The Kent Festive Gift & Food Show is at Kent Showground, Detling, 20 to 22 November, 10am to 4pm. Adults £10 online, children £5.50, parking free.
The quick answer
The Kent Festive Gift & Food Show is at the Kent Showground, Detling, ME14 3JF on Friday 20, Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 November 2026, open 10am to 4pm each day. Standard online tickets are £10 for adults, £9.50 for over-60s and £5.50 for children aged 5 to 15, under-fives are free, and parking is free. You pick an arrival slot, then stay as long as you like.
Dates, times and what is confirmed
The organiser, Aztec Events, has published the show information for 2026:
- When: Friday 20, Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 November 2026
- Where: Kent Showground, Detling, Maidstone, ME14 3JF
- Open: 10am to 4pm, with early entry from 9.30am for Premium and Premium Plus ticket holders
- Size: “over 250 exhibitors”, with new stallholders for 2026
The what’s on page lists an indoor exhibition hall, a festive food and drink hall, outdoor stalls, wooden Christmas cabins, a café, live music, Christmas wreath-making demonstrations at 11am and 2pm each day, a giant snow globe and selfie stations. Reindeer are there on Saturday and Sunday only, from 11am to 3pm, so pick a weekend day if that is the reason you are going. The organiser adds that everything is “correct at time of publication” and activities can change.
Ticket prices
These are the “super early bird” online prices on the organiser’s tickets page on 1 October:
| Ticket | Adult (16+) | Over-60s | Child (5 to 15) | Under 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard (choose an arrival slot) | £10.00 | £9.50 | £5.50 | Free |
| Afternoon (entry from 1.30pm) | £9.00 | £9.00 | £5.50 | Free |
| Premium (any one day, from 9.30am) | £13.00 | £13.00 | £13.00 | Free |
| Premium Plus (all three days, from 9.30am) | £16.00 | £16.00 | £16.00 | Free |
A £1.65 booking fee applies to each order, not to each ticket. Standard arrival slots are 10am to 11am, 11am to 12pm and 12pm to 1.30pm; the slot only sets when you arrive. Carers get in free: book for the rest of your group and tell the gate team. All sales are final and tickets cannot be swapped to another day once booked.
There is also a four-for-three offer on standard adult tickets until 19 October: book four, pay for three, one use per order. Gate tickets are sold “subject to availability”, and the organiser does not print a gate price, so booking ahead is the safer option.
The “super early bird” label suggests prices may rise closer to the show. The organiser has not said when, so check before you book.
Getting there and parking
Parking is free on site. The showground sits just off the A249 between Maidstone and Sittingbourne. The organiser’s directions page says:
- From the M20, leave at junction 7, follow the A249 towards Sittingbourne and Sheerness for about two miles, and the showground is signposted on the left after the brow of the hill.
- From the M2, leave at junction 5 towards Maidstone. Cars cannot cross the dual carriageway into the showground from that side, so you have to carry on to the roundabout at the bottom of Detling Hill and come back up.
- Scragged Oak Road no longer leads in. The organiser warns it ends at a locked gate.
The show information page says the showground “is not accessible by public transport”. The nearest station is Maidstone East, about 4.2 miles away, so you would need a taxi from there. The organiser cannot hire out wheelchairs or mobility scooters at this event, so bring your own.
Expect the A249 to be slow around opening time on the Saturday. Our roadworks and travel page carries the week’s motorway and A-road closures, and if you are heading into town afterwards, the Maidstone parking page has the car parks and tariffs.
Dogs and buggies
Dogs on leads are allowed in the outdoor areas but not inside the main show building; guide dogs can go everywhere. Buggies and prams are allowed. The organiser expects the busiest hours to be the morning and recommends the 1.30pm arrival slot for families with young children.
More Christmas around Maidstone
The show is the day after Maidstone’s Christmas lights switch-on on Thursday 19 November. For other places to shop, see our Maidstone Christmas market page. Our Santa’s grotto page lists where to meet Father Christmas, and Christmas at Leeds Castle opens on 21 November.
Sources
- Kent Festive Gift & Food Show, show information: dates, hours, parking, public transport, mobility hire
- Kent Festive Gift & Food Show, info and tickets: prices, arrival slots, booking fee, carers, offer
- Kent Festive Gift & Food Show, what’s on: attractions, reindeer days, wreath demos, dogs
- Kent Festive Gift & Food Show, getting to the show: directions and the Scragged Oak Road warning
Checked on 1 October 2026. Prices can change, so confirm on the organiser’s site before you book.
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