Playground Festival is an exciting new early years festival taking place across Kent from Friday 22 – Sunday 31 May 2026.

A celebration of the creativity of babies, young children and their families, Playground Festival will host some of the most inspiring national and international work for early years.

Bringing together more than 150 events, the festival will transform more than 20 venues across Kent - including libraries, family hubs, cultural venues and outdoor locations, into vibrant hubs of creativity and imagination.

The ten-day programme of creative activity features performances, installations, workshops and sessions designed specifically for early years from artists from the UK, Spain, Mexico, Norway, Sweden and Finland.

Join us at The Beaney House of Knowledge & Art, Dartford Library, Gulbenkian Arts Centre, JV H.O.M.E and Kent History and Library Centre, with more to be revealed soon!

The full programme will be announced in early 2026, but some of the highlights to look forward to are below. Sign up to our newsletter to be one of the first to find out more!

Playground is proud to be an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) whose funding has made Playground Festival possible. Playground is a partnership between Kent County Council’s (KCC) Culture and Creative Economy Service and Kent Libraries.