The Great Dorset Steam Fair - August 27-31

Weather-beaten men with gurt big whiskers and their own beer mugs, Old Thumper on tap and fairground organs belting out their jolly tunes - it can only mean one thing.

Yes, it's the 40th anniversary of the GDSF, one of the county's biggest and most popular countryside shows.

As the name suggests, there will be masses of whopping great steam engines, organs and road rollers for the little ones (not to mention the dads) to gaze at in wonder.

But there's so much more. Military vehicles, mega trucks, a huge funfair, live bands, engine rides, heavy horses, sheep show, country crafts, beer tents, food stalls selling everything from your standard burger to noodles, curries and hog roast. In all, a good old-fashioned day out for all the family you wont want to miss.

Book early and get there early to avoid the queues, or book tickets for the shuttle bus.

For more information and ticket prices visit.gdsf.co.uk or call 01258 860361

Spirit of the Countryside - August 9 & 10

Lovely Lulworth Castle plays host to this vibrant 80-acre country fair celebrating the best of rural leisure, sport and business with heaps of have a go' activities. Marvel at the equestrian expertise of the Knights of Lulworth in their spectacular jousting battles and look to the skies for breathtaking parachute and falconry displays. The Rockwood Dog Display team will be impressing the crowds as will the wonderfully entertaining Pony Club Games and British Lawn Mower Grand Prix.

There will be so much going on for all age groups over this special weekend, from woodcraft demonstrations to angling clinics, baking through the ages, farming, vintage cars, fairground rides, the English Cricket Board's Cricket Factory and for the more daring, adrenaline-filled activities such as quad biking, 4x4 rides, rock climbing and abseiling walls.

Book 01749 813899 or visit lulworth.com

National Marine Week 2008 - August 2-10

Coastlink Centres along the coast and on Portland will be celebrating this event starting with the annual Seafest on Sunday 3rd at Kimmeridge Bay. All week a programme of exciting and fun activities, many free, have been planned to enable children and adults to discover the animals, plants and ecology of our beautiful coast. While having immense fun exploring Dorset's fascinating marine world, there will be an underlying message about how important it is to limit our own impact upon it.

Marine Week leaflets and information on all events are available online and from Coastlink Centres, Tourist Information Centres and Libraries in south Dorset. coastlink.org

Endorse-it in-Dorset - August 8-10

The fifth music festival will take place at Oakley Farm, near the village of Sixpenny Handley in the beautiful setting of Cranborne Chase.

It was a birthday party in a barn that sparked off The Endorse-it in-Dorset Festival - an event that inspired members of the band Pronghorn to take things into their own hands and start a festival, bringing local and international music to their home county. Rather than relying on corporate sponsorship, the team uses local business to make the event profitable to the surrounding community.

The Festival has gone from strength to strength, pulling in visitors and artists from around the globe and has grown from a one-day event of 750 capacity, to a three day festival for 5000.

Being parents themselves, the organisers believe that kids are great at these events and love having them around.

To this end, there's a brilliant programme for mini festival goers and teens, so loads of things to amuse and entertain, with, they promise, as little pressure on the parents' finances as possible. For info and tickets visit lgofestivals.com.

3:56pm Monday 21st July 2008

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