GRAIN COAST CRAFTY
ALPACA FARM
Smithfield Road, Isle of Grain ME3 0DX
Saturday 16 & Sunday 17 May | 11am-4pm
FREE | Suitable for all ages | Children under 16 must be accompanied by a responsible adult
No need to book, just turn up | FREE parking onsite | Accessible toilet | Complimentary refreshments while stocks last
Please bring your own packet lunch / picnic
A fantastic family fun festival event with plenty of exciting indoor and outdoor activities to choose from in the welcoming surroundings of the Grain Coast Crafty Alpaca Farm.
Explore the farm and its many habitants, learn new skills, make new friends, view exhibitions and enjoy live performances - all inspired by the rich heritage of the Hoo Peninsula.
Meet the friendly resident alpacas and use their soft wool to weave your own textile pieces to take home as a souvenir.
Drop in for a quick visit or bring a picnic and stay the whole day!
ESSENCE OF PLACE II
Grain Coast Crafty Alpaca Farm
ESSENCE OF PLACE II
Steam distillation of seasonal local flora at 11:30am | 1:30pm | 3:30pm
Join artist Stephen Turner, the Hoo Alchemist, for a performative demonstration and a novel engagement with place.
Help gather flora for a special distilling at his laboratory, where he will be sharing conversation and information about the found flora and bottling hydrosols (lightly scented distilled water) as gifts for you to take away.
He will also be scenting the precious concentrated oils from the distillation and gifting an artist produced leaflet with information about the plants and their place in history and lore.
Instagram @stephenturnerartist
HOO-LIDAYS AT ISLE OF GRAIN
Grain Coast Crafty Alpaca Farm
HOO-LIDAY AT ISLE OF GRAIN
POSTCARDS FROM HOO AND TO HOO?
Bryan Hawkins, an artist and a HOOlidaymaker, took four single day Hoolidays spending time on the Hoo Peninsula alone or with friends during 2026. The ‘Postcards’ and sculptural ships featured in this exhibition are the work that one of his days-out on the seafront in Isle of Grain has inspired.
In his own words:
“I arrived in Grain on a bright sunny day in February.
We walked and talked by the estuary and enjoyed Grain’s fast moving sky and the sparkling light over the estuary. I took some photographs and collected some objects
I loved the sea, the flat land, the passing ships, the distant views, the changing light. fast moving clouds, the big sky, and the sounds of sea birds
The sunset on the way home was amazing, and I stopped to watch it.
Back home I made paintings from what I had seen, remembered, photographed and enjoyed, and I made some ships from flotsams and jetsams and found stuff.
They are the ships that might have passed in the night but probably didn’t."
Bryan also invites you to send him a postcard of your own design inspired by the area. In exchange he will gift you with one of his Hooliday postcards.
Instagram @pengebot
INSECT GIRLS
Grain Coast Crafty Alpaca Farm
INSECT GIRLS
An experience by MINI GABI WORLD
Something is buzzing at the WHOOP Festival… the Insect Girls are here!
Join their creator, artist Gabi Almeida, to hear more about their story and help create a visual collage inspired by the local insects.
Go on a playful trail of art, nature and discovery. Learn about insects and the important role they play in the World.
This is the first time Ruby the Dragonfly and her cute bug friends make a public appearance. Come say hello and give them a warm welcome to the Hoo Peninsula!
Instagram @minigabiworld
SATURDAY ONLY
THE LONELY AVOCET
Grain Coast Crafty Alpaca Farm
THE LONELY AVOCET
Presented by Blueprint Arts
Performances & drop-in activity | 11am | 1pm | 3pm
SATURDAY ONLY
Shadow Puppetry & Birdlife on the Hoo Peninsula
The Lonely Avocet is a gentle, family-friendly puppetry performance inspired by the remarkable comeback of one of the UK’s most iconic coastal birds.
Blending beautifully crafted puppets with playful storytelling and moments of humour, the show offers a light-touch introduction to themes of nature, resilience, and belonging.
Set against the wetlands of the Hoo Peninsula, this performance invites young audiences to connect with the landscape around them and discover why these special habitats matter.
Perfect for all ages, The Lonely Avocet is a warm, visually engaging experience that celebrates friendship, hope, and the power of caring for the natural world.
Instagram @blueprint.arts
Facebook Blueprint Arts
SATURDAY ONLY
PLAN BEE
Grain Coast Crafty Alpaca Farm
PLAN BEE
SATURDAY ONLY
Come along and see what bees and other insects you can find on the farm with help from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust!
The Thames and Medway Estuaries are home to a wide range of insect species, including five of the UK's rarest bumblebees.
As they retreated to the coasts during the 20th century, the marshes, grasslands and sea walls of the Hoo Peninsula became a valuable refuge for them and a stronghold as we work to create landscapes where they can thrive again.
Bumblebee Conservation Trust
Instagram @BuzzingSouthEast
Facebook Buzzing SouthEast England
Kent’s Plan Bee pollinator action plan - Kent County Council
Instagram @kents_plan_bee
Facebook Kent's Plan Bee
THE HOO HEDDERN
Grain Coast Crafty Alpaca Farm
THE HOO HEDDERN
The Hoo Heddern is coming for a visit to Grain Coast Crafty Alpaca Farm, as part of the WHOOP Heritage Festival.
Explore what the Heddern is carrying
Inside the Heddern, you’ll find a strange and beautiful mix of objects offered by neighbours across Hoo. You can open drawers, read the snippets people have left behind, browse recipes and notes, and trace patterns between the salt‑pans, gardens, mudflats, and kitchens that make this place unique.
From 11am-4pm, artist Cherry Truluck will be on hand to welcome visitors with a taste of what the Heddern has to offer.
Bring something to place on the shelves
Each stop along the peninsula adds another thread to the Heddern’s growing tapestry: a recipe rescued from a drawer, the smell of a childhood meal, a seed packet saved from a long‑gone allotment, a note about what once grew in the salt‑touched soil, or a catalogue that once lived in someone’s shed.
You’re welcome to share anything connected to food and the Hoo landscape:
- Stories of meals, marshes, gardens, and kitchens – written or just memories to share
- Favourite recipes — smudged, typed, or half‑remembered
- Ingredients grown, gathered, or simply loved
- Books, catalogues, clippings, foraging notes
- Memories of fishing, foraging, cooking, preserving, and feasting.
Every contribution will become part of a living, travelling portrait of what food means here and how it has shaped the peninsula, past and present.
The Hoo Heddern has been commissioned by Cement Fields and supported by Medway Council through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). This event is kindly supported by WHOOP Heritage Festival.
Instagram @cementfields & @cherrytruluck
Facebook CementFields
MEDWAY FIGHTER
Grain Coast Crafty Alpaca Farm - Sunday Only
MEDWAY FIGHTER
A Video Game Made by You
SUNDAY ONLY
Artist Jon Schwochert is making a video game about Medway and needs your help! Give him your suggestions of historical figures, community members and places to highlight in a bespoke video game made by you. In this drop-in interactive workshop you’ll collaboratively design a playable character, map, and NPC’s based on the Hoo Peninsula. All ages are welcome and no technical skills are necessary.
Further information about the wonderful Grain Coast Grafty Alpaca Farm:
Facebook @graincoastcraftyalpaca
