START YOUR ENGINES

One of Kent’s biggest retro car shows is gearing up for its return this weekend

Ahuge classic car show celebrating all things transport will be pulling up in one of Kent’s oldest market towns over the weekend.

The two-day Festival of Transport, which attracts thousands of visitors each year, sees sprawling displays of vintage cars, buses, motorcycles and commercial vehicles take over Faversham town centre.

There will be different exhibitions and activities across the weekend, with something for everyone from families to petrolheads.

Whether you’re a vintage vehicle enthusiast or just fancy a day out with the kids, the festival, which has is sponsored by local businesses such as the Royal British Legion and Stagecoach, has made sure this year’s programme is packed and varied.

The festivities kick off on Saturday, May 18 with an impressive display of retro buses and commercial vehicles.

You can pick up an oldfashioned bus timetable from the Visitor Information Centre and find out when the buses will be venturing out of their bays.

Then, you can hop on board and enjoy a free bus ride around town and the nearby villages, spotting landmarks such as the medieval Abbey Street and Shepherd Neame, the oldest brewery in Britain, as you go.

There will also be exhibits from the City of Canterbury Model Railway Society and the Kent Community Railway Partnership inside the

Guildhall, as well as a series of former working tractors, such as the John Deer tractor and the Ferguson TEA20 1949, lined up at the Standard Quay.

On Saturday, there will also be three different markets – the artisan market in the Alexander Centre, the outdoor Charter market and the Best of Faversham market – for visitors to browse local produce, gifts and crafts.

There’s plenty going on throughout the day, but if that’s not enough then the Sunday also boasts an action-packed timetable of things to see and do.

This is when the main car and motorcycle display will be shifting into first gear, with hundreds of vehicles parking up across the town.

There will be vintage steam vehicles arriving in convoy and setting up outside Shepherd Neame, while a huge collection of classic cars, rare models and high-performance vehicles can be found in the Market Place and Central Car Park.

This car park is where you can also find the ‘pit stop’ with several food and drink stalls.

There will also be an autojumble selling memorabilia and spare parts, and live music from the Ragged Bandits and Phil Mace on the outdoor stage in Preston Street.

The Faversham Festival of Transport is free to attend. There will also be a free park and ride service running from Macknade into the town centre during the weekend.