Easter is just around the corner, and Kent is packed with ways to make the most of the bank holiday weekend.
From food festivals and live music to dance classes and tattoo conventions, there’s something for everyone. Here are five great ideas to help you plan your Easter weekend…
Macknade’s outdoor Food Village will reopen for 2026 with a launch party on Good Friday. Picture: Macknade
MACKNADE, Faversham
This award-winning farm shop and cafe is once again opening its outdoor Food Village for the spring and summer season. The free launch party will kick off the festivities, inviting visitors to sample street food from local vendors selling burgers, pasta, pizza and more, have a drink at the pop-up cocktail bar and enjoy live music by covers band Whiskey and Wine.
Details: Good Friday, from 10am to 10pm, at Macknade in Faversham. Live music from 6pm to 8pm. Free entry.
Huge crowds are expected to visit Broadstairs for its spring food and drink festival. Picture: Broadstairs Food Festival
VICTORIA GARDENS, Broadstairs
For those who want something other than chocolate and roast lamb over the Easter weekend, the Broadstairs Food Festival offers a taste of global cuisine, local booze and live entertainment. The event, which attracts thousands of visitors every spring and autumn, brings together food, drink and craft traders, with around 120 stalls setting up shop over the bank holiday weekend. There will also be live cooking demonstrations and interactive workshops from culinary experts and live entertainment on the bandstand.
Details: Good Friday to Easter Sunday at Victoria Gardens in Broadstairs. Gates open at 10am. Free entry.
Get inked at the Maidstone Tattoo Extravaganza, a weekend convention filled with hundreds of tattoo artists. Picture: Andy Jones.
KENT EVENT CENTRE, near Maidstone
A three-day convention exploring the weird and wonderful world of body art is back. At this year’s Maidstone Tattoo Extravaganza, there will be hundreds of artists from Kent and beyond who will be working across the weekend, inking customers with everything from flash tattoos to bespoke, large-scale pieces. There will also be traders selling jewellery, clothing, artwork, skincare and food.
Details: Saturday, April 4 to Easter Monday, from 9am to 5pm, at the Kent Event Centre in Detling, near Maidstone. Book online here.
The Harbour Arm regularly hosts free events during the spring and summer months, including live music and outdoor cinema screenings. Picture: Folkestone Harbour Arm
FOLKESTONE HARBOUR ARM
Get in the mood for summer with a free salsa class on the Kent coast. Dance Visions is hosting Salsa by the Sea, a session of Afro-Latin music and movement on the popular Harbour Arm. The group will be performing electrifying dance routines, as well as follow-along dance classes and group line-ups where anyone can join in and learn a few steps.
Details: Easter Sunday, from 12 noon to 2pm, at Folkestone Harbour Arm. Free entry.
Fort Amherst is a historic attraction which dates back to the 1700s. Picture: Google
FORT AMHERST, Chatham
The historic tunnels of this Napoleonic fortress will be turned into a world of imagination over the bank holiday weekend. The family-friendly Fantasy Festival gives children (and those who are young at heart) a chance to immerse themselves in everything from fairies and goblins to Star Wars and Doctor Who. There will be characters from films and fiction, fantasy creatures, storytelling, trade stands, children’s activities, fancy dress and more.
Details: Easter Sunday and Easter Monday at Fort Amherst in Chatham. Book online here.
Get more inspiration for family days out with our guide to the Easter school holidays, packed with egg hunts, garden trails, spring crafts and more.
