insideKENT Magazine Issue 57 - December 2016 | Page 28

EVENTS

KentEvents
Christmas Window Display Competition // until 16 Dec

Rochester Christmas Market // 3-4 Dec

This Christmas, Folkestone Creative Quarter will dazzle and delight visitors
with their annual Christmas window display competition. Shops, businesses
and cafés will be doing their best to wow passers-by with lights, art and
more, creating jaw-dropping festive displays to illuminate your day. Vote for
your favourite by visiting the Creative Quarter website and don’t forget to
tweet, Facebook or Instagram a photo using the hashtag #CQXMAS. One
social media poster will win a £100 voucher to be spent in the Creative
Quarter! So get exploring and get voting!
www.creativequarterfolkestone.org.uk

An enchanting
weekend of
traditional
Victorian
Christmas
festivities.
Packed with
shopping stalls,
Rochester
becomes a feast
of Victorian
delights. There
are lamp-lit
parades, carols
to be sung, Father Christmas to be met and even a guaranteed snowfall
framed by Rochester’s fairy-tale cathedral and castle. You’ll also see some
familiar, fabled characters from Dickens’ much-loved stories. Highlights
include the Seven Poor Travellers Procession, the Grand Parade, a candlelit
procession, the open-air carol concert, and roaming street performers.
Rochester’s Dickensian Christmas has been held annually since 1988,
which is fitting as Medway held such a special place in Charles Dickens’
life and work. The writer spent five of his childhood years in Medway from
1817 to 1822. He returned for the last few years of his life, dying at Gads
Hill in 1870.
10am. Price: Free
High Street, Rochester ME1 1LX
www.visitmedway.org/events/rochester-dickensian-christmas-festival

Christmas
Shopping at
Neptune
// 1 & 8 D ec (latenight shopping) &
3-4 Dec
(Christmas
Shopping Event)

Magical Christmas At The Rare Breeds Centre
// 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 21-23 Dec
No family
Christmas is
complete without a
visit to see Father
Christmas, and at
the Rare Breeds
Centre Christmas
has become a
much-loved
tradition. This is a
heart-warming
family experience
that will leave not
just the children feeling suitably festive, but the rest of the family too! The
elves will welcome you into the truly magical grotto and along with the
‘Naughty Snowman’ and Santa you will experience forty minutes of fun and
entertainment, at the end of which each child meets Santa for a one-toone chat and receives their special present, whilst you take those cherished
photos! Booking is essential. This year Wiley Wolf Productions are performing
Peter Pan the pantomime, with all the usual jokes, fun and interaction…
don’t miss this, the kids will love it! Take the children to Mother Christmas’
workshop to decorate biscuits or cakes at no extra charge and, for a small
fee, the children can make a candle and turn it into a very special table
decoration for their Christmas table!
From 10.30am. Price: £7
Rare Breeds Centre, Highlands Farm, Woodchurch, Ashford TN26 3RJ
www.rarebreeds.org.uk / 01233 861493

Come inside…
Christmas shopping is
made even better
when there are mince
pies and mulled wine
to enjoy. So just before
you start mooching,
during, or when you're
all done, make yourself
at home and enjoy a
Christmas tipple and
treat. Free gift wrapping
will also be on offer.
And a Christmas gift
from Neptune
Canterbury to you... if
you spend over £100 in store, you'll receive a little gift in return.
Open from 9am. Late-night shopping until 8pm on 1 & 8 Dec.
Neptune Canterbury, The Oast, Wincheap Road, Canterbury CT1 3TY
www.neptune.com / 01227 209300

28