Visitor numbers through the roof, record sales for local businesses and
soaring temperatures all made the opening weekend (Saturday 16 and
Sunday 17 April) of Turner Contemporary a massive success for Margate!
The opening of the major new art gallery attracted more than 14,000 to
the iconic building itself, with thousands more enjoying the free events
and entertainment put on across the Old Town and Harbour Arm.
Visitors old and new flocked to the town with many travelling the
length of the country, and some across Europe, to be a part of the
celebrations.
Local businesses enjoyed their busiest weekend in the town for decades,
with the Cupcake Café selling over 800 cupcakes, the Ambrette selling
over 400 curries from their stall on the Harbour Arm in just over two
hours and local bars selling every drink in the house!
Margate Visitor Information Centre also boasted a total of 3,000
visitors to their new gallery-side location at the Droit House, over
1,700 made their way through the doors of the historical Tudor House and
just under 2,000 visited the Margate Museum in the Old Town. Over 5,000
free event guides and just over 2,000 ‘love Margate’ badges were
also handed out to the crowds.
Chief Executive of Thanet District Council, Richard Samuel, said:
“This weekend has been a roaring success. Thousands of new
visitors making their way to Margate is not just great news for Turner
Contemporary but is fantastic for the town, and the statistics speak for
themselves. With 150,000 anticipated through the doors of Turner
Contemporary in its first year the benefits for the area will be untold.
I’d like to thank all of the agencies involved in making this such a
successful weekend and look forward to welcoming thousands more new
visitors to our original seaside town”.
The programme of celebration events continues over the Easter Holidays
with an array of free family exhibitions, live music, art and
performances all taking place across the town. This includes further
performances of ‘The Red Volcano’ by The BIG Sing community choir,
which will take place on Saturday 23 April at 2.30pm and 4.30pm at
Turner Contemporary. To view a full list of all of the events and
activities taking place in Margate go to www.thisismargate.co.uk for
more information.
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