On the outskirts of Kent, before heading into bustling London, lies the town of Dartford, which last weekend (20-21July) hosted its annual festival.

Headlined by Britain’s Got Talent’s Jordan O’Keefe, X Factor’s District 3, and Rolling Stones tribute act ‘Not The Rolling Stones’ (superb!!!), the festival attracted an audience from far and wide to the local park, where the event took place.

Event organisers had drawn criticism from locals because of changes to the format of the festival which saw the removal of the Circle Arena, which held local acts and smaller events (such as dog acts and kid dance shows), in what was seen as attempts to cut costs by the town’s council, famed for being a Mary Portas town, of course.

Political issues aside, hoards of screaming girls lined the front of the main stage in order to catch a glimpse of O’Keefe and District 3, with some hoping to meet their idols at some point.

InQuire Media were fortunate enough to secure chats with both acts before they hit the stage, as they reflected upon perhaps the busiest year of their lives.

O’Keefe, a finalist on this year’s Britain’s Got Talent described his year as something that he “had really, really enjoyed”, going on to deliver a well-received set including some original tracks, as well as Ed Sheeran and Oasis covers.

X Factor finalists District 3 also discussed their whirlwind year, as the boys now tour around the country performing the songs they “wrote over the last couple of months” in preparation for their EP, which is out soon.

Okay, so the line-up perhaps was not everyone’s cup of tea, but for what it’s worth, it worked. As small-scale town-based festivals go, Dartford’s pleased the local people, and entertained the masses who have struggled in recent years.

The festival will no doubt be back next year, so if you’re about, pop in.

It’s free, after all.