ISLANDERS have a host of events to look forward to this summer, beginning with the Coronation and Liberation Day.
Following celebrations over the long bank holiday weekend, several festivals and events are also due to take place across the Island over the next few months.
Coronation celebrations
Between 6 and 8 May, Jersey will be encouraged to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III, with a programme of events scheduled for the long weekend.
On Saturday a celebration will take place in Coronation Park between 10am and 6pm. This family-focused event is due to include a programme of musical entertainment and activities, as well as a large screen that will broadcast the Coronation ceremony in real time.
Sunday will see ‘The Big Lunch’ held in Liberation Square from midday as part of the co-ordinated national programme to encourage street parties and community gatherings. At 7pm, the Coronation concert at Windsor Castle will be broadcast live to a large screen in Liberation Square.
On Monday Islanders are being encouraged to take part in the ‘Big Help Out’, a national scheme encouraging people to offer a helping hand to their local communities. People are being asked to volunteer their time in any way they can.
In addition to the scheduled events, licensed establishments will be ‘encouraged’ to open from 9am ahead of the live coverage of the Coronation from 11.15am.
A special extension will be permitted to establishments holding a seventh category licence – such as nightclubs – to be open until 3am on Sunday 7 May.
Liberation Day
To mark the anniversary of 78 years of freedom from German occupation, a service and re-enactment is due to be held in Liberation Square on 9 May.
From 9am, marching contingents will form in the Royal Square, before proceeding to Liberation Square at 10.15am. The parade will include the Scout Band and Girl Guides, the Jersey Field Squadron, veterans, Cadets and St John Ambulance.
At 10.30am there will be a special sitting of the States Assembly and at 10.50am there will be a procession of States Members, Crown officers and clergy to Liberation Square.
From 11.05am in the square there will be a service of thanksgiving and a re-enactment of Force 135’s arrival, rounded off by the singing of Beautiful Jersey and the national anthem. This will be followed by the march past and motorcade at noon.
Lib in the Square
Also marking the Liberation bank holiday weekend is ‘Lib in the Square’, described by organisers as ‘the most unmissable event in Jersey this year’.
The Royal Square is to be cordoned off for the two-day music event, with ‘some of the world’s finest DJs’ playing from the balcony of the United Club Building.
Three bars will be in operation for the event, including the Cock and Bottle, Sangria and the Event Main Bar, with food available on site as well.
The line-up includes ‘fashion icon’ Gok Wan, DJ Weiss and Mark Knight, the founder of Toolroom Records.
Entirely new to this year will be the Motion Takeover event exclusively for under-18s, which aims to re-engage the Island’s young people with the Liberation Day celebrations.
Co-organiser Warren Le Sueur said: ‘Jersey’s young people deserve exciting, engaging events that connect them to their local culture and heritage.
‘By incorporating Liberation Day into our Motion Takeover event, we’re providing an opportunity for Jersey’s young people to come together and celebrate their island’s history while enjoying world-class music in a safe environment.’
Lib in the Square will take place on Saturday and Sunday between 5.30pm and 11.30pm. The Motion Takeover event will be held tomorrow.
Peas and Glove
This summer will feature the last ever Peas and Glove festival.
The event was first held in 2015 as a tribute to Olly Newman, a surfer and musician who was left paralysed following a car accident when he was 19. The name ‘Peas and Glove’ came from one of Olly’s favourite sayings and is a play on the phrase ‘peace and love’.
This year’s festival, called ‘The Final Wave’, will again be held at the Watersplash in St Ouen’s Bay and promises to be a fitting tribute for Olly following his death in January.
Organiser Matthew Daly said: ‘It’s the last one to say thank you to everyone who has supported the festival over the years. It’s a chance for people to say goodbye to Olly… those people who got to know him without knowing him.’
Mr Daly promised a fun family event, featuring 40 local bands and DJs, a bouncy castle, paddle surfing, and food and drink, including a hog roast.
All proceeds will go towards local charity Healing Waves, which helps disabled Islanders to enjoy watersports.
Olly’s ashes are to be scattered in the sea during the festival.
‘It’s been a long 8½ years, but a great 8½ years,’ Mr Daly said. ‘And it’s going to be sunny.’
The Peas and Glove festival is due to take place on 20 and 21 May. Entry is free.
Krafty J’s Festival
Organised by Krafty J’s, a local craft beer and gin house, this festival is returning for its second outing.
This year, the event is moving to the People’s Park for a three-day celebration of what its organiser calls ‘Krafty Culture’.
John O’Connell, the festival organiser, said: ‘We’re a little local hub in town for local artists and DJs; we are a hub for people from all the community to come and perform.’
Profits from the event will go to Caring Cooks, a local charity that aims to encourage children to grow, cook and eat healthy food.
Mr O’Connell said he expected up to 1,200 people to attend.
