Polish those sunglasses and dust off the picnic table, it is
music festival season in Kent. Chris Price guides you through the
headliners and heartthrobs. Just pray you won’t need
wellies.

Rochester Sweeps Festival

Reviving the 400-year-old traditional holiday of the chimney
sweeps, this festival will attract 50,000 people to the streets of
Rochester. Sharing top billing will be folk stars Eliza Carthy and
Show of Hands on Saturday and Sunday respectively. Eliza will also
bring her folk legend father Martin along for a guest
appearance during her set inside a marquee in Rochester Castle
Gardens. New for 2011 is Boley Hill Village, a folk performance
area.

Date: Saturday, April 30 to Monday, May 2.

Cost: Concerts £18 but some events free

Where: Rochester Castle Gardens, Marquee Castle Hill,
Rochester ME1 1SW

Contact: 01634 338338 or www.whatsonmedway.co.uk

Bedgebury Pinetum, Goudhurst

Don’t You (Forget About Me) will disturb the normally tranquil
woods as Simple Minds top the bill for the first day of the
Forestry Commission concerts. The following day 1980s pop comes
courtesy of Erasure, who have garnered more than A Little Respect
for bagging the services of dance-pop princess Sophie Ellis Bextor
as their support.

Date: Friday, June 10 to Saturday, June 11.

Cost: Simple Minds £35, Erasure £34.50.

Where: Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest, Park Lane,
Goudhurst, Cranbrook TN17 2SL

Contact: 03000 680400 or www.forestry.gov.uk/music

Stour Music Festival, Boughton Aluph, near
Ashford

One of Kent’s oldest music festivals takes a traditionally
Kentish theme this year. Based at the foot of Pilgrims Way, it is
fitting that this year’s highlight is an opera version of Chaucer’s
The Pardoner’s Tale from The Canterbury Tales. Also billed are The
Cardinall’s Musick , The Tallis Scholars and I Fagiolini, as well
as instrumental groups such as the London Handel Players and La
Serenissima.

Date: Friday, June 17 to Sunday, June 26.

Cost: Various.

Where: All Saints Church, Pilgrims Way, Boughton Aluph,
Ashford TN25 4EU

Contact: 05603 434123 or www.stourmusic.org.uk

GOGO Festival, Headcorn Aerodrome, near
Maidstone

This is a weekend of wine, women and song devoted entirely to
ladies enjoying each other’s company, sunshine, music and extreme
sports. Headliners announced so far are new wave electropop act Uh
Huh Her and New York alternative rock group Betty, with a third
headliner for the Friday to be announced soon. There will be a folk
tent and a comedy tent, the latter headlined by Zoe Lyons, and
there will also be the chance for a spot of sky diving.

Date: Friday, June 17 to Monday, June 20.

Cost: Weekend ticket £95.

Where: Headcorn Aerodrome, Shenley Road, Headcorn, Ashford
TN27 9HX

Contact: http://www.gogofestival.com/

Music On The Hill, Kings Hill, near West
Malling

The queen of classical crossover Katherine Jenkins kicks off the
inaugural Music On The Hill, all in aid of Demelza Hospice Care for
Children and The Children’s Development Trust. Pop rock heroes
McFly will Obviously have a few Star Girls screaming at them at the
KM Group-supported event. Then put your wigs and flairs on for some
Abba-mania as tribute act Bjorn Again perform as co-headliners with
ABC – the band behind such hits as Poison Arrow and The Look Of
Love.

Date: Friday, June 24 to Sunday, June 26.

Cost: Katherine Jenkins £35, McFly £33.50, Bjorn Again and
ABC £29.50.

Where: Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling

Contact: 0844 873 7339 or www.musiconthehill.org.uk

Hop Farm Music Festival, near Paddock Wood

Once again festival-goers are served a feast of legends as
Eagles and Morrissey headline the four-year-old hoedown. The
support acts sound like a roll call from the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame too, with Bryan Ferry, Lou Reed, Iggy And The Stooges and
Patti Smith set to grace the main stage while Human League, Ocean
Colour Scene and The Bluetones will rock the Big Tent. Younger
music fans will lap up Brandon Flowers of Killers fame, Noisettes
and Brother.

