A folk festival celebrating the May Day weekend will return with Morris dancers, street parades and live music.

Sweeps Festival, which has been taking place in the historic town of Rochester for more than 40 years, is back for another bank holiday bonanza.

Each spring, the festival brings together street performers, from Morris dancers to stilt walkers, live folk bands in pubs and outdoor stages and food and drink stalls for three days of free entertainment.

If you’re thinking of heading to this year’s festival, which takes place from Saturday, May 4 to Monday, May 6, we’ve got some ‘best of the fest’ picks to help you navigate the crowds and have a marvellous May Day weekend.

Best place to park

Let’s start with how to get to where the action’s happening. Some of the town centre car parks have been either closed off, or at least very limited, in previous years, but Jackson’s Field will be open for parking until 7pm for £3. It’s a 10 minute walk to the town centre, or you could park in the nearby towns of Strood or Chatham, both of which are walking distance from Rochester.

However, it might be easier to leave the car at home and jump on a train or bus. The train station is directly opposite the high street, but there are some engineering works between Sole Street, Rainham and Strood to be aware of if you’re visiting on the Sunday.

Best for live music

While lots of pubs are putting on live bands and you can catch plenty of music on the outdoor pop-up stages, there’s a hidden gem tucked away behind the High Street that people often miss.

The marquee at the back of the Gordon House Hotel boasts music from the Beard Conspiracy, the Hot Rats, Drumskullz, the Medway Rakes and more, plus there will be a cider and craft beer bar set up inside the marquee offering lots of unique flavours. It’s always a great atmosphere and it has one of the most packed music programmes of the weekend.

Best food stall

The grounds of Rochester Castle will be bursting with food stalls all weekend, with street food and global dishes to suit all tastes. While there’s lots of brilliant vendors to choose from, our pick for this year is the Poco Loco food truck.

The Mexican tapas bar on the old Rochester High Street, between Rochester and Chatham, recently launched its own travelling food stall serving up tacos, burritos and nachos, along with hand-crafted cocktails and plenty of vegan and vegetarian options. We reviewed the food at the bar last year and can’t wait to try their on-the-go options.

Best live performance

Whether it’s folk music, Morris dancing or sea shanties, the live entertainment is always the highlight of Sweeps Festival. It’s all free and takes over the whole town, with something fantastic to watch on every corner.

This year, something a little different is coming to the festival. Fusion dance group Folk Dance Remixed are bringing their unique combination of traditional ceilidh and maypole dancing with hip-hop music and breakdancing to create a captivating new style of street dance. You can catch the group at the Boley Hill Stage on Sunday.

Best view of the Morris dancers

Morris dancers make up a huge part of the festival, and there’s plenty of groups to watch over the weekend. However, if you want to get the best view of the traditional folk dancers, there’s a grassy bank outside Rochester Cathedral’s precinct on the High Street. If you hop up there and find a spot near the front, you’ll be head and shoulders above the crowds on the pavement - literally.

Best craft beer bar

Finding a new craft beer, real ale or locally produced cider is easy at Sweeps Festival, as the streets are lined with stands from breweries across Kent. The town’s pubs also have a great offering of different tipples, and one in particular is Three Sheets to the Wind.

The Anglo-Austrian micropub at the end of Rochester High Street has an attractive beer garden and a huge range of Austrian and German brews, Kentish IPAs and wheat beers and fruity ciders.

Best thing to do with kids

Local theatre group Pretending People are putting on a series of fun, interactive workshops suitable for the whole family. There will be live performances aimed at children, a brief history of the festival and a hands-on session where kids can learn how to put on their own live show.