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>> Wednesday
Art lovers should put a date in their diary to visit the Fairfax Gallery Summer Exhibition which runs until September 8. This year it celebrates its 21st anniversary so will be open seven days a week for people to go along and view over 100 contemporary paintings and sculptures by established and emerging artists. For more details visit: www.fairfaxgallery.com
If you’re a music fan then make sure you’ve got front row seats at the Scallywag Café this evening. From 8pm it’ll be hosting a Naked Jazz Jam Session with Sandar Priston at the helm. Tickets cost £5 and are available on the door.
The Roundel Poetry Prize will be announced this evening by Lynne Rees at the Rose and Crown in Tonbridge. John Pargeter and Danny Rivers will provide a musical interlude to the readings. Entrance costs £7 and includes a first drink. Tickets are available from Mr Books on Tonbridge High Street.
>> Thursday
The Country Lifestyle Luxury Gift Fair takes place today and tomorrow from 10am-4pm at Salomons. The stunning country estate will be transformed into a mecca of luxury shopping thanks to the unique fashion boutiques, specialist food producers and talented interior designers who will be exhibiting. There will also be food and drink available to purchase. Tickets cost £4 and are available on the door. For more information, visit: www.countrylifestylefairs.co.uk
Celebrate Bastille Day at Fromage & French today. The specialist cheese and wine shop on Tunbridge Wells High Street will be marking France’s national day by offering a glass of free fizz and samples. On Saturday there will be a Meet The Suppliers event from 10am, where Florent and Roberto from The French Comté will be showcasing their popular cheeses and charcuterie. For more details visit: www.fromageandfrench.com
At 12.30pm there will be an organ concert at St Peter & St Paul on Church Lane in Tonbridge followed by a light lunch. The event is free but donations are welcome.
If the weather’s fine there’s no better place to be on a Thursday night than at Jazz on The Pantiles. Head down there tonight to experience the lively sounds of Jive Aces.
Measure For Measure continues its run at Trinity Theatre from 7.30pm. Go and see this classic piece of Shakespeare – which is full of drama, deceit and despair – any night this week until Saturday. Tickets cost from £14. For more information visit: www.trinitytheatre.net
>> Friday
There’ll be plenty to keep pre-schoolers occupied at Tunbridge Wells Library this weekend thanks to its monthly free arts and crafts and story-telling drop-in sessions. Friday’s fun starts at 10.30am and lasts for an hour, while on Saturday there are two sessions from 10am-12noon and 2-4pm.
The Tunbridge Wells Cricket Festival starts tonight with the NatWest T20 Blast taking place at 5.30pm at the Nevill Ground. For ticket details visit: www.kentcricket.co.uk
The Assembly Hall hosts Six-Five Rock ‘n’ Roll Express, a musical evening full of your favourite hits from the 50’s and 60’s which provide the soundtrack to the story of two young lovers battling adults and authority. The show starts at 7.30pm and is presented by local musical maestro Dave Mac of Razzamataz, who says: “It’ll have you jumping up and jiving the night away.” For more see page 85 and visit: www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk
At 7pm tonight Rusthall Community Cinema will put on a screening of The Station Agent at Sunnyside Hall. Tickets cost £2 for members and £7 for non-members. There will be a bar and discussion after the film. For more information visit: www.rusthallcinema.club
If you feel in need of a spot of pampering then head over to Aveda at Flow. This special pop-up session runs at the Flow Yoga Studio on Woodbury Park Road in Tunbridge Wells from 12 noon until 3pm and will offer complementary mini rituals from the ayurvedic beauty brand Aveda. The clothing brand Lululemon will also be present selling its yogawear and accessories. For more information visit www.flowtunbridgewells.com/bookworkshops
>> Saturday
This weekend Christ Church in Kilndown will hold a flower festival entitled Pastimes and Times Past to commemorate 175 years of the church. The event will take place on both Saturday and Sunday and run from 10am-5pm. For more details call: 01892 890426.
The fifth POTS Fighting Forces annual charity day will be at the Memorial Ground, Paddock Wood (opposite the fire station). Gates open at 1pm and entry by programme costs £2 or a donation.
A Summer Tea Party will be held from 3-4.30pm at St Saviour’s on Dry Hill Park Crescent in Tonbridge. There will be refreshments and a Desert Island Discs-style event as part of the entertainment.
At 7.30pm the Mercure Hotel will host a Murder Mystery evening with a difference. Not only will participants have to determine who the ‘killer’ is, they can boogie and enjoy a barbecue while they work out who dunnit. Tickets cost £28 per person from www.mercure.com
>> Sunday
The Mela Festival 2016, comes to Tunbridge Wells today and promises a diverse cultural mix of musical treats, dance performances and delicious culinary offerings from around the globe. This free family event starts at 12.30pm in Calverley Grounds and runs until 6.30pm. For information visit:Â www.cohesionplus.com
Join in the family fun at the Hop Farm today with the Tractor and Smallholding Show, which runs all weekend from 10am-5pm. Bringing the best of rural Britain to life courtesy of a number of vintage tractors, livestock displays and crafting sessions, there will also be plenty of delicious food on offer, giftware and falconry displays. For more information including tickets and camping visit www.tractorworldshow.co.uk
The Tunbridge Wells Cricket Festival continues with the Specsavers County Championship Division Two match between rivals Kent and Sussex at the Nevill Ground, taking place over four days from 11am.
From today until next Sunday (July 31) Trinity Theatre will host an exhibition entitled Diversitas by Shirley Baker Gore. The screen printer, who divides her time between Tunbridge Wells and Italy, is inspired by a variety of subjects including nature, people and forms. Expect an interesting collection of visually arresting artwork.
>> Monday
The Tonbridge Folk Club meets from 8pm for an evening of traditional music and song at Ye Olde Chequers Inn on the High Street.
If your children are off school already then why not treat them to a day out at Penshurst Place, where they can try to find their way around the new Maize Maze? Celebrating the year of the English garden, you can make your way around the tricky trail collecting clues as you go. For little ones there’s also a mini maze, which is easier to get round but just as much fun. Adult tickets cost £8.80, children £6. Access to the main gardens is included in the price. For more details visit: www.penshurstplace.com
>> Tuesday
Showing at 11am, 2pm and 8pm at Trinity you can catch a screening of Love & Friendship, a film by Whit Stilman. Adapted from the Jane Austen novella Lady Susan, this celluloid offering stars British actress Kate Beckinsale in the eponymous lead role with Chloe Sevigny playing her daughter. The film follows the pair’s ruthless search for a husband each – no matter what the consequences might be.
PICK OF THE WEEK
Eridge Horse Trials
Saturday and Sunday
July 16 and 17
Expect to see elegant dressage, exciting eventing and superb showjumping from some of the world’s top equine stars at the Eridge Horse Trials. Amid this weekend of fun for all the family, visitors can also enjoy watching the ‘terrier trials’ on Saturday and falconry displays on Sunday. Tickets cost £10 per car on Saturday and £15 on Sunday. Visit: www.seesltd.com
