A celebration of the majesty and beauty of the Thames Estuary and its neighbouring communities over sixteen days of art, literature, music and film.

Central to the festival is how the geography of this area influences and interacts with the culture created there. Points of Departure provides the backdrop to all activities, presenting the responses of 28 contemporary artists to the area, within the Tilbury Cruise Terminal and other venues in Gravesend. The relationship between music and place is similarly investigated in a series called Sound of the Thames Delta, which includes talks by Paul Morley and Chris Watson. Other curios include special pop-up performances, an exhibition of a selection of shipwreck finds, as well as some specially-designed beach huts.