Alright Jack
Hastings Traditional Jack in the Green has been awarded £23,572 through Arts Council National Lottery Project Grants. The money will contribute to the costs of this year’s festival on 5 May – the May Day Bank Holiday.
The future of the free local May Day procession and celebration, which is well-loved and enjoyed by local people, visitors, and folk enthusiasts nationally and worldwide, had been in doubt because of a lack of funding and commitment from Hastings Borough Council. The Council allocated just £5,000 of funding to the event last year, leaving the organising committee to dig into its reserves to cover the shortfall.
Keith Leech, the founder and current chair of the organising committee, said the Arts Council funding would ensure the event definitely takes place this year. The money will be used to employ local artists, with free family-friendly workshops and activities at venues all around the town, including at the Hastings Museum, Ore Community Library, the Fishermen’s Museum and Stade Hall.
This year’s festival will build on its education and outreach programme, working with schools and community groups to raise awareness amongst local people, and encourage them to actively participate in the celebration.
Whilst Hastings Traditional Jack in the Green is secure for this year, Keith Leech emphasised that, “we are not out of the woods yet.” The future of the popular event will “require the continuing support of Hastings Borough Council and local people if it is to continue.”
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I hope to come along in 2026, not having heard of this before. We’ve been to wonderful May Day events in Cornwall.