the town to the West Hill, where Jack is slain by the Mad Jack Morris dancers, thus releasing the spirt of Summer.

 

It is a fabulous day for catching up with friends, enjoying the tremendous atmosphere and the wonderful pubs and eateries around the town. This year the streets were heaving, such a fantastic sight to behold. The whole town came alive heralding the start of warmer days and lighter evenings.

Despite walking a mere 10 miles that day, as always, we enjoyed every moment.

Long may it continue.