Cultural Kent: Swale

(Image courtesy of Kent Wildlife Trust)

9th October 2021

By Juliette Moisan

This year, we are finally hoping that things will get back to some sort of normality, and so does all of Kent. In this series, you will find a roadmap to the biggest cultural events happening in the region this year.

These events range from musical performances to exhibitions, and will hopefully constitute a way for you to (re)discover Kent as it is meant to be enjoyed.

This time, we turn to Swale, which includes Faversham and Sittingbourne. While Faversham is close to Canterbury, other parts of Swale extend much further and travelling to some of the towns can be quite a challenge as a day trip. Regardless, there are a lot of things to discover in this area.

Sadly, many of the traditional main events of Faversham and Sittingbourne, such as the Faversham Hop Festival, will not be happening this year as organising events that bring in crowds proved too challenging and risky. Therefore, the number of events and attractions is unprecedentedly low this year. However, there are still some highlights to the area.

• The different theatres in Faversham and Sittingbourne (the Avenue Theatre, the Arden Theatre and the Criterion Theatre) have reopened their doors and are planning a vast number of productions and events to look out for.

• The Faversham Transport Weekend in May 2022, featuring a large range of vehicles but also craft stalls, food and live music, is set to return as one of Faversham's prominent events.

As smaller towns, they are home to fewer events this academic year, yet the area still offers a lot of cultural sites to discover.