Interesting Things To Do In Kent This Month: April 2018

Due to being otherwise engaged for two weeks at the end of February, I didn't get round to writing a March events round-up - but you were probably snowed in anyway, right? Here's a bumper look at what's going on in Kent in April:

Image: Paper Daisy Events

March-September 2018: Remarkable Characters of Tunbridge Wells

Already underway is this exhibition of 40 photographs of local Tunbridge Wells people. It's the culmination of a project by photographer Mark Wilkinson and writer Anne Wagstaff, telling the story of the real Tunbridge Wells. See the exhibition at Woods restaurant on the Pantiles, where the accompanying book is available to buy.

1-2 April: Festival of Steam and Transport, Chatham Dockyard

Choo choo! Who doesn't love a good old vintage train? Steampunks unite at this weekend festival of classic cars and trains, steam engines, food and drink stalls, live music, a funfair and more, all at the Historic Dockyard in Chatham.

4-29 April

If you're into local history, head to Maidstone Museum which has an exhibition chronicling 100 years of the WI in West Kent - more than just knitting needles and cake sales.

7 April: Street food and craft market, Brighton

Image: Paper Daisy Events

A day at the seaside, a street food market and a craft fair all in one, Paper Daisy Events pops up in Brighthelm Gardens with stalls selling items made by independent craftspeople. Plus, there's a live band to accompany all that shopping.

7 April: Heritage Transport Show, Maidstone

Image: Heritage Transport Show

If you missed last weekend's steampunk showdown, head to the Kent Showground in Detling for a mass gathering of 800 vehicles.  The South East Bus Festival forms part of the show, bringing 120 buses and coaches of all vintages together, many of which will be offering rides.

7 14 April: Lambing weekend, Bidborough

*POSTPONED UNTIL 14 APRIL DUE TO WATERLOGGED CAR PARK*

Following on from a successful pumpkin picking season, Bidborough's Four Winds Farm is holding a lambing weekend, allowing the public to see inside a commercial farm. It's not all about the newborn lambs, as there's a sheep show all about sheep and wool, tea and cake, face painting and more. Let's face it - it's mainly about the newborn lambs though.

12-14 April: Alice in Wonderland, Chiddingstone Castle

Image: Chiddingstone Castle

This one's mainly for kiddies (6-10 years), but I really wish it wasn't. Alice in Wonderland is coming to Chiddingstone Castle for the weekend, and basically having the run of the place with croquet, arts and crafts, singing, dancing, and other activities led by the characters from Lewis Carroll's books.

13-14 April: Bat Walk

If nature's your thing, Knole Park in Sevenoaks is running a series of dusk bat walks. Bring a torch and set off on a guided walk in search of bats - bat detectors will be provided. The walk is followed by hot chocolate and chance to ask the bat expert any questions you have.

18-27 April: Tulip Festival, Hever Castle

Image: Hever Castle

I love tulip season - they're my favourite flower, and so many places have festivals to celebrate them coming into bloom. If you want to cop an eyeful of them, I recommend heading to Hever Castle's tulip festival, because not only do you get the gorgeous flowers, but you get them set against the backdrop of a Tudor castle. Beautiful.

18-29 April: Bluebell Festival, Riverhill Himalayan Gardens

If bluebells are more your bag, Riverhill Himalayan Gardens will be rolling out the blue carpet for the bluebell festival, with walks through the woods, and music and craft events for children.

22 April: Penshurst Brocante

The picturesque village of Penshurst hosts a vintage fair (rescheduled from March due to the snow) with vintage clothing, antiques and jewellery available to buy.

24 April-15 May: Pashley Manor Tulip Festival

More tulips, but as I said, I absolutely love them. Pashley Manor near Wadhurst has been running its tulip festival for a good few years now, and although it's not cheap to get into, it has 40,000 tulips across 112 varieties - one for the real enthusiasts. The gardens are worth exploring beyond the tulips, and there's a cafe and shop on site too. Keep an eye on the news page for updates on when the tulips are coming out.

30 April: Dawn chorus boat trips

Get your sea river legs on, set your alarm and head for Tonbridge. The excellent Tonbridge River Trips run special trips as well as their regular day boat trips. Today there's a dawn chorus trip, a two hour journey with a wildlife expert who will point out local wildlife and tell you a bit more about it. The kicker? It starts at 4.30am.

Ongoing, every Sunday: Afternoon tea

Image: Cafe 1809

Cafe 1809, the Hildenborough cafe owned by Dame Kelly Holmes, has launched afternoon and cream teas every Sunday. The first one took place on Mother's Day, and they're now running every Sunday for the forseeable future. I haven't tried it yet, but given I've now dedicated a whole section of this blog to afternoon tea, it's definitely on the list.

Plus: Tonbridge Library is now due to reopen in April after a long refurb (no further details at present), and I live in hope that Verdigris, the wine and cocktail bar replacing Graze in Tonbridge High Street, may open this month. Keep an eye on the Twitter account for updates.


About these listings: These are just a selection of the more interesting and unusual events taking place in and around Kent this month. I select events for inclusion based on what I find interesting myself, as I hope these will interest you too. I'm based in West Kent, so geographically they're centred around this area - although I do chuck the occasional further-afield event in if I think it sounds interesting enough to warrant it. Got a suggestion for a inclusion in future event listings? Contact me.