On the weekend of the 18th and 19th May, Faversham town centre will be full of the sounds of engines revving and horns tooting as Faversham Festival of Transport comes to town! This two day celebration of transport from across the decades will include vehicle displays, vintage bus rides, live music and stalls serving delicious food and drink.
Beautiful location
Faversham has a beautiful town centre and is packed with historic buildings – making it the perfect backdrop for a display of classic vintage vehicles and sparkling sports cars. With its lovely selection of independent shops and cafes, Faversham is also the perfect place to visit and enjoy your weekend.
What’s on in Preston Street
On Saturday, Preston Street will be home to a busy Best of Faversham Market, packed with stalls selling locally made goods by Faversham’s makers, designers and growers. There is also a fabulous artisan market organised by Eventissima taking place in the Alexander Centre on Preston Street.
On Sunday, Faversham’s high street is the perfect spot for a long parade of beautiful vintage cars, as Preston Street showcases hundreds of the Festival of Transport’s exhibiting vehicles.
When you visit, be sure to make your way to the top of Preston Street where South East Coachworks will be holding transport-related activities including bus memorabilia and models on Saturday, plus remote control trucks and converted buses display on the Sunday.
Programme of events
The highlight of Saturday is sure to be the FREE vintage bus rides taking place around Faversham and the surrounding countryside. For the older generations, these are a wonderful trip down memory lane and the youngsters are bound to adore a trip on a beautiful old bus! You can board a bus from outside ASK Italian in Court Street.
On Saturday there will also be a display of vintage tractors down at Standard Quay.
Don’t forget, the oldest market in Kent – Faversham Charter Market – will be trading with its usual selection of traders selling food and drink; clothing; collectibles; plants; homewares; pet supplies and more.
On Sunday, visitors will be treated to the main car show taking place in the Market Place, Court Street, Preston Street and Standard Quay along with a display of steam vehicles in Court Street outside Shepherd Neame. There will also be a display of military vehicles in Stone Street and Central Car Park will be home to The Pitt Stop food and drink area and auto jumble sale.
Visitors can enjoy live music at times throughout the day in the Market Place, Preston Street and Court Street.
Make the most of Faversham
There are plenty of amazing places to visit and explore while you’re here – so why not make a day or even a weekend of it? Standard Quay is within easy walking distance of the town centre and along with its attractive Creekside setting, it also boasts delicious places to eat and drink and some lovely antique shops too.
If you love your food and drink, Macknade is well worth a visit. This renowned food hall has one of the region’s best selections of fabulously curated food and drink, including produce from Kent and fine foods from around the continent. Macknade also has a very popular indoor café and outdoor food deck – so why not grab some delicious lunch?
If you have time, you could also enjoy one of the areas beautiful walks, followed by a spot of lunch in a rural pub.
Helpful information
The car parks get pretty busy over the weekend, so why not enjoy another mode of transport and take the train with Southeastern trains! There’s a regular service from London, Ebbsfleet, Canterbury, Dover and Ramsgate.
There’s also a free park and ride service running throughout the Festival, from Macknade, Selling Road, Faversham, ME13 8XF.
If you do decide to drive, you can find more information about local parking here.
For further information on visiting Faversham for the Festival of Transport, take a look at their webpage here. or download a leaflet which includes a map showing what's on and where to go.
Macknade Park and Ride to Faversham Transport Festival 2024