Featuring two bank holidays, some favourite annual events, half term and a whole host of family fun in between, May is positively bursting at the seams with great activities and things to do!

This year Kimpton May Festival celebrates 50 years with its "Around the World in 80 ways" theme, 4-7 May.  A range of events and activities span the weekend, but the traditional procession and arena events including Maypole dancing and falconry, take place on the Saturday.  There is also a Dog Show on Sunday and Village Green activities on the Monday.

You can find more traditional May Day entertainment at Chiltern Open Air Museum in their Elizabethan May Day Merriment event on 6 & 7 May and at British Schools Museum, Hitchin where there will be Maypole and country dancing on 7 May.

Brambleton Model Railway Club are holding a Spring Open Day at their site at Highfield Oval on 12 May.  This is always a hit with little ones, as well as any model train enthusiasts.  Just discovering the site hidden away where it is, feels somewhat magical!

If your child prefers dinosaurs to trains then Dino Adventure Day at Knebworth House, also on 12 May, sounds right up their street. Featuring a dinosaur trail, hands-on reptile encounters, hunting for fossils and dinosaur artefacts this is sure to please any budding palaeontologist.

Back in Harpenden, again on 12 May you can get up close and personal with some much smaller creatures at the Batford Springs Family Open Day to celebrate the opening of the new Nature Reserve Centre. The afternoon will include free activities such as bug hunting, pond dipping and wildlife crafts.

12 - 13 May is an incredibly busy weekend, because if none of that takes your fancy then you might like to take advantage of the first Great British Tennis Weekend of the summer and enjoy some free tennis sessions at Harpenden Sports Centre, Harpenden LTC or Redbourn Tennis Club.

And we’re not even halfway through the month yet!

New in town this month is Luna Cinema bringing their outdoor cinema to Harpenden Common on the weekend of 18 – 20 May, showing The Greatest Showman (PG), Dirty Dancing (12A) and Top Gun (12A) – something for everyone there!

Or how about this for two very different experiences in one weekend… 26 & 27 May brings us the annual Herts County Show, at the County Showground in Redbourn, showcasing all that is wonderful about farming, agriculture, food and entertainment in the county; and on 27 May Tot Fest! brings a whole festival just for under 5s and their parents, including everything from live shows to a baby rave, workshops, messy play and a sports village!

And last, but definitely not least, 28 May to 1 June is half term week.  There are far too many activities going on that week to mention them all here, but take a look at our events page for a full rundown – crafts, trails, theatre, hands-on, it’s all going on!