BLUEWATER

Is your dad a Da Vinci Dad? Bluewater’s soft play zone, Splat, will be hosting craft activities for all the family to enjoy from Saturday, June 11 to Sunday, June 19. Once the masterpieces have been created, Dad can then sit back and relax, while the kids have some serious fun in the play zone. For details of events on at the centre visit Bluewater.co.uk

CANTERBURY TALES

Travel back in time, with dad going for free at the weekend, at the Tales in Margaret Street. Join a costumed character as they guide you through the attraction, recreating the pilgrimage from London to Canterbury depicted in Chaucer’s poem.

Dads go free on Saturday, June 18 and Sunday, June 19, other adults are £9.75 and five to 15s are £7.50. The attraction is open from 10am to 5pm this month.

Download your voucher for Dad’s free entry at canterburytales.org.uk/events

CHIDDINGSTONE CASTLE

Go vintage for Father’s Day at the castle, with classic cars and posing in the vintage photobooth for a family snap. The summer vintage fair on Sunday, June 19, will feature music from the Polka Dots and the Lindy Hoppers and the chance to watch some Punch and Judy shows.

Take tea in the tea tent and enjoy lunch in the grounds with food from local specialists. Entry to the fair, which is open between 11am and 4.30pm, is £4, £1 for five to 13-year-olds.

More details on the castle near Tonbridge at visitchiddingstonecastle.org.uk or call 01892 870347.

GREAT COMP

Ruffle some feathers on Father’s Day. Rare and colourful breeds of hen will jostle for attention on the lawn at Great Comp Garden, near Borough Green, while talks will include Telegraph writer and Whitstable hen-keeping expert Francine Raymond and poultry aficionado Priscilla Middleton.

Greart Comp curator William Dyson will be downing tools and showing off his Gold Laced Orpingtons and Light Sussex Bantams, bred in his salvia nursery in nearby Platt.

He said: “It’s a wonderful venue to host this celebration of hen-keeping in the garden and we hope that those who attend will see how beautifully poultry and flora thrive together.”

Other exhibitors include Lorri Depreli of Cheeky Chickens in Plaxtol and poultry-inspired artist Chris Jones, a professional artist who uses poultry as a subject. Lunches and teas will be served in the Old Dairy Tearoom at Great Comp.

Hens and Gardens at Great Comp Garden in Comp Lane is on Sunday, June 19, between 11am and 5pm. Entry is £8, £3 for ages six to 17.

For details, visit greatcompgarden.co.uk

HEVER CASTLE

Treat dad to a Ferrari-filled day at the castle when a collection of supercars worth more than £9.5m roars in, alongside classic motors and motorbikes, on Sunday, June 19.
Presented with John Surtees, the Henry Surtees Foundation and the Kent division of the Ferrari Owners Club of Great Britain, highlights include a 250 Lusso, 355 Spider and a 458 race car.

Take a selfie with dad in a Ferrari or test out the kart simulator, while for the kids there’s a free craft workshop, the adventure playground and a water maze. Round off the day with a gentleman’s afternoon tea at £18 or £9 for children.

Gardens open at 10.30am, castle at noon. Entry is £16.50, £9.30 for five to 15-year-olds. Hever Castle is close to Edenbridge

For details, visit hevercastle.co.uk or call 01732 865224.

IGHTHAM MOTE

Play games in the garden and try fishing in the moat at the historic house on Father’s Day on Sunday, June 19. Afterwards, there’s a treat for Dad: beer-tasting in the gardens.

For details, go to nationaltrust.org.uk/ightham-mote

KENT LIFE, MAIDSTONE

There’s plenty of testosterone-filled fun down on the farm, near Maidstone, over the weekend, from watching the blacksmith at his forge to driving tractors and seeing classic cars.

The annual country fair features a classic vehicle show on Sunday, June 19, where you can vote for your favourite motor, while on Saturday, June 18, there’s a tractor-driving course and sheepdog demonstrations. You can visit the small beer tent and watch a falconry display, or take home local produce. Entry is £9.50 and £7.50 for three-to-15s, with a new family ticket at £29.95.

