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Kent set for a summer of sound

Local festival fans trying to decide between Glastonbury, V and Reading in the coming weeks might not need to wander much further than their home county.

For this year looks set to be a summer of sound in Kent.

Having only just wound down from the excitement of Radio 1’s Big Weekend at Maidstone, Kent will be playing host to several other major music events in the coming months, featuring the likes of Mark Ronson, The Zutons, Primal Scream and The Hoosiers.

First on the agenda is the Sellindge Music Festival at Hope Farm, Sellindge, near Canterbury, featuring hit rock band Idlewild. The fun spans the weekend of June 7 and 8.

Those with alternate tastes might prefer to head to Bedgebury Pinetum, to see Jools Holland perform on June 7 and The Zutons play on June 8.

A new edition to Kent’s summer music line up is set to be one of the biggest - Zoo Thousand and Eight will bring three packed days of top music to Port Lympne Wild Animal Park from July 4 to 6.

Ticket holders can camp in the grounds and bop along to big name acts including Mark Ronson and the Version Players, Dizzy Rascal, Athlete, The Young Knives, Funeral for a Friend and Roni Size.

Also scheduled for July 6 is A Day at the Hop Farm , which promises a ‘totally unbranded’ day of music from the likes of Neil Young, Primal Scream, Supergrass, The Guillemots and more.

Those looking to make their festival experience a truly local affair would do well to head to The Times’ 5th best boutique festival in the UK – Lounge on the Farm at Merton Farm, Canterbury.

The three day festival, running from July 11 to 13, is set on a working farm and much of the food and drink available comes from within a 20mile radius of the site.

Black Kids, Billy Childish, Bees, The Mystery Jets and a selection of DJs are all set to play.

There are also plenty of one-on-one concerts to enjoy at Rochester Castle from July 16 to 19, with performances from Jools Holland, Status Quo, Edwin Starr and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

If all this was not enough, Sound Island in Margate from July 25-27 is sure to keep those still hungry for more live tunes going, with a menu of The Hoosiers, Scouting for Girls, Katherine Jenkins, and UB40.

Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.

And August would not be complete without one of the country's biggest and best loved folk festivals kicking off in Thanet.

Broadstairs Folk Week runs from August 8 to 15, and this year headliners include Eliza Carthy, The Poozies, Cara Dillon and the Lark Rise Show.

One event missing from the calendar this year, however, is the popular Electric Gardens near Canterbury, which has been cancelled due to the volume of competition from other music festivals in Kent this summer.

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