Two full days of music and a day of seafront entertainment are the packed programme of the Dover Festival.

Musicians at Dover Music Festival will include Eighties stars Paul Young and Toyah Willcox.

And the Port of Dover Community Regatta will include the popular Port of Dover Dash boat race.

The music festival is on Saturday and Sunday Aug 27 and the regatta on Sunday.

Tim Waggott, chief executive of the Port of Dover, said: “Once again it is a great pleasure to be able to stage a weekend of fantastic, free family entertainment.

“Now in its fifth year the regatta has become Dover’s flagship summer event attracting more and more people.

"This is both as participants and visiting and bringing the Port and community together to celebrate our shared maritime heritage.

“It is also the second year that we have joined forces with Dover Music Festival for two days of free musical entertainment and the line-up is exceptional.”

Profits from the festival will go to Kelly Turner Fundraising, the campaign to raise £1million for the 17-year-old’s specialist cancer treatment in New York.

The regatta, from 10am to 6.15pm on Dover seafront, will include arena displays from the emergency services, the RNLI air sea rescue and the Old Flying Machine Company Spitfire Display.

The Port of Dover Dash involves eight teams of six rowers competing in six 34ft long fixed seat Thames Waterman Cutters.

Dover Rugby Club and the Dover and Deal Sea Cadets will also field teams for the youth Port Dash using Trinity 500 fixed-seat rowing boats.

Meanwhile members of the Royal Cinque Ports will navigate a challenging course in the harbour, negotiating the wind and tide to manoeuvre their yachts into a winning position.

Paul Young, now fronting the Tex-Mex band Los Pacaminos, will close the first day of the Dover Music Festival at Cruise Terminal 1 on the Western Docks.

He became a solo star in 1983 with hits such as Whenever I Lay My Hat (That’s My Home).
Other acts that day will include Stellar Talk and The Mods.

The music festival begins on both days at 2pm with the Lee Edgington as the DJ and Adam-Morrison Jones as the MC.

Toyah will be the closing act on Sunday night.

She first became famous in 1981 with songs such as It’s A Mystery and has since been a presenter for TV programmes such as Watchdog and Songs of Praise.

Sponsor Stuart Eckersley, project director for VolkerStevin and Boskalis Westminster (VSBW), said: “VSBW is delighted to be sponsoring the Dover festival as main marine works contractor for the Dover Western Docks Regeneration development. As part of its ongoing efforts to work with the local community, VSBW has strengthened the local economy through creating new jobs and training opportunities, as well as building new business relationships for future growth and development.”

For further preview coverage of the regatta and music festival see this week's Dover Mercury.

The Dover Community Regatta and Dover Festival programme has been produced for the organisers by the East Kent Mercury.

Pick up a copy at Tesco, Morrisons and at the festival and regatta.