Enjoy folk music, beer and morris dancing at the Faversham Hop Festival. Doug Hudson reports.

Faversham Hop Festival began in the 1990s as a celebration of Kentish beer making and traditional music at a time of year when the hops were being harvested.

The centre of the county’s beer production once again celebrates its vital ingredient this weekend, with the town taken over with a two-day feast of music, dance and street entertainment.

The folk fraternity is well represented with headline acts Follia, Sur Les Docks and the Hot Rats gracing both the Shepherd Neame and Railway Hotel main stages.

Follia travel over from their native Belgium, and Sur Les Docks have become familiar favourites in Kent with their own brand of Dunkerque based folk-punk a la Pogues.

Kent folk bands are well represented, too, with appearances from Bowstring, Jumbo Gumbo, Sally Ironmonger, Green Diesel and a rare visit from the excellent Vince Martyn.

There will be plenty of morris dancing and clogging from Kent sides including Tanglefoot – an American Appalachian-style dance troupe – while ceilidh fans will be pleased to hear the Hoppers Ball features Sizewell Gap.

The Suffolk-based ceilidh band are well known nationally as one of the best dance bands around and have been going since 1974, at one time including in their line up Tim Laycock. The event is at the Abbey School on Saturday, September 1. Tickets £5 on the door. If you want to reserve in advance, email morris@favershamhopfestival.org

In addition to the folk acts there are many other bands performing throughout Saturday and Sunday – both officially and in the fringe – with pearly kings and queens, stand up comedy and street acts adding to the general mayhem.

As with many festivals these days it is probably advisable to go by public transport. There will be a steam train full of celebrities arriving at the station as a centre piece of the festival – now that would be the way to arrive in style.

Faversham Hop Festival takes place across the town on Saturday and Sunday, September 1 and 2. Admission free but some events ticketed. Details atwww.favershamhopfestival.org