One of Jack’s Bogeys from the Hastings parade. Image courtesy of Nicklott
FRIDAY 3rd May TO MONDAY 6Th MAY 2024
Article last updated February 22nd 2024
There’s not long to go until JITG ushers in the summer of 2024!
It’s that time of year again when we’re dreaming about those luscious, longer summer days that are just around the corner. With this in mind, we turn our attention to the streets of Hastings and the much-celebrated JITG annual tradition that’s once again taking place this year in May 2024.
As such, you’ll be able to watch the sunrise ceremony as well as all the other entertainment which will include the famed Morris dancers and a jam-packed smorgasbord of other entertainment such as, drumming, singers, live bands etc. We suggest that you bookmark the Jack in the Green website and check back regularly for the latest updates for 2024 and for more details of what will be taking place over the May Day Bank Holiday weekend.
Jack In The Green Dates – FRIDAY 3rd May TO MONDAY 6th MAY 2024
This year, the Hastings Jack is once again running over a four-day period from Friday 3rd to Monday 6th May 2024. So as is customary, we all get to enjoy taking Monday off work to celebrate the final day.
If you’re not in Hastings, then it’s still well worth the effort to make the journey there (especially on Monday 6th) when the festival culminates with the main Jack in the Green Parade through Hastings Old Town. It’s an ideal way to spend the long weekend and, as always, there’s a whole heap of things to see and do for all the family.
In case you’re not aware, the weekend is choc a bloc with a broad spectrum of music, historical activities and a range of social events. The Jack in the Green runs as a registered charity so please take a moment to visit the official website for more details about what’s happening this year.
Where?
Although this event spans four days, the main parade on Bank Holiday Monday begins at the fisherman’s huts in Fisherman’s Huts in Rock-a-Nore Road, Hastings TN34 3DW. If you’re not up early enough to catch Jack’s awakening at the huts, the main parade is perhaps best viewed slightly later from the vantage of the High Street (Hastings TN34 3ES)
Jack in the Green timetable for 2024
It’s always best to check the timetable on the official site in case of any changes and you can visit the timetable page here.
As always, the weekend’s festivities draw to a close on Monday (usually around 4 to 4.30pm) at West Hill with the Slaying of the Jack. His demise signifies the release of the Spirit of Summer for the coming year.
Watch the video
If you want to get a taster of what to expect this year, here’s a short video (under 8 minutes long) of the parade as it moves through Hastings Old Town. There are lots of great videos on YouTube, but this one by Nick Bloomfield sums up the spirit of the entire day very nicely.
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General History of The Jack in the Green
The Jack in the Green festival dates back to the 16th and 17th centuries in England. Originally it was a May Day celebration where people would make garlands with flowers and greenery. The garlands became increasingly elaborate as work’s guilds would compete against each other, eventually so extravagantly that they covered the body entirely. The garlands were originally carried by milkmaids during May Day Parades – They became larger and more intricate to the point where they would balance them on their heads whilst the rest of their bodies would be adorned with silver houseware.
A chimney sweeps’ Jack in the Green dances with the “Lord and Lady of the May in 18th century London -courtesy of SA
The Chimney Sweep’s guild, not to be outdone by this and also to earn more coins from the watching crowds, upped their game to the point of covering their whole bodies in a framework covered in foliage and flowers. This became known as The Jack in the Green, a familiar participant in May Day Parades. The garlands are made out of a framework usually conical or pyramid in shape, covered in different types of fauna and flora.
May Day was traditionally a holiday for the Chimney Sweeps and became known as “Chimney Sweeper’s day”. If you live in Kent, you’ll probably be aware of the Rochester Sweeps Festival which usually takes place at the same time as the Hastings event (there’s also a Jack in the Green in Whitstable, Kent too). The association between the Jack in the Green and chimney sweeps continues today. Jack in the Green became known as a practical joker associated with licentious and bawdy behaviour which soon became disapproved of in Victorian England.
Popularity dwindled by the mid-1800s and was replaced with a more manageable and sober pretty May Queen and naughty Jack pretty much disappeared from parades. This was largely due to rival sweeps competing with each other, becoming unruly and being reported upon negatively in newspapers.
Cheltenham May Day Jack in the Green 1892
Jack in the Green did emigrate during the 1800s along with Chimney sweeps and their families looking for work overseas but quickly met the same fate as those in England.
Knutsford is said to be the oldest continual Jack in the Green Parade as part of the May Day celebrations since 1890 but was a more Victorian well-behaved affair.
History of the Hastings Jack
Image courtesy of Janet Richardson
According to The Company of the Green Man (an excellent resource for all things Jack-related), the Hastings Jack in the Green festival was revived in 1983. Prior to this, there were at least two groups who paraded a Jack in the Green until about 1889, though the earliest mention of an already established Jack in the area dates back to 1848 “Clowns, shovels, dust and noise, Jack in the Green, a sooty queen, And half-a-dozen boys.”
The latter-day Hastings four day event is one of the biggest gatherings of Morris Dancers in the UK. The Jack is also accompanied by an array of colourful characters as well as sweeps, a milkmaid, giants, dancers, musicians and a large group of others dressed in elaborate green costumes. At the end of the May Day festivities, Jack is slain and his foliage is taken and distributed to the crowds to release the spirit of summer.
Many of the traditions originating from the Hastings parade have since been adopted in other parts of the UK. These include the waking of the Jack in the morning and slaying of the Jack at the end of the day, the distributing of Jacks’s leaves to the crowd for good luck and the burning of distributed leaves on a bonfire in the autumn.
The Bogies and Sal
The Bogies (see image at the top of this page) were the brainchild of Dave Lobb and their job is to escort Jack through the crowds, protecting him from any members of the crowd trying to take home a souvenir. The Hasting Bogies are also well known for painting the faces of crowd members with green face paint. There are twelve official Bogies protecting Jack and it’s recommended never to get caught in their gaze! You’ll also see Sal accompanying them all, who wears a crown of flowers.
Hannah’s Cat Morris
Hannah’s Cat Morris are the proud co-hosts of Jack in the Green. They’re unmistakeable as they’re dressed in pink and purple and they they get their unusual name from the mummified cats of a local witch called Hannah Clarke who lived in what’s now the Stag, a pub nearby.
Hastings RX Morris
The Hastings RX Morris are a men’s and women’s Morris side who are also co-hosts for the weekend. These are the dancers you’ll see dancing in white with the Cinque Port colours of blue, gold and red.
May Queen and chimney sweeps
The Hastings four-day festival wouldn’t be complete without a May Queen and chimney sweeps! These traditional May Day characters are always seen at Hastings Jack in the Green.
Jack’s attire and mask
The Hastings Jack is made from long-lasting Rhododendron and his crown consists of red blue and gold flowers to represent the Cinque Ports. The original mask was made by Dave Lobb and a subsequent mask made by artist Clive Hicks Jenkins disappeared one year during Jack’s slaying. As far as we’re aware, it’s never been recovered.
In Summary…
Come rain or shine, the Hasting Jack In The Green festival is always a fabulous event but please, please make sure you confirm all dates on the official JITG website before making your final travel plans.