Tonbridge Food and Drink Festival and Dragon Boat Race returns for the last weekend of the summer holidays

A town will celebrate the last weekend of the summer holidays with a food festival and dragon boat race along the river.

Visitors to Tonbridge can enjoy the town’s annual Food and Drink Festival, which returns to the Racecourse Sportsground for two days of tasty bites.

The festival, which is now in its 11th year, boasts more than 70 stalls selling street food, artisan produce, global cuisine, baked treats and refreshing summer drinks.

In the past, the foodie feast has attracted more than 15,000 visitors to sample mouth-watering eats and enjoy cooking demonstrations from top chefs.

There will also be family entertainment, taster menus and craft activities for children over the weekend.

On the second day of the festival, in between snacks and sips, visitors can head to the banks of the nearby River Medway to cheer on the dragon boat race.

The action-packed race takes place every year to raise money for local charities and will see teams compete in heats in the morning before the grand final race in the afternoon.

Competitors will take to their large boats, each decorated with an ornate dragon’s head and tail, in groups of up to 16 and paddle their way to the finish line over a route of around 250 metres.

It’s free to watch the race and it all kicks off at 9.30am from the Watergate on Tonbridge High Street on Sunday, September 1, with the final race taking place after the last round of heats at 3pm.

The Tonbridge Food and Drink Festival takes place on Saturday, August 31 and Sunday, September 1 at the Racecourse Sportsground from 11am to 6pm and is free to enter.