Ramsgate Neighbourhood Board announces Ramsgate Winter Festival collaboration

The Ramsgate Neighbourhood Board was set up to drive the Ramsgate Pride in Place Programme. It’s joining forces with the Ramsgate Winter Festival – working together to bring the town’s new vision to life through light, art, and community action.

The Ramsgate Winter Festival is a collaborative community effort. The Board sits alongside the festival’s primary funder, Ramsgate Town Council, as well as St George’s Church and Vattenfall. Our aim is that Ramsgate shines brighter than ever this winter.

As part of the festival, we are inviting local residents to help to create the ‘Heart of Ramsgate’. There will be lantern-making workshops and a giant community lantern build. The end result will be a large illuminated heart with its message ‘we are Ramsgate’ that leads the parade on New Years Eve. The build workshops are open to everyone and will happen at St George’s Church, Church Hill, Ramsgate on:

• Monday 29 December,  10.30am to 12.30pm and 2.30 to 4.30pm
• Tuesday 30 December,  10.30am to 12.30pm and 2.30pm to 4.30pm
• Wednesday 31st December, 10.30am to 3.30pm

Brian Horton, Ramsgate Neighbourhood Board Interim Chair, said: “Real change happens when the town pulls together. That is why we are joining forces with the Winter Festival and its partners, including Ramsgate Town Council and local businesses. When multiple organisations pool their resources and energy, we can make things happen. Everything from lighting up our streets to reaching the people we don’t usually hear from, to give them a real say in Ramsgate’s future.”

Teresa Askew, Winter Festival Producer, said: “This is about more than just a festival; it is about activating the pride we all feel for Ramsgate. We are excited to work with the Board to turn our workshops into a space where the community can build something beautiful together. We invite everyone to come along, make a lantern, and help us show the world that Ramsgate is rising.”

The festival is being used to test new ideas for Ramsgate’s future. As well as tracking the number of visitors, we will ask how the event makes them feel and how community activity can help Ramsgate’s town centre. This will provide valuable intelligence and evidence going into the design phase of projects for the wider £20m Investment Plan.

The collaboration will culminate in a closing event in February 2026. The event will showcase the art created by the community and officially launch the ‘Revive and Thrive – Ramsgate Rising’ vision. This will mark the start of the journey toward delivering the town’s Pride in Place Programme. There will be more workshops in January in the lead up to the closing community celebration. Join our mailing list to be the first to find out about the 2026 workshops and launch event.

What we’ve done: Over the last year, members of the local community shared their big ideas for Ramsgate as part of the first two phases of the Pride in Place Programme. Phase three is all about moving from gathering ideas to designing the real details. To make this happen, the Board is working with the Winter Festival to help bring Ramsgate’s story to life. This collaboration is a way to show exactly what Ramsgate can do when we work together.

Through the Winter Festival we want to make sure that we are not just talking about pride –  we are bringing it to life. We are asking residents to show us exactly what the new vision for Ramsgate means to them.

What’s coming next: In January 2026, we will launch a small grants funding pot. This new small grant scheme will empower local community organisations to run their own creative projects. We want the community to tell its own story, through film, photography, music, arts, crafts, or innovative ideas. This will be your chance to bring the new Ramsgate vision to life in your own neighbourhood.

There is more information on the Ramsgate Winter Festival and the Pride in Place Programme online.