One of the county’s biggest summer festivals is about to open its gates and welcome Americana fans for another jam-packed year.

Black Deer Festival returns to Eridge Park in Tunbridge Wells from Friday, June 16 to Sunday, June 18 and has promised a weekend full of live music, family fun, motorcycles and flame-grilled food. Here’s everything you need to know…

MUSIC

This year boasts another line-up of some of the world’s biggest Americana, country, rock and blues artists, including headline sets from Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, The Pretenders and Bonnie Raitt.

Pulp and Arctic Monkeys collaborator Richard Hawley, Stereophonics frontman Kelly Jones’ new band Far From Saints and Emmy-winning actor Damian Lewis will also be taking to the stage during the three-day festival.

Also set to appear are Bear’s Den, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Midlake, Kurt Vile and the Violators, Allison Russell, Lukas Nelson, Calexico and many more staples of the scene.

Winners of the Black Deer Emerging 2023 programme, including up-and-coming singer-songwriter Samuel Ashton, from Canterbury, will be flying the flag for new talent.

The festival’s Songwriting Sessions will also return this year, with artists such as Allison Russell, Amythyst Kiah, Brandy Clark and Jamie Wyatt sharing the stories behind their favourite songs and performing together in an intimate setting.

You can find the full list of artists online here.

ACTIVITIES

Fans of Americana counter-culture can fully immerse themselves in the lifestyle over the weekend.

The Roadhouse is back for another year, with custom bike builders, exclusive merchandise, a tattooist, Harley-Davidson demonstrations and vintage vehicles.

There will also be a focus on youth activities this June, with a designated Young Folk area hosting lots of family activities.

There will be tree climbing, music workshops, tye-dye sessions, silent discos and a barn dance, as well as a curated programme of SEN activities hosted by SupaJam.

The deer park will also be home to fairground attractions, including a helter skelter, ferris wheel and, of course, a rodeo bull - for those who dare to ride it.

Not to mention, the beautiful country park within which the whole event will take place will be open for visitors to explore, with lots of nature trails and picturesque walks to enjoy.

For those who want to keep the party going into the night, there will also be after-hours events inside The Roadhouse, Haley’s Bar and Jackson Social Members’ Club, where DJs will be playing the best floorfiller anthems and late-night tunes.

FOOD AND DRINK

These days a festival isn’t a festival without decent food and drink, and Black Deer definitely has much more than a burger van and pint of cider to offer.

The food is largely inspired by BBQ culture and America's Southern cuisine, particularly in the Live Fire area.

This is where you’ll find outdoor cooking demonstrations and masterclasses, the annual Gospel Brunch and chilli-eating and hot dog-eating competitions, as well as BBQ food and authentic bourbon.

Appearing at Live Fire this year will be UK BBQ pioneers Jon Finch and Ben Merrington and Boca Loco’s Laura Sylverster, along with international culinary experts Matt Burgess, Nick Weston, Melissa Thompson and Karan Gokani.

There will also be plenty of craft beer on offer, especially from Brewdog, the festival’s official drinks partner for 2023.

You can even pour yourself a pint from Black Deer’s EBars. These self-service draught beer vending machines are set to help reduce bar queues and waiting times by allowing visitors to grab a drink for themselves within seconds.

Those with dietary restrictions have been assured that vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free food and drink options will also be available.