He added: ‘It’s a community project – that’s what makes us different. Most festivals have an 80/20 split of 80% UK acts and 20% local acts. For us, it’s the other way around.’
Krafty J’s Festival will be taking place in the People’s Park on 26-28 May. Tickets are available online from Eventbrite.
Good Vibrations
The Island’s 80s-themed summer surf festival, unofficially called ‘the start of summer festival’, is back once again.
Having begun in 2017 as a ‘DIY festival’, it has since grown to become one of the Island’s biggest summer events.
As well as featuring local bands and DJs, a surfboard art gallery and after parties at the Watersplash, the Good Vibrations Festival is to be held in conjunction with the Channel Island’s Surf Championships.
All proceeds from the festival are going to mental-health charity Mind Jersey. To raise as much money as possible, Islanders are being encouraged to sign up for the ‘Mullet for Mind’ campaign. Participants are being encouraged to seek sponsorship before receiving an 80s-style mullet from KSG barbers during the festival.
Last year, Good Vibrations raised £6,000 for Mind Jersey. Organisers are this year hoping to bring in £8,000 for the charity.
The Good Vibrations Festival is taking place on the 24-25 June at the Watersplash. Tickets are available at goodvibrations.je.
Out-There
This July will see the fifth anniversary of the Out-There festival, described as ‘two magical days and nights of world-class house, drum-and-bass and disco’.
The festival is spread over three stages, one for drum-and-bass, one for house music and a ‘crowd favourite’ stage.
Demand for the festival has proven to be high already, with the discounted priority tickets for the event having sold out in just over 24 hours.
The festival is strictly for people aged 18 and over.
Out-There is taking place on 1 and 2 July at Val de la Mare. Tickets are available at out-there.je.
Battle of Flowers
Jersey’s traditional summer parade is returning with a few notable changes this year.
The Grand Parade will now kick off at 5pm, following feedback from Islanders that a 2.30pm start time was too hot.
Events director Adam Flynn hopes that the change ‘will make a real difference to attendance’.
Mr Flynn said of this year’s battle: ‘We are really looking to modernise and update the battle with some small but significant changes… we want to streamline the process and make it more accessible for people.’
Chief among these changes is the move to e-ticketing for the event, and the ability to vote for the spectator’s award online.
This year will also see the battle celebrating the Coronation of King Charles III, with a smattering of Coronation-themed artworks, and the 60th anniversary of the Beatles playing in Jersey, with the association’s float due to be Beatles-themed.
Finally, Mr Flynn hinted that there would be something unexpected at this year’s moonlight parade.
‘It’s going to be a surprise, but it will be a first for Jersey,’ he said.
The Battle of Flowers Grand Day Parade is taking place on Friday 11 August at 5pm, with the Moonlight Parade taking place on Saturday 12 August at 9pm. Both parades will be held along Victoria Avenue.
Weekender
Jersey’s biggest music festival is back, promising to be the biggest and ‘most unforgettable’ instalment yet.
The first wave of acts has already been announced. Headline performers include Becky Hill, a two-time Brit award winner and former ‘The Voice’ contestant, and legendary Britpop band James, bringing you all their biggest hits including ‘Come Home’, ‘Sit Down’ and ‘Laid’.
This year, Weekender is introducing an all new Club Lounge ticket, which includes a dedicated entrance gate, a ‘secure comfortable area, a covered seating area, an elevated viewing platform with a view of the main stage, an express bar and access to separate toilets.
Organiser Warren Le Sueur said: ‘We are confident that Islanders and visitors alike will support the Island’s great summer social, Weekender, more than ever as we continue to improve the festival year on year.’
Weekender takes place on 2 and 3 September at the Royal Jersey Showground in Trinity. Tickets are available online from Eventbrite.
Channel Islands Pride
Coming just at the tail-end of summer, Channel Islands Pride will be back in full force, with a new programme of events. The annual celebration alternates between Jersey and Guernsey, with St Helier scheduled to host this year’s festival.
Taking place on 16 September, Jersey Pride will see the Island’s LGBTQ+ community, and anyone else who wants to get involved, parade from the Weighbridge to the People’s Park. Last year’s parade in Jersey was cancelled due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Following this year’s parade there will be an eight-hour celebration in the People’s Park featuring a series of UK and local music and drag artists on two stages – a main stage and a cabaret stage.
Organiser Christian May said: ‘This is the first time we’re having everything properly back in full swing since Covid… and it’s bigger than it’s ever been.’
For the first time, Mr May is hoping to organise a series of surrounding events, including drag brunch and a tribute-act night, to raise some extra money to support the organising charity, Liberate.
He said he was hoping that this year’s pride event would see between 10,000 and 12,000 people in attendance and added: ‘We always seemed to have faced something, be it Covid or the death of Her Majesty, so this time we really are hoping for a smooth run. It’s going to be bigger than it’s ever been, with more for everyone to enjoy.’
