The Bridport Hat Festival started in 2010. The festival was the brainchild of Roger Snook, who wanted to create a fun event that celebrated hats and brought the community together, eventually raising money for head-related charities.
We arrived on the Saturday morning about 10:30. I drove Francoise as near to the center I could and then discovered a parking place about a mile away, which suited me fine, as I do need a good walk from time to time.
Just to give you some idea of the scale of the event, here is the program
This lady has a seagull, which returns for nesting on her roof at the same time each year.
This bunch of introverts were glad to be photographed
A salesperson dressed as a Dalek, as you can see
Francoise and myself in a shop
Talk about going back to basics. This chap was wearing a length of runner bean that had seen better days but anyway, he made the effort,…. I think
Everyone Photographing everyone else
I talked to this photographer and told him that he couldn’t miss. He got the point
Not a good picture but she had an extraordinarily bird like top, almost Edwardian
Many stalls, including this one with flowery material
A French lady who tells me that there is a Facebook group of 12 French nationals based in Bridport.
I told her she was a bit horny and she said, ‘I beg your pardon?’
My overall conclusion was that although the event was great fun, there were a lot of people who were not hated out and I think they just came along to have a look. The event was started in 2010 it had to survive at least three years of battering from covid, so I think the tradition has done well to last as long as it has done.
We got the impression that it has had its time, but nevertheless it is great fun to come along and see such a wide variety of hats as well as stalls. The local church was open for tea and coffee, and you could go out to the tower if you wanted. I don’t think we’ll go every year, but it will always be there in some form or another. If you want to see more pictures, then type in to Google ‘Bridport Hat Festival’
