The Rochester and Strood by-election may have dominated the headlines in recent weeks, but the people of Medway can turn their attentions to Christmas this weekend with the return of the ROCHESTER CHRISTMAS MARKET. A wide range of stalls will be available, with hog roast, hot chocolate and roasted chestnuts providing refreshments. The market is free to visit and opens on Saturday, November 29, then on Fridays and at weekends until Sunday, December 14. It is housed in the picturesque castle gardens and a Bavarian village and farmers’ market will also feature.
Visit www.visitmedway.org

You can relive Christmas from the 1940s and take a step back into yesteryear at KENT LIFE this festive season. The Christmas on the home front experience takes place on Saturday, November 29 and Sunday, November 30. Drill displays by the home guard, a 1940s school lesson and “make do and mend” workshops will feature, along with shops from the era and a rehabilitation centre for injured RAF pilots. The attraction is just off the M20 near Maidstone.
The event runs from 10am to 3pm. Tickets £7.
Visit www.kentlife.org.uk

There’s a Vintage Christmas taking place at MOUNT EPHRAIM GARDENS on Sunday, November 30. The gardens, in Hernhill, will play host to an array of stalls offering retro gifts and handcrafted presents. Along with the stalls, there’s also a Santa’s Grotto. Christmas carols will also be sung in the beautiful setting of the gardens.
A Vintage Christmas runs from 11am to 5pm. Tickets £3.
Visit www.mountephraimgardens.co.uk or call 01227 751496.

Penguins, Arctic animals and enchanting characters will fill this year’s grotto inside BLUEWATER’S WINTER WONDERLAND. Santa’s Grotto will be open from Thursday, November 27, right up until Christmas Eve, and young visitors will receive luxury toys, and can have professional photos taken by Santa’s Ice Elf. The shopping centre’s Festive Gift and Food Fair is from Friday, November 28 until Sunday, November 30, with more than 100 suppliers of unusual and distinctive festive gifts on show.
Tickets for the Winter Wonderland cost £6
Visit www.bluewater.co.uk

Get into the festive spirit at an interactive talk about Charles Dickens, given by Dr Mick Lynn, in the Bentlif Library at MAIDSTONE MUSEUM, St Faith’s Street, on Friday, November 28, from 6pm. Tickets are £15 from the venue’s reception.

A special festive market with a medieval twist will be held at THE CANTERBURY TALES for the first time this weekend. On Saturday, November 29 and Sunday, November 30, the attraction will throws open its doors for its first ever Christmas Artisan Gift Fair. Shoppers will be able to enter the attraction free of charge and enjoy some mead and a mince pie at the famous Tabard Inn, as they step back into 14th-century England. Hand-crafted wooden tableware and a range of fabric crafts will be available, and the gift shop will be open.
The fair takes place between 10.30am and 4.30pm on both days.
Visit www.canterburytales.org.uk or call 01227 479227.

The magic of Christmas past can be enjoyed at HEVER CASTLE, near Edenbridge, this festive season. From Saturday, November 29 until Christmas Eve, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn will offer a fun-filled festive family day out, where the origins of English Christmas traditions can be discovered. Children can revel in a traditional grotto and each child will take home an age-appropriate gift. The castle’s rooms will be adorned with decorations and burning log fires, and the history of Christmas carols, tree decorations and Santa Claus himself will be shown.
Pre-booking is essential. Tickets from £15.50.
Visit www.hevercastle.co.uk or call 01732 865224.

Original paintings by internationally acclaimed artists feature in a new Christmas exhibition at the LOVELYS GALLERY in Margate. The gallery, which is in Cliftonville just outside Margate, will show original paintings and limited edition prints, including ceramics, sculptures and pottery. Exquisite wildlife portraits, nostalgic winter landscapes and Turner-esque seascapes all feature in the annual festive exhibition.
It runs until Wednesday, December 31 and is open six days a week, from 9am to 5pm. Entry is free.
Visit www.lovelysgallery.co.uk

A service of carols to mark the beginning of Advent takes place at CANTERBURYCATHEDRAL on Sunday, November 30. The service, which is open to all, will take place in the Nave and entry is via the Cathedral’s south west door.
Doors open at 2.30pm, with the service starting at 3.15pm.
Visit www.canterbury-cathedral.org

There’s a Christmas fayre at IGHTHAM MOTE, near Sevenoaks, on Saturday, November 29 and Sunday, November 30. The house will be fully dressed for the season and characters from Ightam Mote’s past will greet visitors, dressed for a Victorian and 1950s Christmas. The man himself will be there too, with Father Christmas visiting and handing out gifts. Local producers will be on hand selling gifts, and festive music will be played on the Sunday.
The event runs from 11am to 5pm and adult tickets cost £10.40.
Visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ightham-mote or call 01732 810378.

Hundreds of visitors are expected at CHIDDINGSTONE CASTLE as it hosts its annual Christmas fair on Saturday, November 29. The castle, near Edenbridge, will welcome unique and quality stalls, while its Victorian tea rooms will be serving mulled wine and mince pies. The fair will take place between 10am and 4.30pm and both the castle and marquee will be brimming with Christmas gifts ideas, including home accessories, vintage wares, jewellery, books and cards.
Tickets £3
Visit www.chiddingstonecastle.org.uk or call 01892 870347.

And two events for next weekend

Visitors can experience a spectacular Gingerbread Christmas at LEEDS CASTLE. The castle will be transformed with a delicious gingerbread theme. Organisers have teamed up with Biscuiteers, the hand-iced biscuit company, to create an edible world of delights to decorate the castle rooms with. The showcase piece will be a two-metre long Dolls House interpretation of the castle. It runs from Saturday, December 6, until Tuesday, December 23, as does the Christmas market, which returns on the cedar lawn.
Adult tickets cost £19
Visit www.leeds-castle.co.uk

A weekend of festive celebrations takes place at DOVER CASTLE on Saturday, December 6 and Sunday, December 7. The Great Tower will be bursting with music, dance and storytelling all around the keep’s open fire. You can meet King Henry II as he indulges in the festivities, with Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine also present.
It runs from 11am to 3pm and adult tickets cost £17.50.
Visit www.english-heritage.org.uk/dover-castle or call 01304 211067.