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Park Live kicks off summer events with Glitterbomb in the Park, Summer Love Festival and Raver Tots in Maidstone’s Mote Park over the May bank holiday weekend

May’s final bank holiday weekend will see drag performers, ska legends and a family rave take over a Kent park.

Park Live, a series of summer events taking place at Mote Park in Maidstone, kicks off this weekend, with three all-day outdoor concerts.

Danny Beard will be performing at this year’s Glitterbomb in the Park, the first Park Live event of the summer. Picture: Glitterbomb
Danny Beard will be performing at this year’s Glitterbomb in the Park, the first Park Live event of the summer. Picture: Glitterbomb

The first event of this year’s programme is Glitterbomb in the Park, an LGBTQ+ festival featuring a line-up of drag performers.

The festival will take place on Friday, May 26 and boasts contestants from RuPaul’s Drag Race, including two past winners - Drag Race UK vs The World winner Blu Hydrangea and the most recent Drag Race UK winner, Danny Beard.

Further stars from the UK version of the show are also set to appear, including Choriza May and Vanity Milan, as well as a number of contestants from the American franchise, such as Jan and Trinity K Bonet.

Hadlow-born drag artist Sophia Stardust is one of the Glitterbomb in the Park performers. Picture: Sophia Stardust
Hadlow-born drag artist Sophia Stardust is one of the Glitterbomb in the Park performers. Picture: Sophia Stardust

The festival will also feature a number of renowned artists from across the country, including Juno Birch, Dosa Cat and Bailey J Mills, and local performers such as Margate’s Dame Jame and Tonbridge’s Sophia Stardust.

On Saturday, May 27, the park will be throwing a huge celebration of ska and reggae music with this year’s Summer Love festival.

The annual concert returns to Maidstone this weekend, with a stacked line-up of ska, reggae, 2-tone, dub, jazz and funk artists all set to perform.

Summer Love Festival brings ska and reggae music to Mote Park this May. Picture: Facebook / Summer Love Festival
Summer Love Festival brings ska and reggae music to Mote Park this May. Picture: Facebook / Summer Love Festival

Taking to the stage this year will be British DJ David Rodigan, best known for his collection of reggae and dancehall classics, and The Aces, who were previously fronted by Desmond Dekker until his death in 2006 and are now joined by singer and Dekker’s long-time friend, Delroy Williams.

There will also be a street food festival serving Caribbean cuisine and the exclusive Summer Love rum punch.

Rounding off the bank holiday weekend is Raver Tots, which takes place on Monday, May 28.

The family event encourages parents who have swapped nights out raving for night feeds and nappies to relive their youth - and bring their kids along for the ride.

The main stage will feature music from DJ Luck and MC Neat, Artful Dodger, Matt Jam Lamont, Brandon Block and Charlotte Devaney.

At the same time, there will be family entertainment area where children can meet Bluey, Hey Duggee and the Raver Tots Dinosaurs, as well as get their face painted, join in with arts and crafts activities and enjoy funfair rides and games.

You can get tickets to all events here.

You can also find the full list of this year’s Park Live events on the website.

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