A new festival bringing together street arts, creative classes and fitness sessions launches this month.

Cloud9 - which will take place across Ebbsfleet, Swanscombe and Northfleet - is a free programme to help people get creative, be more active, try new things and develop new hobbies.

The festival will launch online over the weekend of Saturday, April 24 and Sunday, April 25 with a series of taster sessions.

It will be followed later in the year with pop-up and socially-distanced outdoor activities across the three areas, with the aim to spread joy, connection and creativity across the community.

Organisers recognised that after a testing time in lockdown, summer felt like too long to wait for some fun, so they’ll be hosting the warm-up weekender of free online workshops and classes on April 24 and 25 to give people a taste of what's to come.

They include a morning disco yoga class, an Afrodance class with the duo Homebros, and a nutrition and HIIT class with a transformational coach from Revitalise Clinic, which is based in Gravesend.

More workshops will be announced in the coming weeks.

For those looking for more regular creative projects, in May two new programmes launch; singing workshops with MOBO award winner Volney Morgan and hip hop dance classes led by Jeffrey Felicisimo, choreographer and dancer in the dance crew Flawless.

Cloud9 has been created by Ruby Baker, an arts and festival producer, and Jane Packham, who manages a creative marketing company, in conjunction with The Grand Healthy Living Centre in Gravesend.

Cloud9 creative director Ruby said: “Having developed ideas for the festival from within the four walls of our own homes, we know first-hand how hard isolation is to cope with.

"We want Cloud9 to offer something for everyone. We want the activities to be unforgettable, put smiles on people’s faces and hopefully inspire some new hobbies.”

Cloud9 has been commissioned for the project by the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation and Creative Estuary, a consortium of public sector and cultural organisations working to transform 60 miles of the Thames Estuary across Kent and Essex into one of the most exciting cultural hubs in the world.

Mary Rouse, from Ebbsfleet Development Corporation, said: "As well as the short-term benefits, Cloud9 will offer the residents of Ebbsfleet and surrounding areas a chance to reconnect with their community and outside spaces.

"Post Covid, we have longer term ambitions for the festival."

The aim is to get as many people as possible involved in creative activities to improve their health.

The full line-up for both the April and Summer events will be announced over the coming weeks.

Creative Estuary director Emma Wilcox said: "The Cloud9 event is a wonderful output from the work Creative Estuary is delivering with our partners in Ebbsfleet and will contribute to the development of an exciting cultural hub throughout the estuary area, strengthening our communities through creativity."

People can sign up for announcements, alerts and book taster sessions via www.cloud9festival.com.

Read more: All the latest news from Gravesend