Carnivals, Country Shows & Fayres In Kent
Carnivals, Country & County Shows and Fayres In Kent
Everything You Need to Know
Don’t miss the top carnivals, county shows, vintage car fairs, community fun days, and fayres in Kent with our guide to what’s on. See our list of guides to festivals and community events in Kent, followed by our main Carnivals, Country & County Shows and Fayres in Kent. With times, prices, and dog-friendly details, find all the essential details.
Discover All Our Festival Guides
We’ve made it easier to plan your perfect outing with our additional curated guides. Explore the best festivals in the Garden of England:
🎡 Family-Friendly Festivals in Kent
🍕 Food & Drink Festivals in Kent
🎉 Top Festivals in Kent
🆓 Free Festivals in Kent
🌈 Pride in Kent
🎸 Music Festivals in Kent
🎪 Carnivals, Country Shows, & Fayres In Kent
Traditional carnivals, community fayres, community events, family fun days, and historic county shows – listed in date order to help you plan your fun in Kent easily
Last updated 16th August 2026
We will be updating shortly.
🔎 Discover More in the Garden of England
We’ve curated even more ways to explore Kent. Check out our dedicated sections to find your next adventure:
📍 Things To Do in Kent – Your full list of top attractions and hidden gems.
📅 What’s On in Kent – The latest events, updated regularly across the county.
💡 Ideas & Inspiration – Feature guides and expert tips for the perfect day out.
🗺️ Kent Area Guides – Explore our town-by-town guides to find the best of local Kent.
CARNIVAL HISTORY
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Italian Inspiration
According to Wikipedia.org, some of the best-known traditions, including carnival parades and masquerade balls, were first recorded in medieval Italy. The Carnival of Venice was, for a long time, the most famous Carnival – though Napoleon abolished it in 1797, and the tradition was only restored in 1979.
European Traditions
From Italy, Carnival traditions spread to Spain, Portugal, and France, and from France to New France in North America. From Spain and Portugal, it spread with colonisation to the Caribbean and Latin America. In the early 19th century in the German Rhineland and Southern Netherlands, the weakened medieval tradition was also revived.
Caribbean Celebrations
Caribbean Carnival is a cultural celebration held throughout the year, worldwide.
It stems from a pagan holiday, later adopted by the Roman Catholic Church as Carne Vale. European slave traders brought it to the Caribbean, excluding African slaves and hosting lavish masquerade balls. After emancipation, freed African slaves transformed the festival into a celebration of freedom, blending African heritage and Caribbean Creole culture. In 1834, the Caribbean festival took root in Trinidad and Tobago when French settlers brought the Fat Tuesday masquerade tradition to the island. It soon became a vibrant celebration, blending Creole Canboulay festivities with the European masquerade, eventually evolving into the modern Caribbean Carnival. At its start, formerly enslaved individuals expressed their freedom through music, clothing, and dance, leading to the dynamic fusion of African influences and Creole culture.]
Today’s Top Celebrations
Top celebrations include the Mardi Gras in New Orleans, USA, Rio Carnival in Brazil and the Notting Hill Carnival in London, and there are now many across the world led by communities to celebrate cultures and traditions.
Explore More in Kent
🏰🦒 Top Guides: Explore our Top Attractions in Kent, 18 Adventure Activities, Animal Experiences, and Festivals in Kent.
✨ Seasonal Spotlight: Filter our seasonal What’s On listings and explore seasonal Things to Do in the Garden of England – from school holiday highlights to Halloween and festive family fun.
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Picture Credit: © Marina Nazina oat unsplash.com.
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