For details, go to kentlife.org.uk or call 01622 763936.

KENT AND EAST SUSSEX RAILWAY

Relax on board a vintage steam train with Dad on Father's Day when it won't be the kids getting treats - it'll be him!

Take Dad to the Kent and East Sussex Railway's Tenterden Station on Sunday, June 19 to ride on one of two special trains at 1.15pm and 3.35pm when he'll get a surprise gift. To pre-book visit kesr.org.uk or call 01580 765155.

MEDWAY BIG RIDE

Dust off your bikes and sign up together for the Medway Big Ride. The third annual event of its kind on Sunday, June 19, will include a mass family fun ride at 2.15pm and children’s track races at 3pm.

You don’t need to pre-register – just head along from noon to the Medway Park sports centre in Gillingham.

Part of the Medway Festival of Sport organised by Medway council, this year it will feature a new Adventure Zone with caving, BMX and skills displays and have-a-gos.

For more details, go to medway.gov.uk

PENSHURST PLACE

Challenge dad to a mini crossbow tournament, or stand back and watch the experts with a Hands on History hunting display, before dressing up in bygone hunting gear and posing for a family photo, all on Sunday, June 19, between 11am and 5pm.

One of the top stately home and gardens in county, Penshurst Place is in a beautiful rural setting on the edge of a small village near Tunbridge Wells.

For details visit penshurstplace.com

PORT LYMPNE

Get dad to step up to the plate and take the Port Lympne Challenge, a new event running the grasslands and walkways at the reserve. The 4.8k run takes place this Sunday before the reserve opens to the public, so you’ll experience the sights and sounds of it waking up.

It is £15 to enter and if you raise £30 in sponsorship you’ll also get a free ticket to the reserve for the rest of the day.

Sign up at aspinallfoundation.org

If dad isn't feeling energetic he can still have a great time at Port Lympne, near Hythe, on Father's Day. Any dad going along will get in for free as long as he is with another full paying adult or child.

Full details here

QUEX PARK

Arm yourself for a military-fuelled day at the park in Birchington this weekend. Gears of Change and Fought for Freedom is a combined classic car and military show on Saturday, June 18, and Sunday, June 19.

Dad can enjoy a range of classic, vintage and other vehicles as well as all things military, together with craft and traders market, bar and food. Re-enactments, live battles and a NAFFI wagon serving a brew will mix along with live music from the 1940s to the 1970s from 10am to 6pm on Saturday and 10am to 5pm on Sunday. Tickets £6 and £4 for kids.

For more, call 07969 058951.

RARE BREEDS CENTRE, NEAR ASHFORD

Pull up to the bumper for a vintage car rally, with parades and a selection of classic, vintage and veteran vehicles including steam traction engines, buses and tractors.

Now in its 22nd year, the rally promises a fun day out, with an entry price of £7, which includes free entry to the farm. For details, go to rarebreeds.org.uk

UP AT THE O2

Dare dad to try something different by scaling the heights of the O2 and meeting adventurer James Ketchell, above, at the summit. James, who was told he would never walk normally again after a motorcycle accident in 2014, became the first and only person to have rowed the Atlantic Ocean, got to the top of Mount Everest and cycled 18,000 miles around the world.

He’ll be on hand to talk about his adventures, with a 360-degree backdrop of London’s skyline on Sunday, June 19, between 10am and 2pm. The 90-minute experience starts at ‘base camp’ and includes safety gear, a talk, harnesses and a guide along the walkway.

Tickets on Father’s Day are £35. To book, visit theo2.co.uk/upattheo2

WHITEFRIARS, CANTERBURY

Supercars, sports, supping and shopping – they’re all sorted for Father’s Day.
Whitefriars shopping centre in Canterbury will be revving up on Saturday, June 18 and Sunday, June 19, with supercars including a Lamborghini or Porsche pulling in, and a longest putt competition for golf fans, plus a Beerkery stall with beer-based food and drink.

There’s also time to shop during the day, which runs from 10am to 5pm on the Saturday and 11am to 5pm on Sunday.