Bandstand, Victoria Gardens, Broadstairs

The bandstand in Victoria Gardens sits on the clifftop above Viking Bay in Broadstairs, giving it one of the finest sea views of any performance space on the Kent coast. The gardens themselves are a modest but well-kept public park laid out on the cliff edge, with lawns, flowerbeds, benches and a curving promenade path that continues along the front.

The bandstand is used through the summer for a regular programme of free open-air concerts, most famously as one of the main venues for Broadstairs Folk Week each August, when musicians and dancers spill out across the gardens. Outside the folk festival you can catch brass bands, tribute acts and community performances on Sunday afternoons in fine weather. Deckchairs are put out around the bandstand during shows.

Even when there is no music, Victoria Gardens is a pleasant stop on a walk between the harbour and Stone Bay, with steps down to the sand and a good vantage point for watching boats in the bay. Bring a picnic and something warm; the sea breeze can be brisk even in July.