This year has been eventful for all the wrong reasons but when it comes to actual calendar highlights we've been left wanting - thankfully 2021 is set to be a bumper 12 months as a result.

We take a look at some of next year's big days out, happening across Kent, and have also thrown in a full calendar of events below.

Rapture Gaming and Creative Festival, Medway

Know someone who loves a spot of Minecraft?

It'll be controllers and Nerf guns at the ready in March when the Rapture Gaming and Creative Festival is staged at the Historic Dockyard Chatham over the weekend of Saturday, May 8 and Sunday, May 9.

The largest, most diverse gaming celebration festival promises to be bigger and more diverse than ever with more features and will see the family-friendly fun split across 14 halls, with competitions, Minecraft, E-sports, a Nerf war area, music zones, racing zone and a retro area.

There will be free parking on the day for ticket holders. Book at rapturegamingfestival.com

Chase & Status at Dreamland

This year has been sadly lacking in live music, due to government restrictions, but hopefully as we head into 2021 things will be better.

Drum and bass pair Chase & Status have pencilled in a date for their return to the county, having sold out at Dreamland in Margate before, and will perform alongside special guests on Friday, April 30.

Will Kennard (Chase) and Saul Milton (Status) formed their successful partnership 15 years ago and have gone on to release four acclaimed albums and a number of singles. Their song Blind Faith has been streamed more than 50 million times on Spotify.

Their gig is just one of a host of big names who have signed up to play the venue in 2021. Book at dreamland.co.uk

Olly Murs, Sir Tom Jones, Fat Boy Slim and Suggs from Madness

More big names are lining up to return to the stage in the county next summer.

Dreaming of thousands of music fans singing and dancing along in the balmy summer weather, are both pop star Olly Murs and Sir Tom Jones, who both play the Hop Farm Family Park in Beltring, Paddock Wood in July.

Former X Factor presenter and The Voice judge, Olly will perform on Saturday, July 3, featuring some of his biggest hits, including tracks from his recently certified triple platinum album Never Been Better.

His fellow The Voice coach, music legend Tom Jones will play his date on Sunday, July 4, which has been rescheduled from this year, and had been due to mark his 80th birthday this year. Book at ollymurs.com and at tomjones.com.

Fat Boy Slim and Suggs from Madness launched the new festival, Hi-Tide, from an ice cream van on the seafront at Margate earlier this year to coincide with Dreamland's 100th birthday celebrations, but it has now been rescheduled to Saturday, July 3 and Sunday, July 4, 2021. Book at hi-tidefestival.com

Kent County Show, Detling, near Maidstone

It was an "extremely difficult" decision when the Kent County Agricultural Society decided to cancel one of the county's biggest summer events - the Kent County Show.

The event at the Kent Showground at Detling near Maidstone showcases the best the county has to offer in terms of produce, livestock, food and drink and rural pursuits.

The dates for 2021 will be Friday, July 9, to Sunday, July 11. Book your tickets at kentshowground.co.uk

An Evening With Michael Bublé

He's a Grammy-award winning singer and global superstar and he's set to bring a show with Everything to the county next year.

Canadian singer Michael Buble will stage an open-air concert at the Spitfire Ground, the home of Kent Cricket, in Canterbury on July 10, as part of his outdoor summer tour.

An Evening with Michael Bublé will see what could be a crowd of 20,000 treated to his world-class showmanship and hits, such as Everything, Home and Haven't Met You Yet.

To get your tickets click here.

Bryan Adams

Mr Bublé won't be the only Canadian in Canterbury in the Summer of '21 as 100-million-album-selling Bryan Adams is also set to wow city crowds.

He'll also take to the stage at Kent Cricket Club's Spitfire Ground St Lawrence in Canterbury, as part of a 10-date nationwide tour, on July 8.

Grammy award-winning Adams is expected to perform some of his best-known tunes, including Summer of '69, Heaven and (Everything I Do) I Do For You.

Tickets for the concert, priced from £55 plus booking fees, go on sale at 9am today. To get yours, click here.

Faversham Hop Festival & Salute to the 40s

Some of the county's biggest events give us a chance to look back at a bygone era.

One of the largest free street festivals in the south east, the Faversham Hop Festival, centres on the county's hop-growing heritage, and celebrates the humble hop and what it has given us - beer. It is expected back on Saturday, September 4, and Sunday, September 5, 2021.

