When the Queen of Pop says your neighbourhood is heavenly, people pay attention. Madonna visited Margate for the second time in three months in January 2026, posting a love letter to the town on Instagram that reached her 20 million followers — and put Kent’s creative coast firmly in the global spotlight.
The sixty-seven-year-old singer, songwriter, and cultural icon was in town to visit her friend of 25 years, Turner Prize-winning artist Dame Tracey Emin, and to explore Margate’s Off Season art festival — a free, grassroots pop-up event that this year featured more than 150 exhibitions across studios and warehouses throughout the town.
Sharing photographs from the weekend on Instagram, Madonna wrote: “Dame Tracey Emin is a Pearl. A precious necklace that has been draped around a seaside Town in England called Margate.” She praised Emin’s work in the community, calling what the artist has created in Margate “quite remarkable” — including an artist residency programme that invites emerging talent from around the world to live and work in the town.
But it was Madonna’s verdict on the town itself that turned heads: “The whole town seems to be inhabited and energised by creativity. Writers and performance artists, photographers, and painters. This is my idea of heaven.”
“Whenever I go there, I feel like I’ve entered a dream,” she added.
Madonna also teased her followers about a favourite Italian restaurant in Margate, but refused to name it: “I’m not giving anyone the name because then everyone’s going to go there and it only has one table!!” Locals have since speculated she was referring to Bottega Caruso, a family-run spot she reportedly visited during her first trip in October 2025.
Dame Tracey Emin responded by praising Margate’s transformation over the past decade, attributing it to “a whole wave of creativity” from artists, writers, and musicians. Carl Freedman Gallery director Robert Diament, who hosted Madonna during her October visit, said the pop icon “put the ‘M’ into Margate.”
What This Means for Margate
Madonna’s endorsement arrives at a pivotal moment for the town. Margate has been on an extraordinary regeneration trajectory — once dismissed as a faded seaside resort, it has reinvented itself as one of the South East’s most dynamic creative and commercial hubs. The Turner Contemporary gallery, Dreamland’s revival, a thriving independent food and retail scene, and a growing community of artists and entrepreneurs have all contributed to a town that feels genuinely alive.
Add high-speed rail links that put London just 70 minutes away, and it’s easy to see why businesses and investors are paying attention. Engine Works Park, our 59-unit commercial development at Westwood Industrial Estate, is part of this story — purpose-built workspace for the tech, trade, creative, and e-commerce businesses that are making Thanet one of Kent’s fastest-growing commercial corridors.
If Margate is good enough for Madonna, it’s good enough for your business.
Read the full story: Kent Online — Madonna raves over Kent town
Interested in being part of Margate’s next chapter? Explore available units at engineworkspark.com or contact the Yeats team.
