THEKENTISHDIARY
WEEK ONE
The Kentish Diary cont...
What is better than starting the month with the county’ s showcase event, The Kent County Show( kcas. org. uk). Running from 3- 5 July, and an annual Kentish favourite, this year will be the 95th event showcasing the very best of the county’ s farming, agriculture and countryside life.
Take a ringside seat and witness a number of must-see shows across the weekend including the equine village, which hosts over 100 equine classes alongside livestock showing, which showcases dedicated exhibitors who train for years. There will be judging of cows, sheep and goats based on breed standards, muscle tone, age and overall health; you will be sure to see the best of Kentish husbandry. Plus, you’ ll find insideKENT’ s Best of Kent ® Discovery Zone where you can meet Florrie, the iK team and enter to win a bundle of Best of Kent ® prizes too- come and say“ hi”, we’ d love to meet you!
Continuing through the week, you can make your way to Hever Castle( hevercastle. co. uk) for the final stretch of Hever in Bloom 2026, which runs until Sunday 5 July. The event showcases the award-winning Hever gardens during the height of summer, with one of the finest displays of 5,000 roses in Kent.
With rose garden tours running until Friday 3 July at 11.30am and 2pm, alongside family craft activities running on 4- 5 July from 11am to 4pm. Why not get creative with leaf-hammering bookmarks? Choose from a selection of leaves and petals, and hammer their natural pigment onto the smooth stone for a keepsake to remember.
Discovering Kent’ s coastline will lead you to the coastal town of Margate, home to the Turner Contemporary( turnercontemporary. org), a cultural hub celebrating Margate’ s unique community, culture and history. Running throughout July and continuing until
Kent County Show
Sunday 13 September, the Hulda Guzmán: Please Awake- Asked Nature
Kindly exhibition will be available to visit from 11am to 5pm daily. The exhibition showcases how Hulda Guzmán’ s paintings open portals into vibrant, dreamlike worlds, where the artist, her family, animals and mythical beings interact with the natural world.
Dreamland
WEEK TWO
Godinton House
Moving into week two, you can make your way back to Margate to watch David Gray at Dreamland( dreamland. co. uk). The show will run on Friday 10 June at 5.30pm and will showcase David Gray’ s Past & Present
Tour with special guest The Divine Comedy. Known for his landmark album, White Ladder, he is recognised as one of the most influential singersongwriters of his generation, with nearly three decades of acoustic melody and innovation.
Finish off your time in Margate with an evening spent at the Pearly Cow( pearlycow. co. uk), a mustvisit on Kent’ s coastal restaurant scene. With indulgent meat cuts and fresh fish sourced from local suppliers, this restaurant makes the perfect end to a day spent by Kent’ s coast.
Heading inland to Kent’ s countryside will lead you to Godinton House & Gardens( godintonhouse. co. uk) in Ashford, an idyllic setting within an ancient estate that extends to over 900 acres. The house regularly holds events throughout the calendar year, showcasing regional and national
talent, which includes the Open Air Theatre’ s The( Almost) Complete History of Britain on Saturday 11 July at 6.30pm.
Bring your picnic and enjoy the critically acclaimed Pantaloons Theatre Company who will be performing the two-hour show, stepping through Britain’ s highly turbulent and equally lengthy historical past. From romantic comedy to light operetta, the show will span a number of genres with an inventive twist.
Working our way into the middle of July, the Betteshanger Rocks Music Festival( betteshanger-park. co. uk) will be running from 17- 19 July. The festival will showcase some of the UK’ s best tribute acts, set in the serene grounds of Betteshanger Park, with three jampacked days of live music and delicious food and drink vendors.
Across this week, you can also attend the touring Sausage and Cider Festival( sausageandciderfest. co. uk) at Quex Park on Saturday 18 July. With over 30 various ciders, ranging from small independent vendors to nationally recognised brands, alongside a range of independent food vendors, you can sit back and enjoy a memorable day of live entertainment and Kentish delights.
44 • www. insidekent. co. uk