Broadstairs - A Personal Perspective

Water Gala

The Water Gala actually started in 1888, only then it was called simply Water Sports and by 1930 it had become Water Gala. Traditionally it is always held on a Wednesday.

Broadstairs Water Gala returns in 2024! It takes place on Wednesday 24th July this year and as usual will end with the fireworks display over Viking Bay. For information on the Water Gala please contact the the Water Gala website.

Please note some or all of this event may not take place because of the weather forecast for high winds
please check with the official website or their Facebook page
for details of what is happening. Some events may be postponed until 27th August this year.

2015 Water Gala

The 2015 Water Gala took place on Wednesday 19th August and apart from all the usual attractions there were two displays by aerobatic aircraft, the first was by Lauren Richardson flying the Pitts Special S1-S red biplane and the second display was by RV8Tors flying the RV8 high performace aerobaitc aircraft with pilots Alister Kay and Andy Hill, believe it or not these are homebuilt kit aircraft!. There were also two displays by the flyboarders showing of their skills at balancing on jets of water.

There are photos from the 2015 Water Gala on the pictures page.

2014 Water Gala

The 2014 Water Gala takes place on Wednesday 20th August and apart from all the usual attractions there will be a display by Caroline Grace flying the iconic two seat Spitfire ML407, also her son Richard who leads the Trig Aerobatic Display Team will be flying another display with the team.

There are photos from the 2014 Water Gala on the pictures page.

2013 Water Gala

The 2013 Water Gala took place on Wednesday 21st August, a fine sunny day if a little breezy. This year we had a visit from the Ramsgate RNLI Lifeboats and a display by Jet Ski World doing a jet ski stunt display and the amazing Fly board demonstration in the Bay. There were all the usual stalls on the Harbour and promenade, plus a Funfair in Victoria Gardens.

There were 3 flying displays, starting with the only WWII airworthy Flying Boat the Catalina from Plane Sailing which displayed over the bay. The Catalina is celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Circuit of Britain Race, a challenge sponsored by The Daily Mail, for the first pilot to fly around Britain in a waterplane. We also had a spirited display of aerobatic flying by a YAK-50 and at the end of the afternoon a more sedate display by the Stearman biplane from Manston.

The day ended with the only fireworks display over Viking Bay for this summer.

There are photos from the 2013 Water Gala on the pictures page.

2009 Water Gala

The 2009 Water Gala took place on Wednesday 19th August and was blessed with one of the best days weather of the summer. This years event was organised by a new team and they brought back some of the old favourites like the greasy pole competition, however someone had probably forgotten how high thge tide could be in Viking Bay and the pole was submerged for a while postponing the competition till later in the day. There were large crowds enjoying the beach as well as the stalls on the promenade and the funfair in Victoria Gardens. The day ended with the usual fireworks display.

There are photos from the 2009 Water Gala on the pictures page.

2005 Water Gala

The 2005 Water Gala was arranged by yet another new committee and once again the weather was just perfect for all the events taking place. This year there was a return to many traditional games and sports on the beach arranged by Thanet Leisure Force. On the beach there were competitions and swimming races for children, a decorated chalet competition for beach hut owners, a funfair in Victoria Gardens, music in the Bandstand and stalls along the cliff top.

There were three flying displays. The Utterly Butterly Wing Walkers gave their usual spirited show twice during the afternoon, and in between the Aerostars performed a superb display of precision aerobatics with a six ship team of Russian Yak aerobatic aircraft.

The day finished with a display of fireworks in Viking Bay. This has become a trade mark of the Summer evenings in Broadstairs with people thronging the cliff top and beach to watch the spectacular pyrotechnics, probably the best ones being those which seem to explode from the water.