A free Dolly Parton tribute on the Vine bandstand, Sevenoaks RFC's league opener, two markets, and a Sunday rail closure to plan around.
A free Dolly Parton tribute concert on the Vine bandstand opens the Sevenoaks weekend on Friday evening. On Saturday, Sevenoaks RFC start their league season at home at Knole Paddock, and a farmers’ market sets up in the playground at Seal Primary School.
One date to plan around: on Sunday, engineering work at Tonbridge means Hastings line trains terminate at Sevenoaks, with buses onward. Details below.
Friday 25 September
- Dolly Parton tribute at the Vine, free. Sam Chara performs as Dolly Parton on the bandstand at the Vine Gardens, 6.30pm to 8pm. The town council, which organises it, suggests bringing picnic rugs and chairs. (Sevenoaks Town Council, Dolly Parton free tribute concert)
- Open mic night for 11 to 17 year olds. House in the Basement youth cafe, Sevenoaks, 5.30pm to 7.30pm. (Sevenoaks Town Council, Open Mic Night)
- Quiz night in Otford for Hospices of Hope. The Olive Tree Bistro, 11A High Street, Otford, 7pm to 10.30pm. Tickets are £15 including supper, teams of four to six; call 01959 525110 to book. (Hospices of Hope, Otford Quiz Night)
- Comedy at the Stag. The Scummy Mummies bring their show Hot Mess to the main stage at 7.30pm. In the cinema: Sense and Sensibility (1pm, 4.30pm, 8pm), Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom (2pm), Practical Magic 2 (4.45pm) and the D-Day drama Pressure (8.15pm). (The Stag, what’s on)
Saturday 26 September
- Farmers’ market at Seal. The Sevenoaks and Seal Farmers’ Market runs 9.30am to 12.30pm (Kent Farmers’ Market Association, Sevenoaks and Seal). It is held on the last Saturday of each month in the grounds of Seal Primary School, per the market’s own page.
- Saturday market on the High Street. The town’s general market trades by the Chequers pub, as it does every Wednesday and Saturday. (Sevenoaks District Council, Markets)
- Rugby: the league season starts at Knole Paddock. Sevenoaks RFC open their league campaign at home to Maidenhead, kick-off 3pm. The club is running a three-course match-day lunch beforehand: bar from noon, lunch at 1pm, £30 for members and £40 for non-members including match entry. (Sevenoaks RFC, Start the League Season in Style at the Paddock)
- Football: Sevenoaks Town away at Steyning. Fresh from Wednesday night’s 5-0 home win over Eastbourne Town, with a Barrington hat-trick and two more from Jeche, Sevenoaks Town travel to Steyning Town in the Isthmian South East, 3pm. (Football Web Pages, Sevenoaks Town fixtures and results)
- Last weekend of the sculpture trail at Riverhill. The Surrey Sculpture Society’s exhibition through Riverhill Himalayan Gardens runs only until Sunday. The weekend also brings a Pete the Pasty children’s book launch in the tipi (10am to 4pm), the Eden Valley Arts exhibition in the Garden Room, and yeti spotting in the Chestnut Woods (2pm to 4pm). Gardens open 10am to 5pm; day tickets £14 adults, £7.50 children on the gardens’ own price list. (Riverhill Himalayan Gardens, daily calendar)
- Gruffalo sculptures at Knole. The Gruffalo Art Adventure, twelve giant sculptures in the park, is open 10am to 5pm all weekend. (National Trust, Knole events)
- Dance festival at the Stag. The Stag hosts the Sevenoaks Dance Festival 2026 on Saturday and Sunday, with sessions from 8am, alongside the weekend’s film screenings. (The Stag, what’s on)
Sunday 27 September
- Trains: Sevenoaks becomes the railhead. Engineering work at Tonbridge means Hastings line trains from Charing Cross run only as far as Sevenoaks, with rail replacement buses between Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Paddock Wood and Wadhurst. Southern’s Edenbridge to Tonbridge trains are also replaced by buses. Full detail in our engineering works report and the September Sunday closures diary. (Network Rail, Hastings line closure announcement)
- Last day at Bradbourne Lakes. The lakes close on Monday 28 September for the £2.1m National Lottery Heritage Fund restoration, with reopening planned by summer 2027. Sunday is the last day to walk the park before the work starts. (Sevenoaks District Council, Bradbourne Lakes restoration moves to next stage)
- Swanley market. The general market trades in Swanley town centre, as it does every Wednesday and Sunday. (Sevenoaks District Council, Markets)
- Riverhill and Knole again. Both the Riverhill weekend programme and the Gruffalo trail run on Sunday, and the Stag’s dance festival and films continue.
Planning your weekend
If Sunday’s plan involves a train beyond Sevenoaks towards Tonbridge or Tunbridge Wells, allow extra time for the replacement bus; our train times page has the normal service to compare against. Driving into town, the free parking options are busiest on Saturday mornings when the High Street market is on.
More ideas beyond this weekend are on our what’s on this month page, and for families the things to do with kids guide covers the standing options.
Sources
- Sevenoaks Town Council, Dolly Parton free tribute concert and Open Mic Night
- Hospices of Hope, Otford Quiz Night
- The Stag Theatre, what’s on listings (24 September 2026)
- Kent Farmers’ Market Association, Sevenoaks and Seal Farmers’ Market, and the market’s own page
- Sevenoaks District Council, Markets and Bradbourne Lakes restoration moves to next stage
- Sevenoaks RFC, Start the League Season in Style at the Paddock
- Football Web Pages, Sevenoaks Town fixtures and results
- Riverhill Himalayan Gardens, daily calendar
- National Trust, Knole events
- Network Rail, Hastings line passengers advised to plan ahead this October school half term
Image: The bandstand at the Vine, Sevenoaks. Photo by Marathon, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph
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