insideKENT Magazine Issue 28 - July 2014 | Page 31
ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT
Dan Clews’ GUIDE TO KENT FESTIVALS
Folking In The Strawberries, Sevenoaks
19 & 26 June; 3, 10, 17, 24 July
Lounge On The Farm, Canterbury
2 August
www.danclews.com
www.loungeonthefarm.co.uk
The Orange Circus at Folking in the Strawberries © www.inlovewithphotography.co.uk
Lounge on the Farm
Folking In The Strawberries started with a late night opening of a PYO
strawberry farm, a bottle of wine (being offered to late-night pickers) and
a few guitars. It remains much the same, only bigger! There are still
strawberries, reasonably priced drinks, but most of all there is folk. The
music is laid on by the George Martin-accredited singer songwriter Dan
Clews and his long list of muso friends; the stage is a tractor trailer and the
backdrop is the North Downs in the heart of Kent.
One of Kent’s more high profile festivals having hosted gigs from Emili
Sandé and many more to boot, this year it’s scaled back to a one-day
event, so the roster will be jam packed with local, national and international
acts, from home-grown artist Syd Arthur, right the way through to one-time
Glastonbury headliners the Fun Lovin’ Criminals.
Broadstairs Folk Week, Broadstairs
8-15 August
Folking In The Strawberries is currently a free event, from 6-9pm, and
happens every Thursday during the strawberry and raspberry fruiting season.
People are asked to bring a picnic, a rug and to enjoy some of the finest
acoustic music and strawberries to be found. The artists play for free and
the fruit is exceptional, so all they ask is that both are respected accordingly.
www.broadstairsfolkweek.org.uk
Everyone has a different Folk Week – ask 50 people what their favourite
part of the festival is, and they will each tell you something completely
different! Whether you are family looking for child-friendly events, the younger
generation wanting to burn off some dance energy, or singers and musicians
seeking out a session – Broadstairs Folk Week has something for you. The
festival takes place all over the town and there’s hardly a venue that isn’t
bursting with song, music and dance. All venues are within walking distance
– although we admit that getting down the hill to the sea is easier than
getting back up!
Hop Farm Festival, Paddock Wood
4-6 July
www.thehopfarmmusicfestival.com
Local & Live, Tunbridge Wells
22-25 August
www.localandlive.org
2014 sees the Local &
Live Music Festival
celebrate its 9th year
as Kent’s biggest free,
original, unsigned
music festival. Having
grown steadily from a
modest community
event to a cornerstone
of the Kent musical
calendar, the event
regularly welcomes
over 20,000 people over four days. Taking place over August bank holiday
weekend, the 2014 Festival is set to be the biggest yet. This year, in order
to accommodate the growing crowds and to take the opportunity to promote
even more of Kent’s incredible musical talent, the main stage moves to the
idyllic surroundings of Calverley Park in the centre of Tunbridge Wells.
Local and Live
Dan Clews at The Hop Farm © Mike Reed Photography
With its huge line-up the Hop Farm Music Festival 2014 will see a fantastic
three-day event packed full of artists from the past and present. Two main
stages and the introduction of several other areas like the Jazz & Blues
Lounge, Comedy Big Top, Kidz Field and Silent Disco, along with themed
bars and gourmet food all make Hop Farm the place to be!
Each year, the event showcases hundreds of superb acts and, in 2014,
the centre stage at Calverley Park will be supported by fringe events across
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