Four days of folk song, music, dance, crafts and tradition come to one of the widest high streets in the country as the 26th annual Tenterden Folk Festival kicks off.

Free music and dance stages will fill the town, plus concerts, music sessions and morris dancing are just some of the highlights of the family-friendly event, which runs from Thursday, October 4 to Sunday, October 7.

There will be a procession through the streets, workshops and events for families, as well as an English barn dance, craft fair and music on the Kent and East Sussex Railway.

Among the folk highlights will be a performance of Mick Ryan’s folk opera, Here at the Fair on the Saturday. There will be main concerts on the Saturday and Sunday in the Tenterden Club, with smaller events taking place at the Saddlery at The White Lion.

Traditional music and dance take centre stage at the festival, as hundreds of morris dancers converge on the town for the weekend, from across Kent and the UK, as well as further afield, plus clog and garland dancers. There will be various fun sing-a-rounds and music sessions at the town’s pubs. Run by a charity aimed at preserving appreciation of folk music and traditions, it runs from Thursday, October 4 to Sunday, October 7. For more details go to tenterdenfolkfestival.org.uk