Canterbury Arts Festival

When: October 15 to 29
Where: Canterbury, England
Cost: Various (see website)

Canterbury, the famous cathedral city where Thomas Becket was assassinated, hosts this vibrant arts festival in October. The programme ranges across classical, jazz, folk and blues music, drama, street theatre, exhibitions, dance, fireworks, walks, talks and films.

Dating back to 1929, the Canterbury Festival’s first decade included plays commissioned from John Masefield, Dorothy Sayers and Christopher Fry as well as TS Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral.

Since then, landmarks have included 1970’s 800th anniversary of Becket’s assassination, 1984, when the festival coincided with the opening of the rebuilt Marlowe Theatre, and 1993’s 400th anniversary of the death of Christopher Marlowe.

Now attracting 80,000 visitors a year, the festival’s reach has spread further – to Margate, Dover, Folkestone and Ashford.

For more information visit www.canterburyfestival.co.uk.

Canterbury is 96 km from London; fly to London with a variety of airlines including Air Malta, Easyjet, British Midland International and Ryanair (Luton).