Are you ready to get your tickets to the biggest birthday party of the year?

Are you ready to get your tickets to the biggest birthday party of the year?

 Registration for Kent Big Weekend opens on Tuesday 19^th January, and more than 25,000 FREE tickets for a host of attractions and fun-filled activities across the county will be up for grabs.

 A total of 119 Kent tourist attractions and related businesses will be opening their doors or offering special gifts to lucky ticket holders on 12^th and 13^th March 2016, as part of Visit Kent’s annual celebration of the county’s tourism industry, during national English Tourism Week.

 Kent residents can apply for as many tickets as they like at www.kentbigweekend.co.uk from 19^th January to 14^th February. Two tickets will then be allocated per household by ballot (some family tickets are available).

 Visit Kent chief executive Sandra Matthews-Marsh MBE said: “We are thrilled to be celebrating Kent Big Weekend’s 10^th birthday this year. Since we launched our annual celebration of Kent’s tourism industry in 2007, attractions have donated more and more tickets each year, so we now have a record-breaking number of activities to share with Kent residents in 2016. And as it’s our birthday, we also have a few extra ‘presents’ to give away!

 “Kent Big Weekend is all about encouraging residents to get out and about to discover – or rediscover – the wonderful things to see and do in their home county, and to spread the word about just how much Kent has to offer.

 “Please go to www.kentbigweekend.co.uk and take a look at the wide range of attractions participating – you will be surprised at what you find!”

 Some of the county’s biggest attractions have signed up to this year’s event, including Port Lympne Reserve and Howletts Wild Animal Park, Canterbury Cathedral, Hever Castle, Leeds Castle, Ashford Designer Outlet, Aylesford Pottery, The Canterbury Tales, Quex Park, Penshurst Place & Gardens, Rochester Castle, Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway, Dover Castle, Tonbridge Castle, Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway, Brogdale Collections, Dreamland Margate, Turner Contemporary, The Historic Dockyard Chatham, Buckmore Park Karting Ltd, Riverhill Himalayan Gardens, Lullingstone Roman Villa, several National Trust properties and Chapel Down, Biddenden and Hush Heath vineyards.

 More than 4,000 additional tickets have also been donated by attractions to the event’s chosen charity, The Family Holiday Association – double the amount donated last year.

 Experiences on offer include activities and impressive displays for animal lovers, museum tours, brewery and vineyard tours and tastings, jet skiing or scuba diving tasters, rounds of golf, greyhound racing, cricket match tickets, pottery classes and ceramic art, river tours, railway adventures, and shopping experiences.

 To register and to see the full list of attractions taking part, visit the Kent Big Weekend website, www.kentbigweekend.co.uk.

Kent Big Weekend was set up to promote Kent’s incredible attractions and sights, and to encourage residents to discover how much there is to see and do in their home county. The event is also part of English Tourism Week (www.visitengland.com/biz/about-us/campaigns-and-opportunities/english-tourism-week), which highlights the importance of tourism as one of the fastest growing sectors in the national economy.

Last year more than 105,000 people applied for 20,156 free tickets via the Big Weekend website.

For more information about Kent, please visit www.visitkent.co.uk