The Blitz spirit is alive and well so it's time to dig out your vintage outfit and perfect your victory rolls now as the Historic Dockyard's nod to nostalgia, the hugely popular Salute to the 40s festival returns to party like its 1945 on Saturday, September 18, and Sunday, September 19, 2021. Book at thedockyard.co.uk

January

23-24: Wedding Experience, Kent Event Centre at Detling near Maidstone

February

6-7: Build It Live, Kent Event Centre, Detling, near Maidstone

12: Chinese New Year

14: Valentine's Day

15-19: Spring half term school holiday

16: Pancake Day

19-21: Broadstairs Blues Bash

27: Prosecco Festival, Mercure Maidstone Great Danes Hotel

27-28 - Detling Antiques, Vintage & Collectors Market

March

3: Farm Expo, Kent Event Centre at Detling

14: Mother's Day

15: Red Nose Day

26: Holy Goof at Dreamland, Margate

31: Mother's Day

April

2-5: Easter weekend

10: Heritage Transport Show, Kent Showground, Detling

TBC: Kent Big Weekend

TBC: Festival of Steam and Transport, Chatham Historic Dockyard

23: St George’s Day

24-25: The Wedding Experience, Kent Event Centre at Detling

30: Chase & Status at Dreamland, Margate

May

1-2: Neon Nights, Faithless DJ sets, Hall By the Sea, Dreamland, Margate

TBC: Rochester Sweeps Festival

TBC: Chiddingstone Castle Literary Festival

3: Early May bank holiday

8-9: Rapture Gaming Festival, Chatham Historic Dockyard

15-16: Faversham Festival of Transport 2021

28-31: Margate Mods & Sixties Festival

31: Spring May bank holiday

June

TBC: Rochester Dickens Festival

12: World Custard Pie Championships, Coxheath, Maidstone

13: Open Farm Sunday

18-20: Black Deer Festival, Eridge

19: Annie Mac, Amp on the Sea, Dreamland

20: Father's Day

TBC: Changeling Theatre 20th anniversary tour

26: National Armed Forces Day

25-27: Battle of Britain Air Show, Headcorn Aerodrome

July

3: Olly Murs at the Hop Farm, Beltring, Paddock Wood

4: Sir Tom Jones at the Hop Farm, Beltring, Paddock Wood

3: Canterbury Medieval Pageant

3-4: Hi-Tide Festival

TBC: Skagate Margate

8: Bryan Adams, Spitfire Ground, Canterbury

8-10: Castle Concerts, Rochester Castle

9-11: Pub in the Park, Tunbridge Wells

9-11: Kent County Show, Kent Showground, Detling, near Maidstone

10: An Evening with Michael Bublé, Spitfire Ground, Canterbury

10: Leeds Castle Concert

11-18: The Open Championship, Sandwich

16-18 1920s Weekend - A Celebration for the 20s - Sittingbourne

16-18: Ramblin’ Man Fair, Mote Park, Maidstone

18: Big Monster Truck Slam, Quex Park, Birchington

22-25: Chickenstock Music Festival, Stockbury

23: Medway Mile, Rochester Castle

TBC: War and Peace Revival, Hop Farm, Paddock Wood

29-31: Neverworld, Hever

August

6-13: Broadstairs Folk Week

14: Dreamland Pride: All Saints Live

20-22: A New Day Festival, Mount Ephraim Gardens, Hernhill

21-22: Combined Ops Airshow, Headcorn Aerodrome

21-22: Biddenden Tractorfest, Woolpack Corner

TBC: Military Odyssey, County Showground, Detling

30: Summer Bank Holiday Monday

September

4: Let's Rock Kent, Mote Park, Maidstone

27-30: Camp Wildfire, near Sevenoaks

4-5: Faversham Hop Festival

TBC: Folkestone Triennial

TBC: Heritage Open Days, venues across Kent

18-19: Salute to the 40s, Chatham Historic Dockyard

18-19: Paws in the Park, Kent Showground, Detling near Maidstone

30-3 October: Tenterden Folk Week

October

TBC: Broadstairs Autumn Food Festival (a fundraising campaign is underway)

16–30: Canterbury Festival

31: Halloween

November

5: Guy Fawkes Night

TBC: Leeds Castle Firework Spectacular

14: Remembrance Sunday

TBC: Rochester Christmas Markets

December

TBC: Rochester Dickensian Christmas events

25: Christmas Day

For more entertainments and days out ideas across Kent click here.