insideKENT Magazine Issue 37 - April 2015 | Page 109

have featured the Becker Symphony Orchestra playing Gilbert and Sullivan and Haydn, with special guest Matilda Lloyd (winner of the brass section of the BBC’s Young Musician of the Year 2014). May is when the Deal Classic Motor Show is on. With a vintage fun fair, an excellent market, and activities for young and old, this is a great day out for all the family. The Astor Community Theatre The Deal Festival of Music and Arts spans June and July, and is a wonderful celebration of composers, musicians, and artists from Deal and around the world. Deal, Walmer and Kingsdown Carnival and Regatta Week dates back to 1826, when the Naval Dockyard closed and the locals wanted to raise the town’s spirits. This local event, held each summer, includes competitions such as the lorry pull and a raft race. The Deal Festival of Music and Arts Deal Folk by the Sea, previously known as Deal Maritime Folk Festival, is a popular annual event whereby visitors can enjoy workshops, choirs, folk clubs, and even a smugglers’ concert across the weekend. music, theatre, literary events, art exhibitions, films and workshops for all ages and tastes. Originally built in 1906 for 'entertainment, meetings and receptions', the theatre was previously known as Stanhope Hall and later, The Winter Gardens. In 1944, having served as a WVS canteen during WWII, the theatre was awarded to the people of Deal for their courage. In recognition, the theatre was renamed The Astor Hall and continued to serve the people of this town for the next 60 years. It wasn't until 2009 that the theatre was rescued from further neglect and restored to the artistic and vibrant hub it is today. www.theastor.org DID YOU KNOW? TOP SPOT Deal Folk by the Sea The Astor Community Theatre A multi-purpose arts centre, the Astor Community Theatre in Deal offers a unique, eclectic mix of 109 Ian Fleming set his 1955 book, Moonraker, in Deal. James Bond’s arch nemesis, Hugo Drax’s Moonraker rocket was built just outside the town, and Bond has to travel there to sort out Drax’s shady schemes.