1 Whitstable Oyster Festival

This is not just about shucking as many oysters as you can manage, there are live performances, parades, crab catching, pétanque and tug-o-war.

whitstableoysterfestival.co.uk. July 22-30.

2 Cambridge Folk Festival

The line-up at this year's event features Emmylou Harris, the Chieftains and Cerys Matthews, who will be previewing material from her forthcoming album.

Full festival ticket: £86. 01223 357851, cambridgefolkfestival.co.uk. June 27-30.

3 Hay Festival

Hay attracts the cream of the literary crop. This year's must-sees include Seamus Heaney and Eric Sykes.

0870 9901299, hayfestival.com. May 26-June 4.

4 Aldeburgh Festival

This year's festival kicks off with Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress. Highlights include The Original Chinese Conjurer by Raymond Yiu and Faster than Sound, a six-hour marathon of simultaneous classical and electronica performances in a disued air base.

01728 687110, aldeburgh.co.uk. June 9-25.

5 Grasmere Lakeland Show

Basically a showcase for English eccentricities. Wrestlers in embroidered shorts rub shoulders with whippet-thin fell racers. Above it all, the smell of Cumberland sausages drifting through the air. golakes.co.uk. Tickets £7.50, children £2.50.