Date: Friday, July 1 and Saturday, July 2.

Cost: Weekend ticket (no camping) £130, weekend camping
ticket £30.

Where: The Hop Farm, Paddock Wood, Kent TN12 6PY

Contact: 0207 644 1445 or http://www.hopfarmfestival.com/

Lounge On The Farm, Canterbury

While the Hop Farm caters for Kent’s older music-lovers, Lounge
On The Farm has strategically aimed itself at younger
festival-goers. The Streets are a special headliner because this is
their last ever tour before frontman Mike Skinner retires the
group. The other headline slots from Ellie Goulding and Echo &
The Bunnymen are by no means the best of the rest, with former Blur
guitarist Graham Coxon, dubstep-princess Katy B and booming rockers
The Joy Formidable also performing.

Date: Friday, July 8 to Sunday, July 10.

Cost: Weekend ticket £105.

Where: Merton Farm, Merton Lane South, off Nackington Road,
Canterbury CT4 7BA

Contact: 0844 888 9991 or www.loungeonthefarm.co.uk

Rochester Castle Concerts

This year’s line up is a traditional castle concerts sandwich
with a poptastic filling, started off by new wave rockers Squeeze.
Friday is the turn of Peter Andre to wail about his Mysterious Girl
before N-Dubz give the festival a hip hop flavour on Saturday. The
event rounds off in its usual style with the Castle Proms.

Date: Thursday, July 14 to Sunday, July 17.

Cost: Squeeze £32, Peter Andre £32.50, N-Dubz £29.50, Proms
£29.50.

Where: Rochester Castle, The Castle Castle Hill, Rochester
ME1 1SW

Contact: 01634 338338 or www.whatsonmedway.co.uk

Live at the Castle, Leeds Castle, near
Maidstone

Live at the Castle is the latest major Kent music gig to surface
and debuts with boyband The Wanted ably supported by Pack Up singer
Eliza Doolittle and Aggro Santos. If this sounds all a bit too
young though, the day before sees the return of the Leeds Castle
Open Air Classical Concert after its successful return last year,
following a two year break. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
perform the stirring programme.

Date: Saturday, July 16 to Sunday, July 17.

Cost: Classical £35 and seated £45, Live at the Castle
£27.50.

Where: Leeds Castle, Maidstone ME17 1PL

Contact: 01622 880008 or www.leeds-castle.com

Hevy Music Festival, Port Lympne, near
Folkestone

A European festival exclusive sees New Jersey mathcore band The
Dillinger Escape Plan headline the Saturday of the festival, which
is now in its third year. They co-headline with Architects on a
line up that also includes Bouncing Souls, We Are The Ocean,
Zebrahead, Capdown and Ceremony. For Kent’s hardcore fans, this is
the event of the year.

Date: Friday, August 5 to Monday, August 8.

Cost: Weekend ticket £89 including free entry to Port Lympne
Wild Animal Park for the weekend.

Where: Port Lympne Wild Animal Park, Aldington Rd, Lympne,
Hythe CT21 4PD

Contact: 0843 221 0100 or www.hevy.co.uk

Broadstairs Folk Festival

Whether you want to sing along to I Know Him So Well with
Barbara Dickson or learn an instrument at the folk workshops, this
is a true family festival. Top acts include Po’Girl, Vin Garbutt
and Home Service, made up of past members of the Albion Band. Also
festival-goers will be blown away by the transformation of
Chumbawamba, who have gone from rabble-raising champions of
Tunthumping to a sophisticated folk ensemble.

Date: Friday, August 5 to Friday, August 12.

Cost: Week ticket £225, day ticket £37.

Where: Various, Broadstairs

Contact: 01843 604080 or www.broadstairsfolkweek.org.uk