16
- 17 July 2011
Central
Park, Dartford Watch the Highlights from 2011!
You can now relive the fun of the Dartford Festival 2011 by watching the highlights on YouTube here.
Dartford Festival A Hit!
Despite heavy rain, a persistent breeze and even a rumble or two of thunder, around 30,000 visitors attended the 75th Dartford Festival in Central Park this weekend.
Fans of Ronan Parke braved the weather to see him headline the main stage on Saturday. The 12-year-old Britain's Got Talent runner-up covered a range of songs from 'Because of You' by Kelly Clarkson to Cee Lo Green's 'Forget You', to the delight of his screaming fans.
Headlining the main stage on Sunday night was Gareth Gates, who opened his set with a rendition of Bryan Adams' 'Summer of 69'. He then went on to perform a mixture of covers, including 'Sweet Child O' Mine' by Guns n Roses, and a couple of his own songs.
Britain's Got Talent stars Michael Collings, Jean Martyn and New Bounce also drew in the crowds despite the rain.
Away from the main stage, visitors armed with umbrellas and waterproofs roamed the Festival site, trying out the different activities on offer and visiting the charity and commercial stalls and the funfair.
Over in the youth zone, 5th Dartford Scouts were showing off their pioneering skills, having built a swing bridge and a climbing frame. Kent Youth Service ran a very popular stall offering hair-braiding, bath salt making and face-painting.
The sports activities were also popular, with visitors trying archery, slacklining, football and rugby, plus finding out about sailing opportunities with Erith Yacht Club.
Jeremy Kite, Leader of the Council, said, "The Dartford Festival is always a great event and this year was no exception, despite the weather. We're always looking to make our events bigger and better so let us know what you think about the Festival by filling in our online survey."
Britain's Got Talent Acts Announced For Festival
Top acts from ITV's Britain's Got Talent will be joining Gareth Gates and Andy Abraham on the main stage at this year's Dartford Festival on 16 & 17 July.
Taking to the stage over the weekend will be Ronan Parke, Jean Martyn, Michael Collings and New Bounce - all fresh from the latest series of the hit TV talent show.
Keyboard and organ player Jean Martyn will be performing on Saturday afternoon, followed by BGT's runner-up, 12-year old singer Ronan Parke.
Sunday afternoon will see 19-year old singer and guitarist Michael Collings and vocal group New Bounce take to the stage.
This is the fourth year that the Dartford Festival has welcomed acts from Britain's Got Talent. Previous performances include Kate & Gin, Strike, Stavros Flatley,
Twist and Pulse and Faces of Disco.
X Factor’s Andy Abraham returns to the Festival
Dartford Festival is excited to announce X Factor runner-up Andy Abraham returning to the main stage line-up this year.
Andy performed to a huge crowd at the Festival back in 2007. Since then, he has gone on to represent England at the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest and embarked on a sell-out 54 date tour of the UK in 2009.
His debut album 'Impossible Dream' was released in 2006. It hit number 2 in the UK album charts, selling over 176,000 copies in its first week alone. Two more albums followed in 2006 and 2008, and Andy is currently busy working on a much anticipated fourth album.
As careers go, Andy Abraham's rise from refuse collector to one of the UK's most successful soul singers has been one of dreams, and we look forward to welcoming him back to the Dartford Festival.
First headline act announced - the countdown to this year's Dartford Festival has begun
We are pleased to announce Gareth Gates as the first headlining act for the action-packed, music-filled weekend.
26-year old Gareth was famously runner-up to Will Young in the UK's first Pop Idol, back in 2002. Instead of disappearing into 'pop oblivion' Gareth carved out a very successful career for himself - selling 3.5 million records, releasing three albums and having four number 1 singles in the UK alone.
More recently, Gareth has appeared on ITV1 show 'Dancing on Ice' - coming fourth in the competition - and starred as Joseph in 'Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat' and as Marius in the 25th anniversary tour of Les Miserables.
