Explore Things to do in Margate

Margate’s rhythms unfold across its distinct neighbourhoods, each shaping the town's quiet continuity. Main Sands offers sea air mingling with café life and children cycling toward Mildred’s Bay or West Bay, while Birchington-on-Sea draws weekend walkers along The Viking Coastal Trail and seasonal pop-ups at Botany Bay. Broadstairs adds energy through events like Turner Contemporary Exhibitions and music concerts held at venues such as The Albion Rooms, balanced by daily activity on the Margate Harbour Arm where locals stroll past Draper’s Mill, the leaning 75-degree structure due to an unrepaired pole still hosting Open Afternoons monthly for heritage awareness. A short drive away, Ramsgate offers residential calm near Margate Train Station and Wingham Wildlife Park, with seasonal events like Old Kent Market or Weekly Activities for Children in local green spaces. Dreamland hosts its Summer Fair each month, bringing music, food, and rides under glowing lights, while the Margate Festival of Lights illuminates Victoria Jubilee Clock Tower and Botany Bay in winter. These moments are not curated highlights but reflections of daily life, whether it’s a visit to Draper’s Mill before access is restricted during maintenance (Discovery service closed until 7 April), walking through Margate Train Station where roof leaks persist, or passing Mildred’s Bay near Waste Man signs. The town holds steady: identity shaped by history as much as current reality, the seasonal crowds at Dreamland, overcrowding on weekends, limited facilities compared to Main Sands, and restricted access in Northdown Park's Secret Jungle Garden due to safety issues. Yet no slogans here; just rhythms evolving through Birchington-on-Sea to Broadstairs’ cultural hubs where the Turner Prize Festival elevates Margate as a contemporary art destination, while life moves along seafront paths and coastal trails connecting one area with another.