News

There's just over three months to go before this year's spectacular Hythe Venetian Fete and organisers say preparations are going according to plan, although some sponsors have dropped out because of the recession.

But the promise of a spectacular programme of entertainment for thousands of visitors still stands.

Staged every two years on the Royal Military Canal, the fete has become one of south east England's most eagerly-awaited family-fun events. The five-hour show features daylight and after-dark processions of floating tableaux, music and entertainment by live performers, and a grand fireworks display.

Gates open at 4pm, with entertainment starting at 5pm and the daylight procession, headed by a ceremonial barge carrying the mayors of the historic Confederation of the Cinque Ports in full regalia, at 7pm. When dusk falls, the floats will be illuminated.

The event, on Wednesday, August 19, will be the culmination of a year of detailed planning by a small committee of the not-for-profit Hythe Venetian Fete Society whose team of more than two hundred volunteers will make sure that on on-the day arrangements go with a swing.

Five free-admission band concerts on the canal bank - at 7pm on Saturday, August 15; 3pm and 7pm on Sunday, August 16; and 7 pm on the following Monday and Tuesday - have been organised to support the event.

Fete Society chairman John Schoner said that enthusiasm for the biennial show was as great as ever.

"Seat tickets are selling well and companies and organisations which have not entered floats before are coming up with new ideas to add jollity to the occasion.

"Because of the economic recession, some traditional sponsors have dropped out this year and we would welcome the support of businesses which would like to be associated with this unique crowd-pulling event. The fete incurs considerable costs and it is necessary that the society not only covers the expenses of this one but also builds a reserve of funds for up-front expenditure for the next, due in 2011."