This year’s Maidstone Fringe Festival is set to be the biggest yet, with famous names and new talent set to take over even more of the County Town, from Thursday, May 2, to Monday, May 6.

Alongside new music venue The Rafters, other venues are to join the five day festival for the first time, including Source Bar, Stepping Stone Studios and Art Lounge - making the third Fringe Festival more diverse than previous years.

Pubs, clubs and music venues will host live acts from across many different genres, and there will be a number of all day events.

Earls plays host to punk and rock on Saturday, May 4, with Vince Vortex & the Cucumbers, long standing Maidstone pop-punk band One Day Elliott, signed Medway garage rockers The Len Price 3, and progressive indie act Burning Shapes.

Sunday, May 5, sees a Ska festival at The Exchange Theatre, featuring The Estimators, Toot ‘N’ Skamen and The Kix, and Monday, May 6, at the Style & Winch sees the return of TV Smith - frontman for The Adverts.

Also appearing at the Style & Winch are local acts The Jacs, Howl On Vinyl, Tener Duende and Stacey & the Freeloaders.

Squeeze’s lead singer and guitarist Glenn Tilbrook, will play on Friday May 3 at the Hazlitt Theatre, which will also host The Kast Off Kinks - which comprises original band members, including drummer Mick Avory - the following day.

The newly opened Rafters venue hosts upcoming contemporary folk act Coco & The Butterfields on Friday May 3, and highly regarded psychedelic rockers White Bone Rattle on Saturday May 4, followed by a metal showcase on Sunday, featuring headliners Sincerity.

Established venues such as The Music Room above Pizza Express feature much loved Kent Swing band Goosebumps - on Friday, May 3, and highly regarded country blues artist Pete Molinari playing with his full band on Saturday, May 4.

New local art and performance space Stepping Stones Studio features a blues based duo set from Migden & Gibson on Friday, May 3, and an acoustic set from female artist Pip Bowers with her trio on Saturday, May 4.