Festivals in Kent Guide

From major music events to local food fairs, this is your central hub for festivals across the Garden of England. Explore our main festival guide, plus specialised sub-guides below for specific interests, or scroll down for our full directory of upcoming festivals in Kent, with our listings. Already planning ahead? We’re adding confirmed 2027 dates too – scroll to the bottom to take a look.

Last updated 25th September 2026

Everything You Need to Know

From major music events to local food fairs, this is your central hub for festivals across the Garden of England. Explore all our festival guides, or scroll down for our full directory of upcoming Top Festivals below our Kent map.

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:

🎸 Music Festivals in Kent

🎡  Family-Friendly Festivals in Kent

🍕  Food & Drink Festivals in Kent

🆓  Free Festivals in Kent

🎪 Carnivals, Country Shows, & Fayres In Kent

🌈 Pride in Kent

Featured Festival Listings

Discover our curated selection of upcoming festivals in Kent, listed in date order to help you easily plan your next outing in the Garden of England.

🔎 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.

See Kent, Know Kent

Broadstairs JazzFest

📍Where: Broadstairs
🕒 When: 9th to 11th October 2026
🎟️ Price: Free entry
🐶 Dog Friendly: Varies 
Enjoy 3 days of music, with over 70 events, in over 16 venues, in this seaside town.
💡Top Tip: Buy the programme for £2 to help keep the event free
Explore Broadstairs: Check out our Thanet for local attractions.
🔗 Full Event Details: Broadstairs JazzFest

Real Ale & Cider Festival 

📍Where: Spa Valley Railway, Tunbridge Wells
🕒 When: 15th to 18th October 2026
🎟️ Price: Free entry
🐶 Dog Friendly: Yes
Aiming to be the biggest Beer & Cider Festival in the South East of England in October 2026, this family-friendly festival will feature 230 Real Ales, including 40 Kent Green Hop varieties, 14 keg beers, and 80 ciders! Take trains between the railway’s trio of stations with live music.
💡Top Tip: You will need to buy tickets for the trains.
Explore Tunbridge Wells: Check out our Tunbridge Wells Area Guide for local attractions.
🔗 Full Event Details: Spa Valley Railway

Dover Youth Festival

📍Where: Dover
🕒 When: 24th October to 1st November 2026
🎟️ Price: Free
🧒🏽 Age Guidance:  11 to 19-year-olds.
A week of free activities that looks at reimagining Dover’s outdoor spaces through these youth-led projects, with this year’s theme – People, Place, Nature and Climate. Workshops, creative crafts, music, sports and lots more over the October half-term.
Explore Dover: Check out our Deal & Dover Area Guide for local attractions.
🔗 Full Event Details: Dover Youth Festival

Folkestone Book Festival

📍Where: Creative Folkestone
🕒 When: 11th to 22nd November 2026
🎟️ Price: Varies per event
🐶 Dog Friendly: Guide dogs allowed
💡Top Tip: Ticketless venue
Enjoy talks, readings, poetry, workshops, tours and lots more, and a Christmas lights switch-on in the old quarter.
Explore Folkestone: Check out our Folkestone Area Guide for local attractions.
🔗 Full Event Details: Folkestone Book Festival

Festivals in Kent Guide 2027

Looking further ahead? Here’s what’s already confirmed for Kent’s festival calendar in 2027. Whether you’re into live music, food and drink, or family-friendly fests, we’ll be updating this list regularly as more dates are confirmed – so bookmark this page and check back soon.

Confirmed Festivals for 2027

✅ Gravesham Light Festival: Gravesend on the 29th & 30th January 2027
✅ The Kent Wellness Festival:  Kent Event Centre, Maidstone on the 12th & 13th June 2027
✅ Herne Bay Folk Festival: 23rd to 25th July 2027

Explore More in Kent

See Kent, Know Kent
🌹 Discover the Garden of England under our Area Guides in Kent menu, or browse the sections below to plan your perfect time in the county.

🏛️  Things to do in Kent: Explore our listings for more attractions and activities.
🎭  What’s On in Kent: Check our events menu for the latest updates.
💡  Ideas & Inspiration: Don’t miss our features and themed articles.
🏰  Top Guides to Kent: Uncover our top tips to top attractions, best festivals, adventure activities, animal experiences and much more in the Garden of England.
❄️ Seasonal Spotlight: From Easter and school holiday adventures to Halloween and festive family fun.
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