It feels as though the first bank holiday of the month has only just been and gone, but it’s already time to do it all over again as the late May bank holiday is almost upon us.

From country shows and food festivals to medieval fun and live music, there are plenty of places to enjoy the long weekend with the family.

BLUEWATER, Greenhithe

A new food festival is making its debut this weekend and, with stalls and vendors covering around 12,000 sq ft, it’s set to be one of the biggest in Kent. The Scrumptious Food Festival is a three-day event with celebrity chefs, including Rosemary Shrager, and Great British Bake Off contestants who will be putting on cooking demonstrations and signing recipe books. There will also be lots of artisanal food stalls, including the Tipsy Bakery, Posh Shakes and Waffle+Co.

Details: Saturday, May 25 to Monday, May 27 at Bluewater in Greenhithe, near Dartford. Tickets cost £3 and can be booked online here.

DOVER CASTLE

It’s been 80 years since the D-Day landings in Normandy, and Dover Castle is commemorating the year with its WWII Weekend. The annual event includes a parade of vintage vehicles, a replica 1944 Spitfire aircraft, an outdoor obstacle course, swing singers, a battle re-enactment and a chance to meet working military dogs. There will also be plenty of time to explore the castle and historic grounds.

Details: Saturday, May 25 to Monday, May 27 at Dover Castle. Tickets cost £3.50 in addition to a standard entry ticket and can be booked online here.

KENT EVENT CENTRE, Detling

Keen gardeners will be flocking to Detling over the bank holiday weekend to visit the Kent Garden Show. The show will boast around 300 exhibitors with stunning displays and plants for sale, including medal winners from the Chelsea Flower Show. There will also be a craft pavilion, live band, funfair rides and food stalls.

Details: Saturday, May 25 to Monday, May 27 at the Kent Event Centre in Detling, near Maidstone. Tickets cost £10 and can be booked online here.

LEEDS CASTLE, near Maidstone

Watch thrilling battles and brave knights at this year’s Queen’s Joust. The annual display of horseback riding and action-packed combat will return to the beautiful grounds of Leeds Castle, with two chances to see the main joust each day. While the knights fight for the approval of the queen, you can also listen to traditional music and join in with medieval activities such as weaving, blacksmithing and coin-minting.

Details: Saturday, May 25 to Monday, May 27 at Leeds Castle, near Maidstone. Activities are included in a standard entry ticket which can be booked online here.

LULLINGSTONE CASTLE, Eynsford

Leave the worries of the modern world behind and step into a replica medieval village. The living history display is part of Lullingstone’s Medieval Magic weekend, where there will be live cannon firing, mock battles, characters, campfires, weapons and archery sessions to recreate the sights and sounds of the Middle Ages.

Details: Sunday, May 26 and Monday, May 27 at Lullingstone Castle in Eynsford, near Dartford. Tickets cost £15 and can be booked online here.

SHIP INN, Southfleet

Locals of the Ship Inn in Southfleet will likely already have their tickets to the pub’s annual ShipFest, a three-day bank holiday beer festival and outdoor gig that brings in punters from all over town. There will be real ales and flavoured ciders, along with a gin, prosecco and cocktail bar, and a BBQ to soak up the booze. There will also be face painting for the kids and live music from Beer Pressure, Two Weeks in Nashville and Runaway Killers.

Details: Friday, May 24 to Sunday, May 26 at the Ship Inn in Southfleet, near Gravesend. Tickets start from £10 and can be booked online here.

TANKERTON SLOPES

A host of food and drink stalls will be taking to Tankerton’s iconic slopes for the FreeWheelin’ FEASTival. The three-day foodie fest will have lots of tasty treats, from global cuisine to freshly baked bread and locally grown produce. There will also be live music, family entertainment, stand-up comedy, craft stands and fairground rides, not to mention fantastic views of the beach.

Details: Saturday, May 25 to Monday, May 27 at the Tankerton Slopes, between Tankerton and Whitstable. Entry is free, no need to book.

TONBRIDGE CASTLE

Back for its 11th year, the Tonbridge Food and Drink Festival promises another weekend of mouth-watering street food and refreshing beverages. There will be more than 70 food vendors to visit and at least 30 beers and ciders to sup from both Kent-based and nationwide breweries. Visitors can enjoy cooking demonstrations, talks from food writers and sample bites from tasting menus in the grounds of the castle.

Details: Saturday, May 25 and Sunday, May 26 at Tonbridge Castle. Entry is free, no need to book.

UPDOWN FARMHOUSE, Betteshanger

Take the kids for a brilliant day out at Updown Farmhouse, a restaurant and hotel just outside of Deal that is putting on some great family fun during the spring and summer. On bank holiday Monday, there will be a teddy bears picnic for young children, followed by a treasure hunt around the hotel’s gardens and surrounding woodland. If you have some old teddies, you can also bring them along and donate them to charity.

Details: Monday, May 27 at Updown Farmhouse in Betteshanger, near Deal. Entry is free, no need to book.

WINGS OF THE MORNING FIELD, Sevenoaks

Get stuck into all the traditional fun and games of a country show over the bank holiday. The British Country Show is back with heaps to see and do, including horseback riding, motorcycle stunts, falconry displays, cooking demonstrations, magic shows, Punch and Judy, live music, stand-up comedy, a petting farm, a charity dog show and more.

Details: Sunday, May 26 and Monday, May 27 at the Wings of the Morning Field in Sevenoaks. Tickets cost £12 and can be booked online.