Rye’s former raft race and maritime festival that have been lost to the town over the past few years are coming back under the new banner of Rye Festival of the Sea on July 22, 2017.
The Festival will start on the Saturday with the Raft Race at 11am High Water, followed by prize giving on the Strand at 12:30pm with music, stalls and fun events from 1pm into the early evening.
The organising committee, who include representatives from Christmas in Rye and the Town Council, are looking for those who would like to get involved:
Would you like to enter a raft or tug of war team, or sponsor a prize for these?
Would you like to have a stall on the Quayside or know of anyone who would, perhaps artisans and crafts people who would like to display their products, or charities looking to raise funds? Or do you have new products to launch and would like an alternative venue with added publicity?
The organisers would like shops all around the town to host a ‘message in the bottle’ competition for children to find the bottle hidden in your window with a prize at the end (organised by the Heritage Centre).
Are you a pub or restaurant who would like to put on music and a special menu, as with Scallops and Wild Boar weekends on the Friday or Saturday? Or could your organisation host a related event on the Sunday, thus making a full weekend for the event?
The Festival has a Facebook page promoting all events and sponsors and will print a ‘what’s on’ diary to distribute. There will be a media presence and promotion to visitors both by road and sea. A dedicated website will be ready soon.
If you would like to get involved in any way, or have any ideas or thoughts, please do get in touch because the committee would love to hear from you. They can be contacted on ryefestivalofthesea@gmail.com or via Facebook on @ryefestivalofthesea