Following news the Folkstone Air Display will not be returning next year, we look back at some of the annual events in Kent that have disappeared over the decades.

Reporter Keely Greenwood reminisces about the major military shows and A-list festivals the county used to host…

The Folkstone Air Display

The hugely popular show has been scrapped for 2024 after its main attraction, the Red Arrows, were unable to attend.

Council leader Cllr Jim Martin said: “We know this will be disappointing as the air display is greatly enjoyed by residents, visitors and our local businesses.

“But the Red Arrows are the star attraction and without them we felt that the air display would not have the same impact and bring in fewer visitors to enjoy what our district has to offer.

“We have a tough financial year ahead so will be using money planned for the air display in other ways to provide support for events in our district benefitting our businesses and the local economy.”

Pub in the Park, Tunbridge Wells

The three-day festival at Dunorlan Park, in Tunbridge Wells celebrated the best of live music, top chefs and pop-up bars and last year included headline sets from drum and bass group Rudimental, pop band McFly and disco legends Sister Sledge.

Live cooking demos were performed by Great British Menu star Andi Oliver, well-known Hairy Bikers chef Si King, as well as Saturday Kitchen’s Matt Tebbutt.

But the event, set up by celebrity chef Tom Kerridge in 2018, will not be returning to Tunbridge Wells next years after organisers decided to scale down their venues from 10 to just four.

In an email to event regulars, organisers said: “Having crisscrossed the land since 2018 bringing Pub in The Park to towns throughout the country, we’ve decided it’s time to put down some roots.”

“So, next year we plan to replace our regional touring format with four newly- designed, bigger and better festivals in Marlow, Chiswick, Reigate and St Albans.

“Each event will have its own unique characteristics that we are really excited about.

“We are sad not to be returning to towns where we’ve had so much fun in the past, but in the current climate our Pub in The Park smaller shows are unfortunately unviable.”

Lounge on the Farm, Canterbury

The festival at Merton Farm in Canterbury came to an end in 2015 after nine great years, as the organisers struggled to find a new venue.

The previous year the three-day event once attracted the likes of Nile Rodgers, Echo and the Bunnymen, Soul II Soul and Ellie Goulding.

But more recently, it had been reduced to just one because more land was required for farming, significantly reducing the space available for camping and parking.

Festival co-founder Sean Baker had hoped to cancel for just one year and said the decision was taken for a variety of reasons, not least because its long association with Merton Farm had come to an end.

Hop Farm Festival, Paddock Wood

Perhaps the county's most star-studded and most-missed music event, the festival started from humble beginnings in 2008 at the Paddock Wood tourist attraction, in Tonbridge with Neil Young headlining, before growing into a two and then three-day event.

Over the years it included appearances from huge pop names such as Prince, Bob Dylan, Morrissey, The Eagles, Paul Weller, Van Morrison, Blondie and Peter Gabriel.

But after losing money on its 2011 event, it managed just one more year before a two-year break.

It was revived in 2014, with a new promoter, and an eclectic line-up which included the likes of Grace Jones, Billy Ocean and James Blunt, but it never returned after that.

South East Airshow, Ramsgate

Popular in the 1990s, the show took a 20-year break before returning to Manston Airport in Ramsgate in June, 2013 for a one-off event welcoming some of the world’s greatest modern and historic aircraft for some dazzling displays.

Aircrafts flying into action on the historic day included the colourful (and seriously loud) Miss Demeanour, a restored Hawker Hunter jet fighter first commissioned by the RAF in 1956, the iconic Vulcan, a Spitfire and a Hurricane.

While helicopters taking to the skies included the Sea King and Apache. Visitors could even pay for their own helicopter flight.

Not all of the action was in the air, with a host of entertainment for visitors including a Typhoon aircraft simulator, fun fair and stalls. There was also a Second World War re-enactment, and vintage motors on show, thanks to the Ramsgate Old Motor and Motorcycle Club.

The War & Peace Revival Show, Paddock Wood

Billed as the largest military show in the world and taking place over five days, it attracted up to 99,000 visitors at its peak.

The show, which first started at The Hop Farm in Tonbridge in 1987, took place every year until Covid put a stop to proceedings in 2020.

After which time organisers said they were unable to meet health and safety requirements in subsequent years.

A military and vintage festival packed full of education and entertainment, it included displays of up to 4,000 military vehicles from tanks to planes, plus living history re-enactments from the First World War to more recent conflicts.

The Biggin Hill Festival of Flight

The popular weekend-long event, held at Biggin Hill Airport regularly featured air shows from the RAF display team, the Red Arrows, and the RAF Typhoon display team on both days.

Launched in 2014, the inaugural event marked a return to the place where it all started for the world-famous RAF Aerobatic Team who marked the anniversary of its 50th display season at the skybourne spectacular.

The Red Arrows’ first public appearance in the UK as a fledgling team was at the Biggin Hill International Air Fair in May 1965, flying the Hawker Siddeley Gnat, the lead-in jet trainer of the era.

The popular event hasn’t returned after Covid.

Radio 1 Roadshow

The music festival first toured the nation in 1973 and included Kent stop-offs in Margate, Ramsgate, Folkestone, Deal and Maidstone.

The DJs were huge names at the time with the likes of radio legends Alan 'Fluff' Freeman and 'Diddy' David Hamilton and Dave Lee Travis in the 1970s.

While the 1980s, saw visits from famous faces such as Peter Powell, Mike Smith, Tony Blackburn, Steve Wright, Bruno Brookes and even a young Phillip Schofield whipping the huge crowds into a frenzy.

In the 1990s big names presenters Mike Read, Mark Goodier and Jackie Brambles made appearances.

At that time it was just the DJ entertaining the audience with their choice of tunes, but during the 1990s there was an increasing number of emerging artists keen to capitalise on the big crowds and even bigger radio audience.

The Manic Street Preachers performed live during a 1993 July roadshow on Margate's Main Sands, while Grange Hill and EastEnders’ star Sean Maguire appeared in the same town in 1995 in a bid to spark his brief pop career.

In 1999 the roadshow underwent an overhaul as the radio station opted for a number of big, star-studded single events called One Big Sunday which, in turn, morphed into the annual Big Weekend - more festival than roadshow.

In 2008, the Big Weekend reached the peak of it’s performers when it welcomed global superstar Madonna to Mote Park in Maidstone.

Ashford’s Create Festival

The town’s biggest festival was a week-long programme of events across Ashford that ranged from performance poets in pubs to circuses in the street.

The 24th Create Festival in 2019 saw 13,000 visitors enjoying a raft of acts and attractions, with headliners The Lightning Seeds rocking the main stage with their top hit 'Three Lions'.

Nearly 40 international and local bands took part in the free festivities, including Cooper Stout from CBBC's Got What It Takes? and Jaz Ellington of The Voice fame.