What do you get up to at the weekends?
With a variety of events hosted around the island, we asked members of the public at the Sea Terminal in Douglas what shows, races or family days they’ve recently attended.
’The most recent event we went to was Doctor Do Little in Milntown, which was outdoors,’ said Chantelle Cowley, 32, from Douglas. ’The kids had a good time. We brought along a picnic and the weather was good thankfully!’
Her husband, David aged 35, added: ’We normally go to the Island at War event, which takes over the train stations and is really well done, but we were too busy this time. They put a lot of heart into it.’
Chantelle said: ’Something to do with the kids is always useful.
’We find most information about what’s happening through Facebook. We’d welcome more events, the more the merrier, but there’s already a good variety of them so we cannot really complain.’
Joan Jarrett, over-70, from Onchan, said: ’I used to go to a few events, but since I’m on crutches the accessibility hasn’t been great. I’ve been on crutches for the last couple of years.
’I’ve been to all the museums recently with the kids, which are all very accessible and the cinemas are alright, but the Royal Show is the worst to get into for me.
She added: ’I’ve wondered what people do over here with their kids. There was an awful lot more to do when we were kids.’
Douglas resident Maxine Hannay, 57, said: ’I was supposed to go on the Tower of Refuge walk this year, but didn’t, but my daughter and grandchildren went.
’They got home and they were covered [in muck]. They loved it! They’ve come from Northampton and they really like it here.
She added: ’The tin bath races are brilliant in Castletown and the Food and Drink Festival is good too. I also take the grandkids to the agricultural shows as they like to mess about. Some people say the island doesn’t have much on, but I think it does.’
Chris Nudd, 27, from Douglas, said: ’We tend to go to the Food and Drink Festival and agricultural shows, but recently I haven’t got time being a new dad of a six-month-old baby.’
He added: ’I do think events need to be advertised better here.’
Sarah Greenwood, 42, from Ramsey was waiting to collect her other daughter Francesca May who was travelling to the island with her university friends for a gig.
’I’ve just starting to get into the music scene,’ she told the Examiner. ’She’s playing at Peel Centenary Centre soon. It’s a folk pop band in which she plays the piano and guitar. She’s starting to do a few gigs here in the island now after getting involved in a band at university.’
Sarah added that she recently watched the Peel Soap Box Derby.
’It was good fun, but I think they’re all nuts! There’s also the Food and Drink Festival. We love that. I take the day off so I can go to that. I like the way everybody comes together get to see what the island actually does and what’s available.’
Her younger daughter, Libby, aged 16, said: ’I don’t think there’s much to do in the island for my age group. My friends and I usually meet up and go to Costa.’
If you want to find out what's on, see the Island Life section of the Manx Independent.
Its 16-page leisure and entertainment section includes a gig guide, the latest from theatres and the arts in general. Plus it has the Isle of Man's what's on guide.
The Manx Independent is in the shops from Thursdays.